President Trump’s decision to visit the Vatican on his first overseas trip underscores the importance of United States diplomatic relations with the Holy See. History shows that the moral persuasion, or “soft power” diplomacy, of the Holy See is an important resource for successful pursuit of American foreign policy goals. Going forward, the United States and the Holy See should work together on their common objectives of defeating Islamic extremism and promoting human rights. The United States ...
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Congressman Francis Rooney Introduces Legislation to Remove Overreaching Regulations on Travel Agents Washington, DC – Today Congressman Francis Rooney introduced The Travel Agent Retail Fairness Act, which would remove a regulatory block and strike travel agencies from the blacklist that prohibits them from utilizing an exemption from federal overtime rules. To qualify for this exemption, an employee must work at an establishment “recognized as retail.” In 1970, the Department of Labor (DOL) es...
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Congressman Francis Rooney Discusses Funding of Everglades Projects with Office of Management and Budget Washington, DC – This afternoon, Congressman Francis Rooney met with representatives of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to discuss funding of Lake Okeechobee and Everglades Restoration projects which have been authorized, but not yet funded, through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Congressman Rooney said, “The key to Everglades restoration is the funding and co...
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President Trump’s decision to visit the Vatican on his first overseas trip underscores the importance of United States diplomatic relations with the Holy See. History shows that the moral persuasion, or “soft power” diplomacy, of the Holy See is an important resource for successful pursuit of American foreign policy goals. Going forward, the United States and the Holy See should work together on their common objectives of defeating Islamic extremism and promoting human rights. The United States ...
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The H1-B visa program, created to import temporary foreign workers to fill high-tech jobs, is too often used to replace Americans with cheaper foreign workers under the guise that Americans are not qualified for these jobs. President Trump signed an executive order to initiate a review to assure that the H1-B visa program is used solely to fill existing gaps. While this action is an important first step in protecting American jobs, we also need a long-term solution to the high-tech labor shortag...
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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy tours Everglades and Lake Okeechobee Watershed with Congressman Francis Rooney NAPLES, FL – Today, Congressman Francis Rooney led House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on a tour of the Everglades and the Lake Okeechobee Watershed, including Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project (CERP) projects and Everglades National Park. The tour highlighted the importance of the watershed, and funding projects which have already been approved and designed. Congressma...
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Fort Myers, FL – On Saturday, May 6th, Congressman Francis Rooney will meet with the newest board members of the Hispanic-American Citizens Council. Congressman Rooney will be the keynote speaker for the evening gala, and will provide an update on Healthcare, budget, immigration and community involvement. Congressman Rooney stated; “I am honored to speak with such an informed and active group, and to attend the installation of the Hispanic-American Citizen’s Council board. Civic involvement is t...
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Fort Myers, FL – El sábado, el 6 de mayo, el congresista Francis Rooney va a encontrarse con los miembros nuevos de la Junta Directiva de la Hispanic-American Citizens Council. El congresista Francis Rooney va a ser el primer orador a la gala por la tarde, y va a proveer las noticias por el sistema de salud, el presupuesto, la inmigración, y la participación en la comunidad. El congresista Francis Rooney dijo, “Me siento halagado hablar con un grupo tan informado y activo, y presidir la instalac...
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This is the second of a two-part series on religious freedom by Rep. Francis Rooney. For part 1, see "The Role of Religious Freedom Today." As discussed in the first article in this series, free expression of religion can stabilize civil societies and has helped defeat extremist ideologies. Currently, Islamic society is stuck in the past and uses an extreme interpretation of the Koran to justify barriers to the free expression of religion, such as blasphemy laws, and for violent religious persec...
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This is the first of a two-part series on religious freedom by Rep. Francis Rooney. For part 2, see "Religious Freedom and Islamic Society" Throughout history religion has played a stabilizing role in society. When practiced freely, religion establishes a moral compass for people to follow, which in turn leads to tolerance of differing views and comity in civil society. Free expression of religion allows pluralistic religious organizations to exist within modern secular states, and can ease ideo...
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