Why She Matters

Brown-Waite is the congresswoman for Florida's 5th district and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee. She retired in 2010 and her handpicked replaced, Hernando County Sheriff Richard Nugent (R), was elected to take her place.

As a member of the House Ways and Means Social Security and Health Care subcommittees, Brown-Waite has been involved in the drafting of health-care reform legislation. The House member with the most Medicare recipients in her district, she thinks health care should be revamped, but she disagrees with the Democrats' plan, which she believes "essentially said to America's seniors: drop dead."

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