Rep. Kat Cammack's plan to lead Florida GOP in 2027

But we're going to bring that political kind of worldview back to the own state of Florida here. I had the chance earlier to speak with Representative Kat Cammack. She was recently elected by her peers to lead Florida's Republican congressional delegation, a pretty exciting new role for her. And I had the chance to speak with the congresswoman about what this might mean for her future there in the Congress. So let's listen into that. Cammack, first of all, congratulations on your recent appointment. Your peers have elected you to lead Florida's Republican congressional delegation. First of all, what does this appointment just mean to you overall? It's a pretty big deal. Yeah, it's pretty humbling. And I'm really excited for the challenge that lies ahead. Florida has a remarkable delegation, both Republican and Democrat. And all together, we are a force to be reckoned with. So to be entrusted to lead this amazing group of people, it's pretty overwhelming and very humbling. And we're very excited to get ready and started. And speaking of that delegation, there are lots of seats here in the state of Florida. Florida has, you could say, some pretty big clout in Congress. And so how do you plan to utilize that clout to bring up some of the priorities there in that chamber? Yeah, so when you think about the delegations around the country, Florida has the number two largest Republican delegation in the United States. And then of course, you've got Texas, you've got California and Florida as the top three overall delegations. And I believe that given the size and scope of the population that we represent here at home, that needs to be reflected in everything in Congress, from our committee assignments to the chairmanships that we hold. To the different influential positions in leadership, this is why being tapped the chair of the delegation is so important because we need to put a strategy behind how we really put forward our best foot. And this is really important for our constituents at home because this means that we can get disaster aid faster. We can advance different infrastructure at a different scale. We can move big ticket items as a block rather than in each individual member trying to advance these projects. So, I think that this is the start of something pretty big for not just the Republican delegation in Florida, but for the entire delegation as a whole. And when we talk about our constituents here in Florida, what do you think is at stake within the last couple of months of this 119th congressional cycle, as well as looking ahead to the next congressional cycle? What's at stake here? Oh my goodness, there's so much. And that's why I have been adamant about in these final few weeks that we have of the 119th Congress, we need to be as aggressive as possible. I believe we should be in session, no breaks, no recess, no nothing. It should be every day. I'm willing to cancel Thanksgiving and Christmas for myself and for my colleagues, if that's what it takes. Because when you think about it, we have the farm bill. And of course, Florida is a huge ag state, and the Farm Bill is about to be passed. about seven years overdue. We need that long-term certainty for our farmers and ranchers, particularly here in the Sunshine State. We have unique challenges that need to be addressed, and the Farm Bill does that. We have the National Defense Authorization Act, which is still waiting to be fully passed into law. That right there is critical because we have over 20 military installations, three combatant commands, and of course, the fourth fleet here in the Sunshine State. That is incredibly important, not just for our national security, but here at home, for all of the men and women that serve in uniform and the communities that are home to these installations. We have the WREDA bill, which has Multi millions of dollars for infrastructure and water projects. Of course, in Florida, we have such a sensitive ecosystem that these projects are going to be critical to get across the finish line to make sure that we're taking the very best care we can of our environment. That's just three things out of a whole litany of projects that are still on tap that need to be passed before the end of the year. And if we don't, we have to start all over in in January, and it could be another two years of waiting. And in Florida, We can't afford to wait. And as we kind of continue looking ahead to 2027, what can the FLGOP do now that the Democrats have majority of this chamber here? What is the plan with the party being out of power? What kind of moves are you going to take to make sure that your initiatives still get in front of that chamber and on that table? Well, you know, there's strength in numbers, certainly. And that's why it's important that we move as a bloc. And that was so many of the discussions that we had this past week in the Florida GOP delegation. There's eight Democrats, there's 20 Republicans. And while we outnumber the Democrats in charge, coming into the 120th, the Democrats will assume majority in the House and the Senate. And so I've already reached out to my counterpart, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Her and I have worked together throughout the past. In fact, In fact, we also play congressional congressional softball for charity together. So we've got a great relationship that we're excited to build upon and we're ready to tackle the big ticket issues like health care, like agriculture. There's so many things that really we can work together on and we've already discussed that. And then I like to say even more broadly, when you look at us as Americans, I'd say that the lion's share of things we all agree on, it's just how we get it done that thing that tends to to trip people up. I'm pretty optimistic that despite the fact that we're in the minority, we're gonna be able to get things done. And I think it comes down to relationships. So I know for all of our Floridians, whether they're Republican or Democrat serving in the House, we're all interested in delivering for our constituents in the Sunshine State. And I think that's a mission that everyone can get behind. Absolutely. Representative Kat Kamik, congratulations again on your appointment, and we look forward to see how you do in this new role. Thank you. Appreciate it. Go Gators.