Matt Gaetz Was Only Lawmaker To Vote Against Human Trafficking Bill
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Source: Newsweek
Published Nov 22, 2024 at 12:07 PM EST
Matt Gaetz was the only member of Congress to vote against a human trafficking bill in 2017 when he was the representative for Florida's 1st Congressional District. Gaetz, who removed himself from the running for Donald Trump's attorney general pick, was the solo "nay" vote on the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act.
This bill—which designated a human trafficking prevention coordinator at the Department of Transportation (DOT) and would coordinate human trafficking prevention efforts across the DOT and other federal agencies, as well as establish an advisory committee on human trafficking—passed the House with bipartisan support of 418 votes to one. 12 House members did not vote.
The congressman defended his "no" vote on Facebook Live in 2017. As reported by the Pensacola News Journal, Gaetz said he had a track record of combating human trafficking but was voting against the "mission creep" of the federal government.
Gaetz told his constituents: "Unless there is an overwhelming, compelling reason that our existing agencies in the federal government can't handle that problem, I vote no because voters in Northwest Florida did not send me to Washington to go and create more federal government."
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/matt-gaetz-human-trafficking-vote-1989991
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