Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Congressman Mike Waltz team up on Gulf Test Range bill

Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) are joining forces to introduce the “Preserving the Gulf Test Range to Ensure Military Readiness Act.” The bill aims to prevent energy exploration and development that would jeopardize the Gulf Test Range.

In a statement, Waltz says “The Gulf Test Range is an irreplaceable national asset for our country’s defense infrastructure,” adding “The Department of Defense uses this area to test and develop our military’s weapons, such as hypersonic missiles, and advance our military’s capabilities in the air and on water. As our adversaries, like China, spend billions of dollars to modernize and build up their military capabilities, leasing water just off the coast of Florida for energy development would greatly hinder our country’s readiness and ability to deter military aggression.”

“Any form of energy exploration or development in this critical area would jeopardize our national security and undermine our military readiness,” says Rubio. “Protecting Florida’s unique coasts and vital military assets has long been a priority of mine. We made great progress during the Trump Administration, but Democrats undid our good work. This bill would restore protection to Florida’s Eastern Gulf of Mexico.”

Waltz accuses the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats of stripping the Gulf Test Range’s protections that President Trump put in place. “Not only will this jeopardize our national security, but it will forever alter Florida’s waters. We must protect the Gulf Test Range,” says Waltz.

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