Gus Bilirakis

Bilirakis was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 1998 when he won the District 48 seat held for 10 years by Representative Sandy Safley, R-Clearwater, who decided not to run again. This district covers most of north Pinellas County, part of Pasco County, and part of Hillsborough County.

During his tenure in Tallahassee (1998–2006), he chaired several prominent panels including Crime Prevention, Public Safety Appropriations, and the Economic Development, Trade, & Banking Committee.

• Congressional Hellenic-Israeli Alliance

In 2006, Michael Bilirakis announced his retirement after 24 years in Congress, and Gus Bilirakis immediately jumped into the race to succeed his father in what was then the 9th District. He defeated Hillsborough County Commissioner Phyllis Busansky in the general election with 55 percent of the vote to become the district's second representative. He has been reelected three more times with no substantive opposition.

Gus Bilirakis meets with Diabetes advocate and former Miss America Nicole Johnson

Bilirakis' past and present committee assignments include:[3]

• Committee on Energy and Commerce (2013-present)
  • Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
• Committee on Veterans' Affairs (2011-2020)
  • Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity
  • Subcommittee on Health
• Committee on Homeland Security (2011-2012)

Bilirakis is a member of the Republican Party's Whip Team and is Chair of the Veterans’ Affairs Task Force for the Republican Policy Committee. Additionally, Bilirakis serves as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Military Veterans Caucus and the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues.

Bilirakis has led efforts to enhance the United States' visa screening capabilities and has played a key role in efforts to strengthen America's borders; most notably passing legislation to enhance the collection of biometric information from migrants captured at sea who are seeking illegal entry to the United States. He successfully placed legislative initiatives in the 9/11 recommendations bill that was signed into law to increase America's rail and public transportation security.

Bilirakis is also a leading sponsor of legislation to create a nationwide Silver Alert program. He is a signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[4]

In 2010 Bilirakis signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any climate change legislation that would raise taxes.[5]

On September 29, 2008, Bilirakis voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.[6]

On April 10, 2014, Bilirakis introduced the Travel Promotion, Enhancement, and Modernization Act of 2014 Act (H.R. 4450; 113th Congress), a bill that would extend the provisions of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (Pub.L. 111–145 (text) (pdf)), which established the Corporation for Travel Promotion (also known as Brand USA), through September 30, 2020, and impose new performance and procurement requirements on the corporation.[7][8]

In 2014, Bilirakis had a cameo as a job applicant in the feature film Walt Before Mickey starring Thomas Ian Nicholas, Jon Heder, and Armando Gutierrez.[9]

Bilirakis supports repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).[10]

On February 11, 2017, Biliarkis hosted a townhall in Pasco County, Florida where he was faced with several protesters angry over the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act, when the chairman of the GOP in the county, Bill Akins repeated the now debunked claim that the ACA contains "what is effectively known as death panels." Biliarkis nodded in agreement and later told CNN that "The board exists, OK? And I've voted to repeal the board." Congressman Biliarkis seemed to equate the death panel with the Independent Advisory Board, a 15-member committee that issues recommendations for reducing healthcare costs, subject to congressional oversight and approval.[11][12]

In early October 2018, Bilirakis released a campaign advertisement touting his work fighting opioids in Pasco County, Florida. In the advertisement, Bilirakis took credit for a law he did not have a hand in crafting. The 30-second ad flashed text about a "Bilirakis INTERDICT ACT" as Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said Bilirakis is "giving us the tools to do our job and get traffickers off the street." The INTERDICT Act provides funding and equipment to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for detecting imported fentanyl. But Bilirakis was neither a sponsor nor one of 18 co-sponsors, making it unclear how it is the "Bilirakis INTERDICT Act."[13][14]

Bilirakis voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[15]

From 2015 to 2016, Bilirakis accepted $2,000 in direct campaign contributions from the NRA's Political Victory Fund;[16] As of 2017, Bilirakis has an "A" rating from the NRA, indicating a voting record that is generally pro-gun rights.[17]

As a U. S. Congressman, Bilirakis has voted on several pieces of legislation pertaining to firearms. He supported H. R. 38, which would enable concealed carry reciprocity among all States if and when it is signed into law.[18]

In March 2017, Bilirakis voted in favor of the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act, which, if signed into law, would prohibit, in any case arising out of the administration of laws and benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs, any person who is mentally incapacitated, deemed mentally incompetent, or experiencing an extended loss of consciousness, of the right to receive or transport firearms, without the order or finding of a judicial authority of competent jurisdiction.[19]

Following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Bilirakis signed a letter written to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives urging them to reevaluate the legal status of bump stocks, though no action has been taken as of March 2018.[20]

In the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018, Bilirakis said that he would be willing to consider gun control legislation, "if that's what it takes."[21] Bilirakis said that, specifically, he would support more school resource officers in schools.[21] Bilirakis also announced his support for legislation that would "ensur[e] that those who are mentally ill do not have access to weapons."[22]

On October 1, 2020, Bilirakis co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that condemned Azerbaijan’s offensive operations against the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, denounced Turkey’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, and called for an immediate ceasefire.[23]

In December 2020, Bilirakis was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sig an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[24] incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[25][26][27]

The move was widely panned, with Bilirakis's hometown newspaper, the Tampa Bay Times, writing that he "chose partisan games over national interest". The Orlando Sentinel went further, calling the group a "national embarrassment", a "danger to democracy", and the "Sedition Caucus".[28][29] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." She also reprimanded Bilirakis and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[30][31] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, called for Pelosi to not seat Bilirakis and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit, arguing that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[32]

Many of the signers of the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus brief objected to the certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote, but Bilirakis was absent due to contracting COVID-19.[33] He may avoid repercussions that other objectors face, such as the suspension of political donations through a public and corporate pressure campaign due to the objectors' connection to the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters that day.[34]

As a result of the storming of the Capitol, the House of Representatives impeached Trump a second time. Ten Republicans voted for impeachment, but Bilirakis voted against it, calling it "politically motivated" and a "highly polarizing ruse that will only further divide Americans".[35]