Manatee Review

Congressman Vern Buchanan announced that nine of his amendments were included in a series of House-passed government funding bills.

“All nine of these proposals are targeted to address some of the most pressing issues facing our area of Southwest Florida as well as the national security interests of the United States,” said Congressman Buchanan. “We must protect our brave service members, secure our wide-open southern border and work to preserve our pristine waterways that Floridians rely on for our tourism-based economy. I’m very pleased to see these proposals pass the House with broad bipartisan support and will work to see them enacted into law.”

Three of Buchanan’s proposals were included in the House-passed Department of Defense appropriations bill. They include:

- An amendment to provide $3 million to help prevent future military training accidents.

- An amendment to dedicate $2 million to ensure the continuation of the Army Body Composition Program, which aims to improve the mental and physical fitness of troops.

- An amendment to provide $1 million for the Future Sailor Preparatory Course program, which aims to help prepare Navy recruits prior to boot camp.

Buchanan also saw three proposals included in the Homeland Security funding bill passed by the House. They include:

- An amendment to provide an additional $4 million to increase physical technology, including drones and security cameras along the border, as well as using artificial intelligence (AI) for monitoring and combating illegal crossings.

- An amendment to provide $2 million to bolster investigations for missing and exploited children.

- An amendment to dedicate $3 million for research into preventing cyberattacks.

Finally, three of Buchanan’s amendments were included in the Department of Interior and Environment bill. Those include:

- An amendment providing $1 million to the Prescott Grant Program for more funding into rescuing and rehabilitating manatees.

- An amendment dedicating $2 million to the National Water Quality Program for research into combatting Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB).

- An amendment allocating $1 million to the Environmental Protection Agency for continued research into HABs' harmful effects on human health.

All these amendments were made budget-neutral by offsetting funding from different bureaucratic administrative spending accounts.

Earlier this year, Buchanan saw 18 amendments included in the House-passed FY25 NDAA.

Since joining Congress in 2007, Buchanan has had 33 legislative initiatives signed into law. This includes four initiatives signed by President Bush, six by President Obama, 13 by President Trump, and ten legislative proposals signed into law by President Biden so far.