WASHINGTON — Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16), whose no-nonsense business background helped make him a national leader on tax, trade and health care policy, announced today that he will retire at the conclusion of his current term after 20 years in Congress. Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, will leave office as the longest-serving Republican to represent Southwest Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives.
A successful entrepreneur before entering public office in 2007, Buchanan built a legislative record notable for both its impact and lasting results. Fifty-one of his bills and legislative initiatives were signed into law under four presidents—George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Donald Trump—a rare achievement. The record—which includes securing $27.8 million to design and construct a national veterans cemetery in Sarasota—reflects Buchanan’s ability to advance meaningful legislation in divided government.
“Serving the people of Southwest Florida has been the honor of my lifetime,” said Buchanan. “Every achievement worth doing began with listening to my constituents and fighting for their priorities. I came to Congress to solve problems, to fight for working families and to help ensure this country remains a place where opportunity is available to everyone willing to work for it. After 20 years of service, I believe it’s the right time to pass the torch and begin a new chapter in my life.”
Shortly after arriving in Washington, Buchanan was appointed to the House Ways and Means Committee, which writes the nation’s tax, trade and health care laws. He later served as Chairman of the Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee and as a member of the prestigious Joint Committee on Taxation, where he played a key role in the development and implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—the most significant reform of the U.S. tax code in more than three decades. Buchanan also worked directly with the White House to pass the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), modernizing North American trade and strengthening protections for American workers and manufacturers.
In addition, Buchanan currently serves as Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, where he has advanced bipartisan efforts to protect Medicare, expand access to care for seniors and veterans, and lower prescription drug costs. For more than a decade, he has served as Co-Chair of the Florida Congressional Delegation, helping unify the state’s federal priorities across party lines.
Beyond economic and health policy, Buchanan became one of Congress’s leading advocates for animal welfare. His bipartisan legislation to ban animal cruelty and torture nationwide was signed into law in 2019, marking one of the most significant federal animal-protection reforms in U.S. history. He is the only member of the U.S. House of Representatives to receive the Humane Society’s national “Legislator of the Year Award” twice.
Buchanan has also been a leading voice on protecting Florida’s natural resources, working to combat red tide, safeguard water quality, and protect manatees and coastal ecosystems vital to Southwest Florida’s economy and way of life. His broader legislative accomplishments include creating a national veteran identification card, providing targeted tax relief for Florida’s citrus growers, bolstering military preparedness, and advancing bipartisan legislation to support small businesses, strengthen Medicare and improve care for those who served. Taken together, his record has consistently placed him among the most effective members of Congress, according to independent analyses by the Lugar Center.
Buchanan’s commitment to public service was shaped by his own American Dream success story. One of six children raised in a 900-square-foot home in Inkster, Michigan, he watched his father drive a school bus by day and work the assembly line at night to support his family. Buchanan later served in the Air National Guard and became the first in his family to graduate from college. With his wife Sandy, he started a small business that would grow into one of the most successful enterprises in the country, creating thousands of jobs. A longtime civic and business leader, Buchanan previously chaired the Florida Chamber of Commerce and served on the board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. While raising their two sons, Matt and James, the Buchanans also built The Buchanan Foundation, now recognized as one of the leading philanthropic organizations serving Southwest Florida.
Today, Vern and Sandy are the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren—a reminder, Buchanan says, of why public service and stewardship for the future matter so deeply.
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