Kathryn Christine Cammack (/ˈkæmæk/KAM-ak; born February 16, 1988)[2] is an American politician and political advisor serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 3rd congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, Cammack previously served as deputy chief of staff to her predecessor, Representative Ted Yoho, who retired in 2020.[3]
Cammack once claimed that her family was evicted from their cattle ranch "due to an Obama-era housing program"; in fact, the ranch was put up for sale because the family could not afford the mortgage payments.[5][11]
Cammack has said that her family's experience with the federal Home Affordable Modification Program in 2011 inspired her interest in politics.[12] In 2009, she interned with U.S. representative Mike Coffman.[13] She later joined Ted Yoho's congressional campaign.[14][15][16] After Yoho was elected, Cammack served as his deputy chief of staff from 2013 to 2019.[17][18] In 2019, she left Yoho's office in Washington, D.C., and returned to Florida. Yoho did not seek reelection in 2020, fulfilling his pledge to serve only four terms.[19] Cammack announced her candidacy for Yoho's seat in December 2019.[20]
Cammack also operates an independent political consulting firm.[21] After winning the primary, she was heavily favored to win the general election.[22][23][24][25] In September 2020, Donald Trump endorsed her.[26] After her primary win, Cammack established a leadership PAC.[27][28]
Cammack ran for reelection. In the primary, she received 84.8% of the vote to her opponent Justin Waters's 15.2%. A third candidate, Manuel Asensio, dropped out before Election Day. Cammack won the general election with 62.5% of the vote to Democratic nominee Danielle Hawk's 36.3% and NPA Linda Brooks's 1.2%.
During a speech on the House floor after the sixth failed attempt to elect Kevin McCarthy as House speaker on January 4, 2023, Cammack claimed without evidence that Democrats were drinking alcohol and eating popcorn during the vote. She said, "diversity of thought is a good thing. But they want us divided. They want us to fight each other. That much has been made clear by the popcorn and blankets and alcohol that is comin' over there".[39][40] She reiterated the claim the next day on Fox News.[41]
Cammack was one of 139 representatives who voted on January 7, 2021, to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.[42] On the House floor, she said the January 6 attacks "furthermore resolved" her objection to the certification process and that, as representatives of the people, members of Congress must stand for a free and fair election.[43] Numerous inquiries have found no evidence that the election was unfree or unfair to an extent that changed its outcome.[44][45]
Cammack is co-chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.[46][47] She believes states should determine their abortion laws,[48] and abortion should be allowed only in extreme cases in the first trimester.[47] In 2022, she cosponsored a bill to ban abortions nationwide past 15 weeks.[49] During her campaign, she released an advertisement in which she said that, when her mother was pregnant with her, she was advised by doctors to have an abortion, but chose not to.[50]
In March 2020, Cammack signed the U.S. Term Limits pledge. She said that a "limit on the time an individual can serve brings new ideas to Capitol Hill."[51]
Cammack cosponsored a bill to expand federal home loans for first responders and educators.[52] The bill, introduced in May 2021, has not passed out of committee.[53]
Cammack cosponsored the PROTECT Florida Act to prohibit oil and gas drilling off the coast of Florida until 2032.[55] The bill, introduced in October 2021, has not passed out of committee.[56] On March 14, 2022, Cammack said the U.S. needs to produce more oil.[57]
In 2023, Cammack was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21 which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[65][66]
On July 22, 2021, Cammack claimed on the House floor that NGOs transport undocumented migrants around the country at U.S. government expense.[68]
And you ask, how are they getting to our hometowns? On our dime.
The NGOs have government contracts. They buy plane tickets and bus tickets, and then they submit reimbursement from FEMA on our dime in our hometowns unchecked, unvetted, and coming to a town near you. Every town in America is a border town.
And as they are on these planes, do they have to show ID? No. No, they do not, because TSA has special guidance that these people are not subject to the same requirements that every other American is when they board an airplane.
— "Congressional Record." Congress.gov, Library of Congress, 5 January 2023, 2022 United States infant formula shortage, Cammack criticized the Biden administration for sending baby formula to detention facilities on the U.S.–Mexico border.[69] White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that under the Flores Settlement Agreement, the U.S. is required to provide adequate and age-appropriate food, "hence formula for kids under the age of 1."[70] During an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Cammack showed pictures of baby formula she said she had received from a CBP agent. Tommy Christopher wrote that some of the images used in Cammack's interview with Hannity were not of baby formula but of powdered milk for children older than one. Hannity later acknowledged on Twitter that two of the pictures he aired during Cammack's appearance were milk products for children over one.[71][72]
^"Cammack, Kat". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 7, 2022. Cammack, Kat, a Representative from Florida; born in Denver, Denver County, Colo., February 16, 1988; graduated from Douglas County High School, Castle Rock, Colo., 2006; attended the Semester at Sea program, University of Virginia in 2009; B.A., Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, Colo., 2011; M.A., Naval War College, Newport, R.I., 2018; small business owner; staff, United States Representative Ted Yoho of Florida, 2012–2020; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress (January 3, 2021–present).
^Brooks, Emily (September 29, 2022). "Field clears in race for Republican Study Committee chair". The Hill. Retrieved October 7, 2022. "This entire process, it's been really humbling the support that I've received. But it's not my time," the first-term lawmaker told The Hill, adding that Hern will do "a wonderful job" as chair of the caucus.
^Singman, Brooke (December 1, 2020). Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
^Lea, Brittany De (June 23, 2021). Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
^Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
^ abSchultz, Marisa (December 3, 2020). Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021. Cammack says abortion should only be allowed in extreme cases in the first trimester--such as rape or incest reported to law enforcement, and for the life of the mother.
^Chase, Kristin (May 4, 2022). Archived from the original on May 5, 2022. Cammack says states should have an absolute role in deciding their path forward with abortion laws.
^"House GOP leaders hedge on 15-week abortion ban". The Hill. September 14, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022. A version of Graham's 15-week abortion ban bill was also introduced in the House on Tuesday with more than 80 co-sponsors, led by House pro-life caucus leaders Reps. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.), Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Kat Cammack (R-Fla.)
^Wilson, Drew (July 27, 2020). Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
^Kirkl, Jordan (March 12, 2020). Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
^Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022. Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., slammed the White House on "Fox & Friends" Friday for American families facing a shortage of baby formula while images show the same formula on stocked shelves at U.S. border facilities.
^Loe, Megan (May 13, 2022). "Yes, the U.S. government provides formula to migrant babies at the border, as required by law". CBS8. Retrieved May 24, 2022. When asked during a press conference about the photo of baby formula at the U.S.-Mexico border, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also pointed to the Flores Settlement Agreement. "It requires adequate food and elsewhere specifies age appropriateness, hence formula for kids under the age of 1," Psaki said.
^Christopher, Tommy (May 14, 2022). Archived from the original on June 7, 2022.
^Oganesyan, Natalie; Rossi, Rosemary (May 14, 2022). Archived from the original on June 5, 2022.
^Demirjian, Karoun (October 25, 2023). Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
^Washington, U. S. Capitol Room H154; p:225-7000, DC 20515-6601 (October 25, 2023). Archived from the original on October 30, 2023. Retrieved October 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Schultz, Marisa (July 6, 2021). Archived from the original on June 5, 2022. Over the last six months, I've had the honor of getting to know the dedicated men and women of the United States Capitol Police," Cammack, who represents the Gainesville area, told Fox News. "The hardworking law enforcement officers of the Capitol Hill community work tirelessly to protect Members and staff and I know their work in this capacity will only continue, especially as they expand into field offices in California and Florida. "As we continue serving our districts, it's reassuring to know they'll continue working with local police departments and sheriffs to keep lawmakers and our communities as safe as possible.
^Schnell, Mychael (July 19, 2022). Archived from the original on August 7, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
^Hochman, Nate (July 21, 2022). "GOP Rep Claims Colleagues Opposed to Same-Sex Marriage Bill Are 'Horribly Racist'". National Review. Retrieved October 7, 2022. But as the debate continued, the congresswoman doubled down: "I wish this were a truly states right[s] issue," she wrote. "The states cannot under the 14th amendment apply the law differently to one group of citizens. It is a liberal, anti-federalist position to say that it's okay to discriminate and promote one group of people over another."
^Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
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