Greg Steube

Chain migration is a term often thrown around, but rarely pinned down. Greg has re-introduced the Break the Chain Act which would reform and effectively end chain migration. The bill would remove the ability for immigrants to be granted a visa if they are related to an American citizen. It would, however, implement a renewable nonimmigrant visa for parents of U.S. citizens if the citizens can pay for their parents’ healthcare. Though the bill has not garnered much support yet, with the crisis unfolding at the border perhaps Greg can rally some fellow immigration hardliners on this one.

The immigration crisis is one of the most talked about issues for the Biden administration. Greg appeared recently on Newsmax to voice his opinion and said, “the attorney generals of each state need to start filing lawsuits against the Biden administration, and I know it takes time, but eventually those cases will get to the U.S. Supreme Court and then be able to reverse some of the completely unconstitutional actions that are happening from our administration.” Greg is referring to a series of executive orders Biden issued to chart a more open border path for immigration. As we have seen states follow suit when it comes to other issues, like voting or guns, do you think we will see the same related to immigration issues? And if so, do you think this is the best path forward?

The Florida legislature recently passed a law that would fine social media companies $250,000 a day for banning politicians. Yet, Greg weighed in on this suggesting it doesn’t get to the heart of the problem. Greg has long led the charge to combat against conservative censorship that he says social media companies engage in, and he attributes the root cause to Section 230, a much talked about but little-known law. The law essentially shields social media companies from liability, which Greg argues makes them immune to first amendment lawsuits. Therefore, they can do as they please, which includes banning whom they chose from their platforms. There’s little legislative headway Republicans have been able to make on this issue, but if Republicans take back the house in 2022, this will surely be a policy priority for them.

Under parameters set by the CARES Act (remember that Covid bill way back when like… 5 months ago?), Planned Parenthood meets the requirements as a nonprofit and healthcare provider to receive PPP loans, however Greg and a group of fellow Flordia Republicans (including PP leader Kat Cammack), are calling foul. They’ve introduced the Abortion Providers Loan Elimination Act which would have Planned Parenthood affiliates return PPP funds. It would also ensure that Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers remain ineligible for future PPP funding and instruct the Small Business Association to investigate how they were able to receive funds in the first place. With Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress, the bill isn’t expected to pass, but it surely brings the abortion debate back to center stage for the time being.

Anyone who has been to a restaurant over the last couple months has noticed one common theme: the service is not great. Short staffed restaurants is a national issue and Greg hosted a roundtable with some local restaurants to discuss why. What he found is that many workers were making more on unemployment than at work, due to increased unemployment benefits through the American Rescue Plan Act. Last Congress, Greg had introduced legislation to make sure that those receiving unemployment benefits do not receive more than the number of wages they were earning prior to unemployment, but the Democrats have not considered it. Regardless, if you go to a restaurant do not forget to leave a nice tip!

There has been a steady escalation in alarm-raising when it comes to China’s involvement in our higher education schools in this country. Greg has introduced a bill aimed at curbing the threats of what he sees as not only a national security issue, but one of domestic ideology as well, saying “It’s well documented that the Chinese Communist Party sees our higher education institutions as an opportunity for espionage and to spread their communist propaganda.” The bill specifically would prohibit colleges and their employees from accepting CCP money of any kind, otherwise they would lose any and all federal financial assistance. It remains to be seen China’s true intentions, but Greg sure doesn’t believe it’s to promote a Zen lifestyle.

Greg, like many other Republicans, has been an outspoken supporter of law enforcement and specifically condemned any attempts to defund any police departments. However, when the House recently voted on whether to award Capitol police officers with Congressional gold medals, he voted ‘no’. Why? He defended his decision by calling out Speaker Pelosi, the Capitol Police Chief, and the Sergeant at Arms for not doing their jobs effectively in the days leading up to the attack on the Capitol. This organizational failure, he said does not warrant a civilian medal. Does Greg’s defense hold water or is it too simple an answer to a complicated situation?

As a Florida congressman, water is always a top priority and making sure it is safe is top of mind. Greg sent a bipartisan letter with other Florida colleagues to President Biden requesting $725 million in federal funding for the Everglades restoration. The Everglades is the source of drinking water for 8 million Floridians. Furthermore, if the Everglades receives funding it will create 65,000-70,000 new jobs over the next four years. The 117th Congress has been vocal about identifying these large-scale infrastructure projects, so it will be interesting to see what is accomplished and how the Biden administration reacts to requests like this one from Florida.

One of the areas hit particularly hard by the pandemic has been U.S. agriculture and the supply chains it relies on. Greg has reintroduced a bill, the U.S. Citrus Protection Act that would prohibit importation of commercially produced fresh citrus fruit from China. Greg, blaming China for the outbreak of Covid-19, champions this proposal to help the over 47,000 commercial farms and ranches in Florida. Fun fact – his district produces more citrus than any other in the U.S. Though this bill doesn’t yet have a companion measure in the Senate (which would be necessary for it to become law), Greg’s focus on agriculture remains steadfast. He also has proposed to move the agriculture labor H-2A visa program that ensures temporary agriculture jobs from the U.S. Labor Department to the Agriculture Department. Lots of farming, lots of fruit, Greg’s on it!

Being a veteran himself, Greg has always prioritized the needs of veterans and their families, which is why he re-introduced last week a series of veteran-focused bills. The VA Fiscal Responsibility Act calls for greater efficiency on the part of the VA to improve its third-party billings and collections procedures, thus easing the financial burdens of veterans. The second is the Modern GI Bill Act, which would allow veterans entitled to post-9/11 educational assistance to use eligible funds to repay federal student loans incurred prior to military service. Kudos to Greg for always looking out for fellow vets. Oh, and kudos his district’s newest Super Bowl Champs too! FYI, Tom Brady is actually older than Greg.