NEWS FROM THE SECOND DISTRICT
Dear Friend,
This week, we hit another milestone in our mission to renew, restore, and rebuild our nation. For the first time since mid-March, the number of laid-off Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell below 1 million. While there are still millions of Americans unemployed, this is steady progress.
Helping our area recover from the pandemic isn’t the only thing I’ve focused on this week. I also met with the Tyndall Air Force Base’s Reconstruction Project Management Office and the 325th Fighter Wing Commander to get an update on the reconstruction of the base. As we approach the second anniversary of Hurricane Michael, it’s essential that we take the time to assess the progress that’s been made. We’ve made great strides with infrastructure and while I recognize there’s a lot of work to do with housing and reestablishing businesses back on base, the entire project is on time and on budget.
Whether in our district or D.C., I’m going to continue to fight for the assistance we need to restore, renew, and rebuild Florida’s Second Congressional District.
Please read about my week below:
My Week in the DistrictCongressman Dunn Visits Ghost Controls, LLC
Last week, I included a story in the Constituent Casework Corner about a local business that reached out to my office about a shipping issue. This week, I took some time to meet with the President & CEO Joe Kelley and his team at Ghost Controls, LLC. Ghost Controls is a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative solutions for the gate automation market. The business prides itself on noise reduction, speed, and reliability. I’m grateful to Joe and his team for taking the time to speak with me about issues affecting our local businesses and for showing me some of their impressive products.
If you or your business need assistance with a federal agency, please reach out to my offices. We want to help you.
Examining the Reconstruction of Tyndall AFB
I would like to thank the Tyndall Air Force Base’s Reconstruction Project Management Office and the 325th Fighter Wing for updating me on the progress being made in reconstructing Tyndall. The reconstruction process is challenging given the constraints of the quarantine and the lack of housing for workers, but we remain on-time and on-budget. There is still a great deal of work to be done, but after meeting with their logistics and planning department and the Wing Commander, I’m confident this team will have a fully operating base on time to receive 3 squadrons of F-35’s, a squadron of MQ-9 Reapers, and all the other essential training and defensive missions they serve.
Legislative UpdatesAgriculture Committee
If you are one of the many individuals who received an unsolicited package of seeds, please hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label. Do NOT open the seed packet or plant the seeds. In addition, do not throw the seeds in your trash as they can grow in a landfill.
At this time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not have evidence indicating that this is more than a brushing scam; however, with the assistance of the states, they are taking the proper precautions and testing the package contents to see if they contain anything that could be of concern to U.S. agriculture or the environment. The sheer scope of the mailings and the suspicious origins suggest a malign intent.
If you have received an unsolicited package of seeds, please contact the following:
Coronavirus UpdatesRecent Updates
- Operation Warp Speed: This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced combined investments of $6.5 million in two commercial diagnostic laboratories to expand capacity to conduct up to 4 million additional SARS-CoV-2 tests per month. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that originated in Wuhan, China that causes COVID-19 disease. The investments in Aegis Sciences Corporation and in Sonic Healthcare USA will provide critical laboratory equipment supplied by Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and Thermo Fisher. This improvement in staffing and infrastructure will allow the U.S. to perform an additional 1 million tests each week by early October.
- The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is warning consumers and health care professionals about certain hand sanitizer products that contain ethanol or isopropyl alcohol but have tested positive for 1-propanol contamination. 1-propanol, not to be confused with 2-propanol/isopropanol/isopropyl alcohol, is not an acceptable ingredient for hand sanitizer products marketed in the United States and can be toxic and life-threatening when ingested or if significant amounts are absorbed through the skin. The agency urges consumers not to use these 1-propanol-contaminated products and has expanded its do-not-use list of hand sanitizers at www.fda.gov/unsafehandsanitizers.
- Due to COVID-19 related Internal Revenue Service (IRS) office closures, the IRS is experiencing a backlog of mail. As a result, some taxpayers who sent payments to the IRS may have not had their checks cashed, or when the IRS did cash their checks, the checks may have been canceled or dishonored for time delays. Taxpayers whose checks were received by the IRS between March 1 and July 15 and processed more than 30 days from receipt will be given relief from the bad check penalties if the check is dishonored. Taxpayers who made check payments to the IRS and are still waiting for their checks to be cashed should continue to wait, should not cancel their checks, and should ensure funds are available to avoid penalties and interest. Please contact my office if you have any further questions.
- Effective August 17th – The Tyndall 325th Medical Group has announced that it will begin accepting electronic prescriptions for retirees. These prescriptions will have a one-week turnaround time. Read more here.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in Congress!
Sincerely,
Dr. Neal Dunn
Member of Congress
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IN THE NEWS
Constituent Casework Corner
A veteran contacted my office after their military retirement date was improperly recorded. The veteran worked with the Defense Finance Accounting Service (DFAS) for months but had no success in changing the date. We were able to work with DFAS to have the date corrected and the veteran’s retroactive benefits released within a few weeks.
Do you need help with a federal agency? Contact my office at 850-785-0812 or at www.dunn.house.gov
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