U.S. Representative

Lakeland, Fla., Mar 12 - U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross (FL-15) hosted a telephone town hall meeting last night. More than 11,500 constituents from across Florida’s 15th Congressional District joined this discussion over the phone with the congressman.

If you have a question or comment for Rep. Ross or are interested in joining a future telephone town hall meeting, please email him at http://dennisross.house.gov/contact/ or call his district office (863-644-8215).

“I always appreciate hearing from my constituents whether it’s through an email, when I’m standing in line at Publix, a phone call to my office, or in a more formal town hall setting,” said Ross. “Telephone town hall meetings allow me to have a candid discussion with many of our neighbors on a wide variety of topics, and last night was a great example. We talked about everything from foreign aid, to the Cost-of-Living Adjustments for seniors and veterans, to recent votes in the House. It is one of my greatest honors to serve the people of Florida’s 15th Congressional District, and I am thankful for everyone who took the time to engage in this conversation about important issues.”

Below are just a few of the questions that the congressman was able to answer on the telephone town hall meeting:

Question: Why are we sending foreign aid to Egypt?
Answer: “We should not be sending America’s hard-earned tax dollars to foreign countries who are not our friends, and Egypt is a prime example. That is why I co-sponsored a bill (H.R. 276) that would cut off all funding to Egypt.”

Question: What are you doing to make the veterans’ Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) permanent?
Answer: “Well, first, I want to thank you and all the veterans on this call for your service. You were guaranteed benefits when you served our country, and you should receive them without question. That is why I’m a cosponsor of H.R. 570, which would make the veterans’ COLA permanent, so you don’t have to worry if Congress is going to give you an increase each year.”

Question: My Social Security check has been stolen twice, what can be done to stop this?
Answer: “I’m terribly sorry to hear that. If you are having any problems with a government agency (whether it’s a veterans issue, Social Security, etc.), please contact my district office so that we can ensure that you receive your proper benefits. My staff will work with the agency to determine the problem on a case-by-case basis and help it get resolved.”