Congressman Ted Deutch represents Florida’s 22nd district, home to communities in northern Broward County and southeastern Palm Beach County in South Florida. Now serving his seventh term in the 117th Congress, he is the Chairman of the House Ethics Committee, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on which he serves as the Chairman of the Middle East, North Africa, and Global Counterterrorism Subcommittee.
Noted by the South Florida Sun Sentinel for his accessible personality, sense of humor, and thoughtful approach to the issues, Ted has proven himself to be an energetic advocate for the priorities of his constituents. Ted’s priorities in the 117th Congress include promoting economic opportunity in South Florida, reducing the influence of big money in our elections, gun violence prevention, fighting for full equality for all, and advancing the security interests of the United States, Israel, and our allies. Learn more about his legislative priorities here.
Congressman Ted Deutch believes that we have an economic and moral responsibility to pass a cleaner and healthier environment on to the next generation. Living up to that responsibility demands that Congress pass bold legislative initiatives that protect our most precious environmental resources, limit the carbon pollution responsible for global climate change, and speed the adoption of cleaner and more affordable renewable energy.
Ted’s commitment to protecting our environment is evident in his legislative record. His work on environmental issues, from protecting Florida’s coastlines from offshore drilling to fighting efforts to roll back clean air standards, has earned him a 97% Lifetime Score from the League of Conservation Voters. Ted was also the first member of Florida’s congressional delegation to join the Safe Climate Caucus, a coalition of members from across the country working together to protect our communities from the devastating threats posed by global climate change. In 2016, he co-founded the Climate Solutions Caucus – the first bipartisan task force on climate change in the House of Representatives.
Ted is a vocal defender of South Florida’s environmental treasures, including our pristine coastlines and the unique ecosystem home to the Everglades. Recognizing that more than six million Floridians rely on the Everglades for safe and clean drinking water, Ted has voted for legislation to advance waterway projects in South Florida vital to preventing flooding and saltwater contamination. He has also authored legislation to boost federal grants for the hydrokinetic energy research being pioneered at Florida Atlantic University.
Ted believes that the future of America’s energy security does not lie with dirty fossil fuels but instead with renewable energy technologies that are poised to deliver long term savings to consumers and create millions of new jobs. Instead of wasting billions of dollars on taxpayer subsidies to oil companies, Ted believes the government should enact responsible and accountable incentives that promote growth in our emerging green energy sector. He will continue to advocate for federally-guaranteed loans, research grants, and other incentives to promote clean energy solutions that will lower consumers’ utility bills, reduce carbon pollution, and promote environmental and public health.
Congressman Ted Deutch is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he serves as Chairman of the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism Subcommittee. Ted is committed to working across the aisle in the 116th Congress to promote a strong and smart foreign policy that protects our national security and advances human rights around the globe.
Preventing a Nuclear-Armed Iran
Congressman Deutch is deeply engaged in issues related to Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program and believes that a nuclear-armed Iran poses an unacceptable threat to the United States, Israel, and the world. Before his election to Congress in 2010, Ted gained national recognition for his work in the Florida State Senate passing the nation’s first law divesting public pension funds from Iran. Ted’s work on Iran sanctions led him to testify before Congress on divestment, hold strategy discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and eventually pass his own legislation cracking down on companies that financially support Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Ted has consistently used his voice and vote to make clear his categorical opposition to Iran possessing a nuclear weapons program. He was an original co-sponsor of the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act in the 113th Congress, which intensified economic pressure on the Iranian regime. He opposed the Iran nuclear agreement, and is committed to ensuring the strictest implementation and verification of the agreement going forward. Congressman Deutch introduced the Iran Sanctions Extension Act which made sure that the backbone of U.S. sanctions policy remains intact in the event that the nuclear agreement is violated and sanctions must be snapped back into place.
In addition, Ted remains committed to preventing the Iranian regime from spreading terrorism around the world, pursuing ballistic missile capabilities, and abusing the basic human rights of its people. Ted introduced the bipartisan Zero Tolerance for Terror Act which seeks to swiftly impose sanctions on Iran for its support of terrorism and its illegal ballistic missile activity. His bill to impose sanctions on Iran’s proxy Hezbollah was signed into law in December 2015.
Human Rights
Congressman Deutch has worked on global human rights issues since his days as a student at the University of Michigan, where he actively protested the repression of Jewish communities by the Soviet Union and advocated for their right to leave the country. As a member of Congress, Ted has used his position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to combat human rights violations wherever they may occur. He has worked to shed light on the dire humanitarian crisis in Syria that has displaced millions of families, co-introduced the Venezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act, and introduced congressional resolutions condemning the use of human shields by the terrorist group Hamas. He cosponsored the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act, which imposed additional financial pressure on the North Korean government for its egregious human rights abuses against its own people. Ted was also a co-sponsor of the Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act, which called on the Administration to take a more comprehensive approach to address the humanitarian and human rights crises in Sudan.
Afghanistan
Congressman Ted Deutch is deeply grateful to the men and women of our Armed Forces who have served in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001. The heroism and commitment displayed by our troops in Afghanistan proved instrumental to U.S. efforts to dismantle al Qaeda’s central leadership, create stability for the Afghan people, and set the stage for Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power.
After more than a decade of conflict, Ted strongly supported President Obama’s proposal to end combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and provide the Afghan people the opportunity to determine the future of their own country. Mindful of the significant challenges remaining in Afghanistan, Ted has outlined several areas of ongoing concern, including the effectiveness of Afghan security forces and the willingness of government leaders to adopt much-needed civil and democratic reforms. Given the recent incursions by ISIS-aligned fighters in Afghanistan and the resurgence of Taliban activity, Ted supported the 2016 decision to delay the withdrawal of some U.S. troops in order to continue counterterrorism activities. However, the ultimate security of Afghanistan must be maintained by Afghan security forces.
As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee whose jurisdiction includes Afghanistan, Ted will continue to perform oversight related to U.S. spending and troop presence there during the 115th Congress.
Israel
Congressman Ted Deutch is a passionate and outspoken advocate for Israel. A lifelong activist in the pro-Israel community, Ted has successfully spearheaded efforts in Congress to strengthen Israel’s security, combat anti-Israel bias, and enhance cooperation between Israel and the United States. More information about Ted’s work championing the U.S.-Israel relationship and protecting Israel’s security is available here.
Citizens United and Related Cases
Congressman Ted Deutch was sworn-in to the House of Representatives just three months after the Supreme Court issued its highly-controversial, split decision in Citizens United v. FEC in January 2010. Since then, Ted has made restoring for the American people what the Supreme Court took away – namely their right to regulate money in politics – one of his key focuses in Congress. He has worked with several think tanks and prominent organizations focused on restoring accountability to our campaign finance laws, including Public Citizen, People for the American Way, the Communications Workers for America, Free Speech for People, and Common Cause.
The highly controversial Citizens United decision held that corporations, unions, and other private entities have a First Amendment right to spend unlimited amounts of money swaying elections in their favor. Yet Citizens United was far from the first, and unfortunately not the last, major court decision to threaten integrity of our elections.
The Supreme Court’s 1974 decision in Buckley v. Valeo delivered the first major blow to democratically-enacted campaign finance rules when it struck down limits on independent election expenditures. In 2010, shortly after Citizens United eliminated restrictions on the use of corporate treasury funds in elections, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals followed suit with a decision in SpeechNow.Org v. FEC that held wealthy individuals also have a right to spend unlimited money in elections. In 2011, the Supreme Court delivered another blow to the entire premise of public financing laws in Arizona Free Enterprise Club’s Freedom PAC vs. Bennett, which overturned state statutes that seek to level the playing field for candidates outspent by independently wealthy opponents or closely-aligned Super PACs.
Despite record spending by Super PACs and other special interest groups during the 2012 election cycle, in 2014 the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in McCutcheon v. FEC handed even more influence over our elections to America’s wealthiest donors. That decision struck down the $123,000 total cap on how much money a single person could donate to federal candidates per cycle, granting America’s wealthiest donors permission to donate up to $5.9 million every cycle to candidates running for federal office. In his opinion for the 5-4 majority for McCutcheon, Chief Justice John Roberts went so far as to argue that the First Amendment right of millionaires and billionaires to influence elections far outweighed any interest the American people have in ensuring elected representatives are accountable to voters.
Crafting a Constitutional Amendment
Ted first gained national attention for his efforts to reduce the influence of big money in politics when he introduced the Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public Interest in our Elections and Democracy (OCCUPIED) Amendment in the House, and later gained the sponsorship of Senator Bernie Sanders in the U.S. Senate. While Ted may not have been the first member to propose a constitutional amendment overturning Citizens United, he took extra care to craft his amendment to address both of the ruling’s most dangerous assertions: that corporations are people with rights enshrined in the Constitution and that the First Amendment guarantees a right to unlimited spending in our elections.
Yet once it became clear that his colleagues held differing levels of support for an amendment that addressed corporate personhood and campaign finance at the same, Ted shifted his focus in the 113th and 114th Congresses towards building consensus and uniting as many Members of Congress as possible behind a constitutional amendment to get big money out of politics.
Those efforts led to Ted’s introduction of the Democracy for All Amendment with Congresswoman Donna Edwards and Congressman Jim McGovern in July 2014. The proposed amendment gives the American people a constitutional right to limit the influence of money in our elections – by individuals and private entities alike. In the Senate, the work of Senators Tom Udall and Bernie Sanders to advance the companion amendment eventually culminated in more than fifty members of the U.S. Senate voting in favor of a constitutional amendment to get money out of politics. Though it fell short of the two-thirds support it needed to move forward, the vote gave historic momentum to a movement taking root across the country.
The Democracy for All Amendment
Marking the five-year anniversary Citizens United on January 20th, 2015, Ted reintroduced the Democracy for All Amendment into the 114th Congress. Filed as H.J. Res 22 in the House and S.J.Res 5 in the Senate, the Udall-Deutch Amendment:
The House Judiciary Committee
Congressman Ted Deutch will continue to serve on the House Judiciary Committee in the 115th Congress, which holds jurisdiction over many issues of great importance to our democracy, including justice and the courts, civil rights and liberties, constitutional amendments, and immigration. Ted opposes efforts to use the House Judiciary Committee as a platform for pushing through elements of a divisive and discriminatory agenda that have little to do with the priorities of most Americans. Instead, Ted strongly believes the House Judiciary Committee should more actively pursue efforts to promote fairness in our courts, integrity in our elections, and accountability in government. He will continue to work across the aisle to advance bipartisan legislative priorities, from improving America’s patent system to safeguarding privacy in domestic surveillance programs.
Women’s Rights
As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Ted is often on the frontlines of attacks on the constitutionally-protected rights of women. He has fought legislative initiatives aimed at weakening access to safe and legal abortion, interfering with the contraception and other private matters between women and their doctors, and rolling back federal funding for women’s preventative health. In 2014, Ted delivered what the national blog ThinkProgress called a “passionate speech” in support of a real women’s agenda that sets aside partisan attacks on women’s health in favor of progress on issues like equal pay for equal work and affordable childcare.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights
Ted is a vocal advocate for equal protection under the law for all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. As a proud supporter of LGBT rights, Ted applauded the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which extended marriage equality to same-sex couples nationwide. Ted is also a co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus and is a cosponsor of the Equality Act, which would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in housing, employment, jury service, and other areas. He has also cosponsored legislation to combat bullying and harassment of LGBT students, which detracts from the safe and supportive learning environment that our children deserve in public schools.
Consumer Protection
Ted believes the House Judiciary Committee has an important role to play in protecting consumers from abuse in the financial sector. Representing a large community of retirees, Ted is uniquely concerned about protecting the more than $15 trillion in retirement assets held by seniors nationwide from fraud and abuse. He is the author of the bipartisan Seniors Fraud Prevention Act, which would enhance the Federal Trade Commission’s efforts to protect seniors from criminals targeting their assets by peddling fake investment plans, counterfeit billing schemes, and other financial scams. Ted also voted in support of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 to better shield our economy from the kind of risky behavior that led to the financial crisis of 2008, which wiped out 8 million jobs, sent property values plummeting, and left our economy in a deep recession. In the 115th Congress, Ted will continue to fight efforts to roll back Wall Street reform and weaken the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the independent watchdog established by the Obama Administration to look out for everyday consumers in our financial sector.
Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL) has led efforts to fight for the justice and dignity of Holocaust survivors and combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad throughout his tenure in Congress. Yet Ted’s commitment to these issues span decades.
Before representing large numbers of Holocaust survivors in Congress, he was a Florida State Senator who secured funding for a new Ruth Rales Jewish Family Services senior center. Before serving in the Florida Senate, he was a leader in national and local Jewish community organizations. And before taking on leadership roles in the Jewish community, he was a student activist at the University of Michigan fighting for the rights of Soviet Jewry.
Now as a Member of Congress, Ted continues to lead efforts against anti-Semitic hatred and violence. In January 2015, Ted delivered an address to the first-ever United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Combating Anti-Semitism. There, he urged the international community to recognize the proliferation of anti-Semitism as a threat not only to their own Jewish communities, but as a precursor to hatred and discrimination against minorities of all backgrounds. Recently, he was appointed to the Steering Committee for the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism, an organization of legislators from all over the world who share a commitment to ending anti-Semitic hatred and bigotry.
During the 114th Congress, Ted also co-founded the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism with seven of his House colleagues. The Co-Chairs relaunched the Task Force for the 116th Congress. Together, they work to mobilize their Congress to play a leading role against anti-Semitism by organizing events and other initiatives, including a roundtable discussion with the Ambassadors of Germany, France, and Great Britain and a forum on the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions. In November 2015, the House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass H.Res. 354, a resolution Ted introduced expressing concern with the growing number of anti-Semitic incidents in Europe and around the world.
Ted considers representing one of the nation’s largest populations of Holocaust survivors a profound privilege. He sits on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, which serves as the Board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. In January 2015, Ted introduced a resolution (H.Res. 49) honoring the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the deadliest concentration camp during the Holocaust. His joint amendment ensuring Holocaust remembrance is included in national commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II was signed into law in January 2019. In his meetings with European Ambassadors and Heads of State, as well as in direct letters to foreign leaders, Ted regularly raises the need for countries to better meet the needs of Holocaust survivors and do more to ensure property restitution allows for fair compensation of their rightful heirs. For example, Ted led a letter to the Prime of Minister of Hungary opposing the erection of a government-funded memorial to a known Nazi collaborator, which contributed to the international pressure that eventually led to the monument’s postponement.
Congressman Ted Deutch’s economic priorities in the 115th Congress include promoting equal opportunity for all Americans and preparing the United States to compete in the 21st century. Ted has consistently spoken out against the partisan dysfunction and extremism that has gripped Washington in recent years and only jeopardized our economic recovery.
Instead of letting the government shutdown or nearly defaulting on the full faith and credit of the United States, Ted believes that Congress must work with the President to advance economic solutions with strong support from Americans across the political spectrum.
According to the Council on Economic Advisors, our federal budget deficit has dropped from 9.8 percent of GDP in Fiscal Year 2009 to just 2.8 percent in Fiscal Year 2014. This deficit reduction is a result of several factors, including budget caps signed into law by President Obama, a repeal of the Bush-era tax cuts for families earning more than a half a million dollars a year, cost-savings delivered by the Affordable Care Act, and healthier tax revenues thanks to consistent private sector growth.
With record levels of deficit reduction in place, Ted believes it’s time for Congress to refocus on the deficits that confront working families in their everyday lives. Though the stock market may have tripled since 2009 and unemployment has hit a six-year low, recent data from the Census Bureau indicates that the median inflation adjusted income in America has failed to grow since 1989.
Ted supports a legislative agenda focused on growing the paychecks of low and middle-income Americans, closing the wage gap among men and women, helping families achieve better work-life balance, and boosting job-creating investments in public education, transportation and infrastructure, renewable energy, and government-funded medical and scientific research. He also supports legislation aimed at reducing poverty, hunger, and homelessness, and promoting criminal justice reforms vital to restoring opportunity in America’s most impoverished communities.
Feel free to browse some of the latest news below about on Ted’s efforts to promote equal opportunity, basic fairness, and innovation in our economy.
Florida’s 22nd district is home to a large community of retirees, and Congressman Ted Deutch is committed to protecting their health and financial security. As a member of the House Seniors Task Force, Ted believes that the ability to retire with dignity and financial security after a lifetime of hard work is a cornerstone of the American dream. In the 115th Congress, Ted will continue to champion the needs of America’s seniors, from strengthening Social Security and Medicare to protecting seniors from financial fraud and abuse.
Strengthening Social Security
Ted has made protecting Social Security for today’s retirees and future generations of Americans one of his top priorities in Congress. His comprehensive legislation to fix Social Security’s broken cost-of-living adjustment formula, phase out the cap on contributions to the program, and extend its solvency has been highlighted by the New York Times and endorsed by leading advocacy groups, including the Strengthen Social Security coalition.
Fighting Fraud and Abuse
With record numbers of Americans entering retirement and relying on the Medicare system, protecting Medicare for current and beneficiaries is a top priority for the South Florida community. That's why Ted is leading efforts to better protect seniors from other types of financial crimes. He is the author of the Seniors Fraud Prevention Act, a bipartisan bill to combat financial fraud designed to target seniors. With more than $15 trillion in assets nationwide, retirees are increasingly targeted by sophisticated criminals peddling fraudulent investment plans, financial schemes, fake charity and sweepstakes drives, and other scams. The Seniors Fraud Prevention Act will establish a Federal Trade Commission office devoted to tracking scams that target seniors and working with law enforcement to protect our communities from fraud. You can learn more about the bill here.
Strengthening Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage
Ted believes that seniors should never be forced to choose between paying for basic necessities and the medications prescribed by their doctors. That’s why he has consistently opposed partisan-attacks on the Affordable Care Act, which included desperately-needed fixes to the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. The law is actively closing the dreaded Medicare “donut hole” gap in prescription drug coverage, which saddled seniors with thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs for their medications. Already, more than 8.2 million seniors and disabled Americans have saved nearly $12 billion on prescription drugs under health care reform, and the donut hole will be completely closed by 2020. In the 115th Congress, Ted will continue to advocate for greater prescription drug savings for seniors, including by giving Medicare the authority to negotiate with the pharmaceutical industry.
Extending Solvency and Lowering Costs
The Affordable Care Act is also lowering costs for seniors and extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund. It has improved access to primary care by eliminating out-of-pocket costs for seniors for annual wellness exams and preventative services like mammograms and colonoscopies. The law is also helping protect seniors from rising costs, with premiums for Medicare Part B staying stable for the past three years. Seniors enrolled in the Medicare Advantage program are also benefitting from cost-savings. Since 2010, the average Medicare Advantage premium has declined by approximately 10 percent and enrollment has surged by nearly 15 million beneficiaries. Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act enacted additional cost-saving measures for Medicare Advantage members by requiring insurance companies to operate with greater efficiency.
In the 114th Congress, Ted will continue to champion legislation on behalf of veterans and meet regularly with local veterans, health care providers, caregivers, and advocates in Palm Beach and Broward counties to keep abreast of their concerns. Ted credits his father, a veteran of World War II who earned a Purple Heart in the Battle of the Bulge, with instilling in him a lifelong reverence for America’s veterans. Ted considers one of his greatest honors as a Member of Congress to be representing and advocating for the more than 60,000 veterans who call Florida’s 21stdistrict home.
| Watch a news clip on Congressman Deutch's work helping a veteran obtain long overdue military medals. |
If you are a veteran struggling to get answers from the VA or access your benefits, please visit this page to learn about the casework services offered by Congressman Deutch’s office.
Ted successfully passed legislation during the 113th Congress to authorize the recognition of veterans who may have been overlooked for the Medal of Honor due to prejudice towards their Jewish, Hispanic, or minority heritage. These extraordinary veterans were identified during a review of Pentagon records that began in 2002 thanks to the advocacy of Mr. Mitch Libman, a South Florida resident who spent decades working to ensure his friend, the late Private First Class Leonard Kravitz, received the Medal of Honor he earned in the Korean War. Private Kravitz received the Distinguished Service Cross and was recommended for the Medal of Honor after he stayed behind to man a machine gunner during an ambush of Communist forces and sacrificed his life so that his fellow soldiers could escape to safety. Ted’s passage of the amended National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 culminated in a March 18, 2014 White House ceremony in which President Obama presented the Medal of Honor to 24 veterans, including Private First Class Leonard Kravitz, whose extraordinary service went unrecognized for far too long.
Later in 2014, when fraud and abuse at the Department of Veterans Affairs was revealed to have jeopardized veterans’ access to care, Ted held a joint emergency meeting of his Palm Beach County and Broward County Veterans Advisory Councils to update local veterans, health care professionals, advocates, and elected officials on the investigation and collect ideas for reform. In Washington, he joined a majority of his colleagues to pass the bipartisan Veterans' Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to ramp up the hiring of new doctors, nurses, therapists, and other health care professionals, open new facilities in under-served communities, and allow veterans facing long waiting lists to secure care at community health centers, private clinics, and other locations.
In April 2016, the House of Representatives unanimously passed The Preventing Crimes Against Veterans Act (H.R. 4676), authored by Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL). More information on the bill is available here.
Ted will continue to support numerous pieces of legislation in the 114th Congress on behalf of our veterans, including measures to improve mental health care services, help homeless veterans get back on their feet, and protect the financial security of veterans and their families. In addition, as a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, he will continue to promote a foreign policy that is strong, smart, and respects the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform.
Congressman Ted Deutch believes that all Americans deserve access to affordable health care and the financial security that comes with quality insurance coverage. He has consistently opposed partisan-driven efforts to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which to date has helped extend coverage to over 10 million Americans, saved Medicare beneficiaries nearly $12 billion in prescription drug costs, and banned health insurance companies from discriminating against patients with pre-existing conditions.
Instead of rolling back these advances, Ted hopes to see Democrats and Republicans work together in the 114th Congress to make the Affordable Care Act work better for families and businesses and to promote solutions to our nation's many health care challenges. Investing in life-saving medical research, protecting Medicare, improving mental health care, and promoting public health will remain among his top priorities in the 114th Congress.
The Affordable Care Act in Florida
| Ted Delivers Floor Speech on Medicaid Expansion |
Ted is committed to fully implementing the Affordable Care Act in Florida, where the launch of the new Health Insurance Marketplace has proven highly successful. Nearly 893,000 Floridians enrolled in a 2014 Marketplace health plan during the first open enrollment period - more so than any other state in the country using the healthcare.gov website. Furthermore, over 90 percent of Florida’s enrollees received financial assistance made available under the law to lower the cost of their monthly premiums.
While encouraged by these successes, Ted remains gravely concerned for the 1.1 million Floridians who remain uninsured due to a refusal by Governor Scott and the Florida legislature to adopt the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid. More than half of these Floridians are low-income workers in industries like hospitality, food service, and child care who do not receive health benefits and are not eligible to buy private insurance through healthcare.gov. In 2015, Ted will continue to work with hospitals and health care advocates in Florida to pressure state legislators to accept the $50 billion in Medicaid expansion funds authorized under the Affordable Care Act, which will expand coverage, reduce uncompensated care in our hospitals, and create thousands of new jobs in our health care sector.
Efforts to keep health insurance affordable in Florida have also been undermined by a law signed by Governor Rick Scott that forbids Florida’s own state insurance watchdog from regulating health policies sold on healthcare.gov. Without a State Insurance Commissioner actively negotiating with insurance companies on Florida’s Health Insurance Marketplace, Florida consumers remain vulnerable to some of the highest premium increases in the country, even as other tout successful efforts to limit premium hikes. To address this issue, Ted has cosponsored legislation in Congress that grants the Department of Health and Human Services the authority to negotiate on behalf of consumers whose state leaders have intentionally abdicated their responsibility to prevent unfair premium hikes.
Mental Health Care
A passionate advocate for improving mental health care in America, Ted was a leading voice in efforts to convince Obama Administration officials to issue long overdue rules ensuring health insurance parity for mental health patients. He is also the author of the Federal Response to Eliminating Eating Disorders Act, which would improve awareness, boost resources, and invest in research to advance the fight against deadly mental illnesses like anorexia and bulimia.
Congressman Ted Deutch is a passionate supporter of Israel whose advocacy for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship stretches back to his youth. Ted spent his summers at Zionist summer camp, worked as a student activist in high school and college, and served in leadership roles on several local and national Jewish organizations throughout his professional career. Today, Ted serves as Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s influential Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, where he continues to champion Israel’s security during a time of great volatility in the Middle East.
Ted first gained national recognition as a leader in the pro-Israel community as a member of the Florida State Senate, where he passed the nation’s first law mandating that public pension funds not be invested in Iran’s illicit quest for nuclear weapons. His work led him to testify before Congress on Iran sanctions, hold strategy discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and eventually pass his own legislation in the House of Representatives to crack down on companies that financially support Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Ted was traveling on a fact-finding mission in the Middle East in the summer of 2014 when three Israeli innocent teens, Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frankel and Eyal Yifrac, were murdered by Hamas terrorists. After mourning the victims, Ted condemned their killings as well as the murder of a Palestinian teen in the days thereafter. When Hamas then launched a campaign of rocket attacks against Israel, Ted played a leading role in condemning the use of innocent Palestinian civilians as human shields in an effort to incite international criticism of Israel’s defense operations. In July, Ted passed a bipartisan resolution through Congress condemning the use of human shields by Hamas and other terrorist groups that violate international law.
Ted has also passed legislation enhancing U.S.-Israel cooperation in new areas like energy, agriculture, and cybersecurity. The U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, co-introduced with Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in December 2014.
More recently, Ted led the effort in the House of Representatives to support the swift conclusion of a new ten year Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Israel. This new agreement provides Israel with the largest ever security assistance package to ensure Israel can defend herself against any and all threats.
Ted will continue to work across the aisle in the 115th Congress to advance Israel’s security and promote a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. He will also continue to oppose any effort to circumvent direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Lasting peace, with two states for two people, can only come through direct negotiations between the two parties. Fighting efforts to delegitimize Israel on the world stage, maintaining strict oversight of the Iran nuclear agreement, and promoting security in the Middle East will remain among his top priorities.
Since Ted Deutch came to Congress in 2010, preventing gun violence and finding a commonsense consensus to keep our communities safe has been a fundamental issue for him. Every year our country loses nearly 13,000 people to gun homicides and, since 2013, there have been 306 school shootings that have devastated communities and families. The recent tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School has reaffirmed his commitment to protecting our communities and schools.
