President-elect Barack Obama urged congressional leaders Saturday to move quickly on an economic recovery plan, even as some Republicans are saying they want more time to review the details. ...more

January 4, 2009

Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom is a disgrace. At a time when the Legislature is working to burden local and county government with further unfunded mandates, evidence surfaces that the speaker cooked up a $122.5-million spending spree for his hometown community college. ...more

January 4, 2009

Well, we Republicans have just made history. Not the type of history we wanted to make, mind you, but history nonetheless. Not only did we lose the White House but, after losing our House and Senate majorities in 2006, we followed it up Tuesday night with even steeper losses in Congress. ...more

November 8, 2008

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis coasted to victory and a second term Tuesday, defeating Democratic challenger Bill Mitchell, a 61-year-old employment lawyer from Carrollwood. ...more

November 5, 2008

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis coasted to victory and a second term Tuesday, defeating Democratic challenger Bill Mitchell, a 61-year-old employment lawyer from Carrollwood. ...more

November 4, 2008

Attorney General Michael Mukasey named a prosecutor Monday to investigate whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, other Bush administration officials or Republicans in Congress should face criminal charges in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. ...more

September 30, 2008

As the Democratic Convention approaches I was pleased to be tapped to speak on Wednesday evening and to be asked to highlight an historic new investment in higher education and a landmark expansion of educational opportunities for veterans under the new GI Bill for the 21st Century. Democratic Presidential Nominee Barack Obama and I both actively promoted these education initiatives as members of the New Direction Congress. ...more

August 24, 2008

U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Adam Putnam, who represent parts of Brandon, Valrico, Riverview, Lithia, Plant City and Seffner, hoped to vote to rescind the congressional ban on offshore oil drilling. The area Republicans will have to wait, however, until the House returns from its summer recess. ...more

August 20, 2008

Four dollar-a-gallon gasoline has done something few Republicans thought possible a few months ago: given them hope. United behind a renewed push for offshore oil drilling, Republican members of Congress and the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, think they have found their best political issue of the 2008 campaign. ...more

July 27, 2008

President Bush and top administration officials repeatedly exaggerated what they knew about Iraq's weapons and its ties to terrorist groups as the White House pressed its case for war against Iraq, the Senate Intelligence Committee said Thursday in a long-awaited report. ...more

June 6, 2008