BY NATALIE GILSTRAP
Special to the Monitor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – On August 17, U.S. Representative Aaron Bean met with the community at the Keystone Beach Pavilion to share with them the legislative efforts now underway to take on the nation’s challenges.
City and county officials such as Mayor Nina Rodenroth, County Manager Howard Wanamaker, County Commissioner Alexandra Compere, Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless, and Council Member Tony Brown, along with others, attended the meeting.
Chinese threat
During his speech, Bean spoke about some of the significant issues affecting the nation. He talked about the rise of China’s influence as a global power.
“It’s bad. It is very bad. They are so much more aggressive than we ever imagined and now we are realizing it.” he said.
Bean informed the audience that China is South America’s number one trading partner for raw materials, assets, and rare earth materials. He also mentioned the issue of China offering money to our colleges and buying U.S. land near our military bases. To solve the problems, he stated that stricter reporting requirements would be placed on colleges and that restrictions should be placed to stop the Chinese from continuing to purchase our lands.
Education and national debt
Another concerning issue that the lawmaker mentioned was the battle for children’s education and their future. He stated that schools should not expose children to pornography and that parents should have the right to know what their children are taught.
“You should have the right to know the curriculum your school is teaching,” he said.
Bean added that he supports efforts by Moms for Liberty and Gov. Ron DeSantis whom he said are fighting for a Parents’ Bill of Rights.
He also talked about the country’s ever-rising debt and Congress’s steps to lower it.
He described one of the factors he said leads to debt increases, a system that Congress members use when they can’t come to an agreement called a continuing resolution.
“It just says let it roll,” he told the audience. “What we did last year, let it roll and not only let it roll but let’s go ahead and put in a 6% or 7% growth rate, whether it’s good or not because we don’t have a budget.”
He added that after 26 years of relying on the continuing resolution system, Congress has now unveiled a new plan to lower the national debt.
The first part of the plan is to reduce the CR to a 1% reduction in spending. The second part involves requiring those living on government assistance, except for veterans and people with kids, to work 20 hours a week to keep receiving aid.
In addition, Bean announced that a new budget would be revealed to help balance the debt in 10 years.
He said the budget would fully fund the Veterans Administration and increase the pay for active military members by 5.2%. The new budget will also include increased production of military ships and aircraft.
“Our military forces are at their lowest level in terms of armaments and missiles and supply,” he said. “Enough of that; let’s catch up.”
Local highway
Lastly, Congressman Bean talked about Clay County’s Cathedral Oaks Parkway. He stated that the project has broken ground and is underway to be completed in 2025. The new road is planned to connect the First Coast Expressway to US Highway 17.
“It’s absolutely spectacular,” he said. “It’s beautiful. You’re going to be really proud of it and it’s only 19 to 20 months away.”
After Bean’s presentation, Mayor Rodenroth, County Manager Wanamaker, and County Commissioner Compere briefly spoke to the audience about local updates and concerns.
In addition, guests were able to enjoy a meal of beans and rice catered by Middleburg’s Grumpy’s restaurant.
