Today, U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) called on the Army Corps and FEMA to work together to repair damage to Florida's beaches following Hurricane Matthew to protect the coastline and mitigate future damage. Strong shorelines and dunes provide vital barriers to protect lives and property from storm surges and beach restoration is found to have a high return on investment. "Healthy beaches are the first line of defense against a hurricane's storm surge, playing a pivotal role prote... Read more

U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) is again calling for collective action from all levels of government as well as citizen vigilance in the fight against Zika as Florida surpassed 1,000 reported cases yesterday. This is especially urgent after Hurricane Matthew left pools of standing water across Zika-impacted communities, which can serve as breeding grounds for Zika-carrying mosquitoes. On Friday, Murphy called on Governor Scott to request emergency federal assistance for mosquito co... Read more

U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) is calling on Florida Governor Rick Scott to request emergency federal assistance for mosquito control efforts to curb the spread of Zika-carrying mosquitoes. Hurricane Matthew has caused pools of standing water across the state, which could exacerbate the spread of the virus with Florida quickly approaching 1,000 reported cases. (Please find a copy of the letter attached and below). "With Hurricane Matthew leaving pools of standing water scattered a... Read more

Today, U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to work with mobile companies to waive overage fees for consumers impacted by Hurricane Matthew. For many, mobile devices serve as a lifeline during natural disasters, and they should not have to worry about excessive costs to access vital information to keep their families safe. "Suspending data overage fees will help put safety first by allowing those impacted by a hurricane to access upd... Read more

U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) continued to urge residents of Florida's 18th Congressional District to prepare now, stay informed, and follow emergency warnings as Hurricane Matthew approaches Florida's east coast. Today, Murphy visited the American Red Cross' Local Operations Center in West Palm Beach as the facility became fully operational, helping meet the sheltering needs of the community. "I want to thank all those working around the clock on the front lines to keep resident... Read more

Throughout Congress' September session, U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) was hard at work putting Florida families first, bringing home several major victories for our waterways, the fight against Zika, Florida's citrus industry, Pulse victims, and our nation's veterans. Additionally, Murphy continued advocating for Everglades restoration funding, introduced legislation to repeal the health insurance tax for Puerto Rico that unfairly penalizes consumers on the island who do not bene... Read more

U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) made the following statement on Congress passing a stopgap funding measure to keep the government open past September 30th, which included $1.1 billion for Zika response efforts. Murphy has continually called on Congress to provide the necessary funding to combat Zika since the President's February request. "I am pleased to see Congress work together to pass legislation to keep the government up and running. Included in this bill were critical resour... Read more

Today, U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) wrote to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting the federal agency monitor the state's mitigation efforts after a 45-foot-wide sinkhole opened up at Mosaic's New Wales phosphate processing plant in Mulberry, Florida. It is estimated that over 200 millions gallons of contaminated water has entered an underground aquifer that supplies the drinking water to nearly 10 million Floridians. The sinkhole was discovered on August 27th, yet nearby r... Read more

Today, U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) received a response from the IRS to his request for tax guidance for OneOrlando Fund disbursements, clarifying that these charitable gifts would be excluded from individuals' gross income. On Tuesday, Murphy had recommended the funds provided to the victims of the Pulse shooting and their families be exempt from federal income taxes as was done for victims of other mass tragedies including 9/11 and the mass shooting at Virginia Tech. (To view ... Read more

U.S. Representative Patrick E. Murphy (FL-18) applauded the unanimous approval of the Working to Integrate Networks Guaranteeing Member Access Now (WINGMAN) Act by the House Veterans Affairs Committee yesterday. Murphy joined U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho (FL-03) in introducing this bill to provide read-only access to Congressional offices working to help veterans receive the benefits they have earned, which followed previous bipartisan efforts led by the two lawmakers to tackle the backlog by requesting t... Read more