Eric is committed to maintaining and expanding security for the people of Pinellas County, the State of Florida, and the country through empathetic, passionate, and pragmatic leadership. Federal policy issues affecting everyday lives are complicated, and doing the right thing takes courage.As a hometown kid, and from his experience representing the U.S. throughout the world and advising on issues of national defense and military security, Eric is well-qualified to both make those consequential decisions and serve Pinellas County.
Economic Security
Our economy doesn’t work for everyone. As a father of three, Eric understands the challenges facing working Floridians. That’s why he is committed to fighting for middle-class families and getting the economy back on track. As a Member of Congress, Eric will fight for legislation to help families deal with the rising cost of living by cutting taxes on working families and increasing support for small businesses, all while working to ensure that giant corporations pay their fair share.
Supporting working families and small businesses
As a father of three, Eric feels the pain of rising costs just like every other family in Pinellas. Big corporations are raking in record profits post-pandemic while working families and small businesses continue to struggle. If we want to keep the American dream alive, we need to take action to help working families like yours get by.
In Congress, Eric will fight for middle class tax cuts like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, and paid family and medical leave. He’ll work to lower prescription drug costs, increase investments in small businesses, and prioritize investment in affordable housing as well as ensuring that federal funds are earmarked for affordable units. For too long, the Washington elites have prioritized Wall Street and made Main Street pay the price. But Eric is a hometown kid and working father, and understands Main Street issues because they affect him and his family too. That’s why he’ll always put the people first, and will work to ensure that corporations are paying their fair share.
Fight for living wage
No one should struggle to pay rent and put food on the table while working a full-time job. Eric has been fighting for a $15 per hour minimum wage for years, and with so many families struggling, now more than ever is the time to bring it over the finish line. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has not increased or changed since 2009 and is leaving our working families without the means to get by. As the economy grows, we must create new standards that automatically increase the minimum wage to match minimum costs of living. We can’t let more people suffer by delaying common sense increases to a living wage.
Protect and expand Social Security
Time and time again, Republicans like Senator Rick Scott have announced plans to phase out Social Security, putting some of our seniors at risk of losing their only source of income. This is unacceptable. Social Security is a critical program our seniors have paid into their entire lives, and they’ve earned the support it provides.
In Congress, Eric will not only oppose any legislation that threatens Social Security but will fight to improve it by increasing benefits across the board, improving benefits for widows and widowers so they are no longer penalized for having two incomes, repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset so benefits are no longer reduced for public servants like our teachers, ending the 5-month waiting period, provide caregiver credits, and extending Social Security dependent benefits.
Community Security
Parents across our communities are sending their kids to school and wondering if it will be the last time they see them. Women in some parts of our country are losing the freedom to make their own health care decisions, and many more fear they will be next. Too many veterans are struggling with healthcare and to make ends meet, and our community members are scared to report crimes to the police while the police fear simply doing their job will bring a backlash and retribution. As father, husband, community and veterans advocate, and hometown kid Eric knows the changes we can make to make our communities safer for everyone.
We need common sense gun reform, now
Eric’s kids attend Pinellas County Public Schools. As a father, Eric understands the fear that many parents have with the rise of gun violence and mass shootings in America because he feels it too.
Gun violence at our schools is an unacceptable problem in our country, and one that we must confront to keep our children safe. Eric agrees with the majority of Americans including gun owners on common sense gun reform. We need to implement universal background checks, red flag laws, and safe storage laws, and ban weapons of war.
It’s time to end the epidemic of gun violence in America, and it’s going to take bipartisan leadership to make sure we deliver effective results without infringing on the second amendment rights of everyday Americans. On day one, Eric will be ready to fight and deliver on this issue.
Women deserve freedom
The Supreme Court’s decision to undo more than 50 years of precedent and overturn Roe is appalling and runs counter to the view of the majority of Americans. Women fought for the freedom to make their own health care decisions, and to keep those decisions between them and their doctor. The government must not take that right away from women.
Eric is proud to stand with the majority of Americans in protecting a woman’s freedom to choose, and will support codifying Roe into federal law as a member of Congress. Any candidate who supports banning abortion rights even in cases of rape and incest is out of the mainstream and too extreme for Pinellas County.
Our veterans fought for us — we must fight for them
Veterans are a pillar of Pinellas County, and Eric is proud to work as a Veteran advocate – helping solve issues of veteran homelessness and supporting veterans in closing on their own homes. In Congress, Eric will support legislation that allows the VA to work with specified entities, such as non-profits and tribal organizations, to provide more housing for veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
Eric also knows we need to expand the number of registered apprenticeship programs that provide trade training for veterans upon leaving the service. Veterans deserve to find good paying jobs after service and to save their GI benefits for the future.
Pinellas County is home to so many veterans and their families, and Eric is deeply grateful for their service. His personal experience working with our troops and military makes every story of struggle he hears from our veterans hit that much closer to home. In Congress, Eric will be a fearless advocate for our veterans, working to ensure that those who served get the support they deserve.
Invest in police, invest in communities
Rising crime is a problem in communities all across America, and police are struggling to deal with issues of public safety due to adversarial relationships created by criticism that create a lack of trust. Eric is a staunch opponent of “Defund the police” rhetoric and knows that addressing issues of public safety requires investment in our police and our communities.
Moreover, Eric knows that the rise in crime is related to a lack of local economic opportunity. By investing in our communities and public schools, and by increasing access to public parks and areas of recreation, we can bring down crime and give police the opportunity to protect and serve our communities the way they intend. In order to make our communities safer for all, we must support police and those that protect our communities while working to rebuild trust.
National Security
With Vladimir Putin waging war in Ukraine, and continued instability in the Middle East and Central America, we need experience and a steady hand in Congress who will support our allies and our values while always putting American national security first. Eric has represented the US around the globe: From advising US Defense and Military to working with leaders in other countries to fight back against terrorists and violent authoritarians and to promoting democracy and freedom, Eric has always put the safety of our troops first.
Protect our troops, fight for our values
For generations, the United States has participated in endless wars, costing our country millions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives. We’ve sent young men and women behind enemy lines without the right cause or objective, such as in Iraq. The US Military and Troops Eric advised and worked shoulder to shoulder with performed bravely and effectively, but too many paid the ultimate sacrifice, on the battlefield and with rising suicides.
We must do all we can for those who fought for their country. Eric was proud to serve his country at the Pentagon, and helped lead on the Iron Dome – a lifesaving missile defense system that has stopped countless terrorist attacks – to make it a reality. We have the resources and intelligence necessary to support our allies and fight back against terrorists and authoritarian regimes, we need leaders who understand how to get the job done. In Congress, Eric will use his experience and common sense leadership to make sure we’re fighting for our values while keeping our troops safe.
Protect our border
Everyone has a right to come to the United States and pursue the American dream to make a better life for themselves, but they must do so legally. We are a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. Eric knows we need a compassionate response to immigration reform that embraces and treats people with dignity and respect. In Congress, Eric will support fixing the family visa backlog, protect DREAMers through continued support of DACA and DAPA, and protect our border by focusing resources on detaining and deporting individuals who pose a violent threat to public safety. Immigrants helped build this country and they’re what make America great. We must continue to welcome the contributions of immigrants to American growth and prosperity, while also securing our border.
Global Security
America is the greatest country in the world, but in order to keep that status we need to take action on combating climate change, restoring our supply chain issues and creating more American manufacturing jobs, and greatly improve our public education. Countries like China are expanding and gaining ground, we cannot rely simply on what got us to where we are today. We must be innovative, and act with the future in mind in order to continue to be the global leader we’ve become. This requires investment in science and technology, both locally and around the country.
Protecting our environment
We face a climate crisis that is as dire as it is preventable. False denials fail because the evidence is obvious and tragic. We continue to witness increasingly larger and more frequent storms and more severe forest fires out west. We must face this crisis head-on and immediately address the ways we are damaging our planet. There is no future if we do not reverse the effects of climate change, protect our wildlife, waterways and ecosystems, and implement greener practices across industry.
In Congress, Eric will work to reverse damage to our ecosystem, invest in a renewable future, and make sure we address the climate crisis with a robust and impactful approach. In Florida, our environment – our beautiful beaches, waterways, and wildlife – is directly linked to our economy. It drives tourism, increases revenue, and creates jobs. Failing this crisis would be failing the entire sunshine state and thousands of middle class families. Half measures simply won’t do, and Eric won’t settle for them either.
During his time working on Capitol Hill Eric helped draft the Everglades Restoration Act, which at the time was the largest hydrologic restoration project ever undertaken in the United State. During his campaign, Eric has already announced a proposal he will file on day one: Preventing Another Piney Point Disaster as the Red Tide bloom killed fish, wildlife and our tourism economy after Piney Point. Eric has the experience, expertise, and determination to deliver the results the people of Pinellas, Florida, and all across America need.
Preventing another Piney Point
In Congress, Eric Lynn will draft and file legislation that requires the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to oversee and approve plans for toxic chemical storage facilities such as Piney Point. Eric’s professional background and experience working on national security, and thus with the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as his role in crafting the Everglades Restoration Act makes him uniquely qualified to draft, pass, and implement this legislation.
Restore our supply chain, revive American manufacturing
The drop in manufacturing production levels during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to critical supply chain issues as we try to bring our economy back to pre-pandemic production efficiency.
Today big corporations – particularly oil companies – are raking in record breaking profits to recover from pandemic losses, and the American people are paying the price. What’s more, many warehouse workers and truck drivers have left the industry due to low wages and lack of benefits, further exacerbating the issues. We need to incentivize and train more truck drivers and longshoremen as we can speed up delivery supply across the country with more well-trained manpower. We can also address these issues by bringing back good paying union manufacturing jobs. Unions are what built this country, and it’s not a coincidence that supply chain issues have concurred with union employment percentages at their nadir.
Additionally, we must dramatically increase our semiconductor chip manufacturing, funding for scientific research and development, and investment in trade programs, while ensuring that China is top-of-mind when setting up our international posture. We are the greatest country in the world, but we must act greatly and quickly to keep our status. Eric will be ready on day one to help do exactly that.
Improve public education
Eric is a proud graduate of Pinellas County Public Schools where he now sends his three kids What he’s not proud of is Florida continuing to rank towards the bottom of per-pupil public school spending. Education is what gives our children the necessary skills to capitalize on opportunity and the American dream. It is our most important investment, and the future human capital workforce, and our failure to treat it accordingly has hurt our status as innovators globally.
Eric knows we need to compete with academic achievement globally by raising all teacher pay, expanding universal early education, and increasing funding for trade schools and promote it as a path for our children. Our children are our future, and we need to prepare them to keep America great. The only way to do that is by investing in public education.
