Hispanic Heritage Month

Dear friends and neighbors,

This week, I had the honor as Chair to host the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 48th Annual Awards Gala for Hispanic Heritage Month. CHCI is helping young Hispanic fellows and interns with opportunities to work in Washington. These inspiring young people show us the future is bright!

We were thrilled to recognize Pedro Brull, an award-winning Florida Rican artist of Diaspora Boricua from St Cloud. We are also grateful for the invocation by Pastor Gabriel Salguero from South Orlando. In addition, we recognized former U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Merengue King Elvis Crespo. A big thank you to Elvis for bringing down the house with an unforgettable performance of Suavamente and more! We are proud to celebrate our culture and our future.

On the Energy and Commerce Committee, I advocated for bipartisan support for the extension of a premium tax credit that will keep Obamacare affordable for millions. Unless we can come together, hundreds of millions could see their healthcare costs rise by 75%, with many losing coverage entirely.

In addition, I was honored to meet with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to advocate for the highest possible funding increases for cancer research conducted at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. I also expressed my support for prevention programs through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the FY 2026 funding bill.

Lastly, we had an incredible day on Capitol Hill with the USO! Honored to join the USO in assembling 2,000 care packages for our deployed service members—offering them a meaningful connection to home while they serve far from their families. Thank you for defending our freedom

I'm proud and optimistic about our efforts this week and look forward to working in the district and in Washington, D.C., for our Central Florida community next week.

Poll of the Week

Do you support allocating more funding to cancer research?

Yes

Holding President Trump Accountable

This week, we continue to see Trump's destructive economic policies, corruption, and mass deportations. As a result, he remains deeply unpopular with a majority of Americans.

Despite America's pressing economic issues, Donald Trump continues to prioritize what he sees as most important: himself. He is building a fancy White House ballroom. Meanwhile, Americans are losing their jobs, and the economy continues to tank, thanks to his tariffs and mass deportations.

In Washington, former CDC Director/whistleblower, Dr. Monarez, testified that Secretary Kennedy wants to eliminate vaccine recommendations without any scientific evidence, putting Americans in danger.

Trump's FCC Chairman Carr blatantly violated the 1st Amendment and threatened broadcasting licenses to suspend Jimmy Kimmel for comments critical of Trump.

EPA has proposed the elimination of a requirement that businesses report their greenhouse gas emissions, ignoring the threat of climate change.

In other news, Republicans want to pass an illegal partisan congressional map in violation of the Florida Constitution. They want to cheat the Florida voters to avoid losing the House in the Midterms.

Legal Challenge Tracker

In Washington, D.C.

Attending the CHCI Leadership Conference

We had a great Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference this week! I had the chance to speak about the importance of Latino representation—in the arts, finance, civil rights, and beyond—and the need to expand opportunities for younger Latinos to thrive.

Hosting CHCI's 48th Annual Awards Gala

This week, I had the honor as Chair to host the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 48th Annual Awards Gala. CHCI is helping young Hispanic fellows and interns with opportunities to work in Washington. These inspiring young people show us the future is bright!

We were thrilled to recognize Pedro Brull, an award-winning Florida Rican artist of Diaspora Boricua from St. Cloud. We are also grateful for the invocation by Pastor Gabriel Salguero from South Orlando.

In addition, we recognized Former U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Merengue King Elvis Crespo. A big thank you to Elvis for bringing down the house with an unforgettable performance of Suavamente and more! We are proud to celebrate our culture & our future.

Protecting Affordable Healthcare

Extra, extra, read all about it! A huge healthcare hike is coming on November 1st. On Wednesday, I spoke at the Committee on Energy and Commerce markup to advocate for bipartisan support for the extension of a premium tax credit in the budget that will keep Obamacare affordable for millions. We also urged the elimination of Medicare and Medicaid cuts. Unless we can come together, hundreds of millions could see their healthcare costs rise by 75%, with many losing coverage entirely.

Click here to watch my remarks

Championing Rural Broadband Expansion

Rural broadband expansion has faced an 8-month delay after President Trump halted the program. As a result, 5.8 million Americans—many living in rural parts of Florida—are still waiting for reliable high-speed internet access. This issue must be fixed so everyone can stay connected.

Meeting with the Congressional Modeling & Simulation Caucus

We had an informative Congressional Modeling & Simulation Caucus "Lunch and Learn" on the use of AI, data fidelity, and digital twins. We're working together to better train our military, save money, and strengthen jobs at places like UCF Tech Park.

Supporting our Troops Overseas

An incredible day on Capitol Hill with the USO! Honored to join the USO in assembling 2,000 care packages for our deployed service members—offering them a meaningful connection to home while they serve far from their families. Thank you for defending our freedom

Advocating for Cancer Research

On Tuesday, I had a great conversation with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. We spoke about advocating for the highest possible funding increases for cancer research conducted at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute. I also expressed my support for prevention programs through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the FY 2026 funding bill. We are deeply concerned by Trump’s cuts to cancer research, including for children.

Supporting Small Business Owners

Great meeting with the Direct Selling Association to discuss the importance of protecting local small business owners. We talked through key policy priorities, including the preservation of independent contractor status, limiting upfront and inventory fees, and supporting market opportunities that empower people to succeed. I will continue to champion for small businesses in Central Florida.

Discussing Issues in the Transportation Imports Industry

We met with the Transportation Intermediaries Association to discuss including fraud in the supply chain and Trump’s harmful tariffs. I am happy to express support for the many third-party logistics professionals that live in our district and beyond.

In the District

Team Soto in the Community

118th Congress End of Term Report

Click here for the full report

Important Updates for Central Floridians

Team Soto Office Hours

Team Soto is here to help! We are holding weekly office hours at the Poinciana Branch Library on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stop by to see how we can help you resolve issues with federal agencies or obtain federal benefits.

We are also holding office hours at the Buenavenutra Lakes Library on Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

MySSA Login Changes

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is officially transitioning away from its legacy login system. SSA will require anyone signing in with legacy credentials to migrate to Login.gov before accessing their mySSA account. Users will see an option to sign in with an existing Login.gov or ID.me account.

Click here for more information

PACT Act Resources for Veterans

Toxic-exposed veterans in Central Florida deserve to access all their rightfully earned benefits without issue.

For more information, visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-698-2411.

There has been an increase in PACT Act-related email, phone, and social media scams targeting veterans by offering to submit claims on their behalf. Click here to learn more.

Emergency Mental Health Care for Veterans

Veterans can receive no-cost emergency mental health care at VA or non-VA healthcare facilities. Veterans can use this benefit whether or not they are enrolled in the VA system. This policy will save lives.

I'm proud to be your representative and look forward to our continued efforts to improve our district! Please do not hesitate to call my office with any questions or concerns.

In Community,