Free Republic

Florida Congressman Carlos Curbelo is getting ready to introduce a bill repealing the gas tax in exchange for a carbon tax. It seems rather odd the Miami Republican wants to chart this path, especially after the House GOP overwhelmingly denounced the notion of a carbon tax last week, but Curbelo isn’t backing down from his proposal. He told Miami Herald his proposal is just a “first step” in the discussion. When you ask this question in a vacuum, is any tax detrimental to economic growth? It’s usually going to be yes…But when you put it in context and you...

Former GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.) turned up in Washington on Wednesday for a Ways and Means hearing on climate change — even though Democrats fearful he could use the event to bolster a reelection run had removed him from the witness list. Curbelo went to the hearing anyway, and before it began told reporters his removal was a reflection of what is wrong with Washington. “What it has done is expose, again, the reason why things don't get done here, and why the big issues don't get resolved. Because too many people are focused on their own personal political...

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) on Tuesday slammed President Trump over his stated intention to sign an executive order to stop the practice of birthright citizenship. "Birthright citizenship is protected by the Constitution, so no @realDonaldTrump you can’t end it by executive order," Curbelo tweeted. "What we really need is broad immigration reform that makes our country more secure and reaffirms our wonderful tradition as a nation of immigrants."

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), who filed legislation banning bump stocks — which allows gun owners to turn semi-automatic weapons into automatic weapons, told Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” on Tuesday that he supports raising the minimum age to buy semi-automatic weapons, like the one used in the Florida school shooting. “I also support raising the minimum age. If an 18-year-old, a 19-year-old can’t buy a handgun — oh, and by the way, they also can’t buy a beer at a restaurant — why can they buy these powerful long guns that are capable of inflicting so much damage as we saw...

Greg Nash Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) is spearheading gun control legislation that would keep firearms out of the hands of suspected terrorists, but it is unclear whether Republican leadership will give the bill a vote. The Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act announced Friday will serve as a companion bill to the compromise gun legislation introduced by Susan Collins (R-Maine) in the Senate. The gun legislation would prevent suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms. The bipartisan legislation appears to have Democratic support and is backed by a handful of Republicans, including Reps. Bob Dold (Ill.), Scott Rigell (Va.), Peter King (N.Y.) and...

After Republicans sent mixed signals on immigration in their two official rebuttals to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus struggled to explain the disparity on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Wednesday. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst’s State of the Union rebuttal made no mention of the topic, but the Spanish-language version of the rebuttal, delivered by Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, said Republicans wanted to work with Obama to fix the immigration system. (SNIP) When pressed further on how that explained the disparity, Priebus said, “I think we’ve been talking about this executive amnesty action that...

Democrats bet big on Charlie Crist’s bid for governor, and his loss Tuesday is not only a potential career-ending outcome for one of Florida’s most prominent political figures of the last two decades, but also another gut check for a party at a low point in statewide influence... Democrats lost six seats in the state House of Representatives, giving the GOP a super majority. The partisan makeup of the state Senate did not change, but Republicans are still just one lawmaker shy of their all-time high. Additionally, every Cabinet position — governor, attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner...