WASHINGTON – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has rated Congressman Vern Buchanan tops in Florida for his record of bipartisanship and creating jobs.
Buchanan won a perfect 100 percent score on the group’s 2019 voting scorecard and a 94 percent for bipartisanship — highest in both categories among the 29-member Florida congressional delegation that includes U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.
“I’m honored to be recognized for supporting bipartisan policies that create jobs and grow the economy,” Buchanan said. “With so many people unemployed it’s critical to help workers and small businesses get back on their feet.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has rated senators and members of Congress since 1965 based on their voting records. The bipartisanship score is based on the number of bills the member cosponsors that were introduced by a member of the opposite party.
Key votes that formed this year’s scorecard include:
- Support for the new bipartisan international trade deal between the United States, Mexico and Canada. The United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) is expected to increase market access in Mexico and Canada for U.S. goods and services and create a more level playing field for American workers, farmers, and manufacturers.
- Support for the bipartisan SECURE Act, a sweeping retirement bill that included Buchanan’s Retirement Security for American Workers Act which would make it less costly for small businesses to set up retirement plans for employees.
In Florida, small businesses are responsible for three million jobs and account for 99 percent of all employers, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Buchanan has fought tirelessly to help these job-creators strengthen the economy.
According to a recent study, more than 100,000 small businesses have already shut down permanently as a result of the pandemic and could jump into the millions over the next several months. Furthermore, a staggering 26 percent of business owners in southwest Florida believe they may have to close their businesses permanently due to fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2019, Buchanan was presented the Spirit of Enterprise Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for his votes in Congress to rein in job-killing regulations and support American manufacturing.
Buchanan is a respected leader in Florida's business community and has created thousands of jobs during his 40-year career in business. He chaired both the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. He was also a member of the Board of the U.S. Chamber, and in 2005 he was inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame.
Since 2011, Buchanan has served on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, which is widely considered the most powerful committee in Congress because of its broad jurisdiction, including taxes, health care, Social Security, Medicare, welfare and international trade. In 2019, Buchanan was named the top Republican on the Trade Subcommittee, where he plays a leading role shaping trade legislation in Congress.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the second major group this year to rank Buchanan one of the most bipartisan members of Congress. The non-partisan Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy placed Buchanan in the top 15 percent of all US House members for bipartisanship.
The non-profit research center’s “bipartisan index” is used by the Washington Post to measure bipartisanship in Congress.
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