Rep. John Rutherford, who represents Florida’s 5th district in the U.S. Congress, addressed ongoing issues related to the federal government shutdown and public safety concerns in a series of recent social media posts.
On October 3, 2025, Rutherford commented on the impact of the government shutdown, stating: “Shutdowns are disruptive, costly, and burdensome for American families, veterans, and servicemembers. Essential federal workers, like our military servicemembers, are working without pay, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are being furloughed, and a wide range of services”.
Continuing on October 6, 2025, Rutherford warned constituents about IRS-related scams: “Criminals are coming up with more and more creative ways to impersonate IRS agents and scam taxpayers. Please make sure to ALWAYS double-check before responding to an unknown number AND report suspicious or scam texts by emailing phishing@irs.gov.”
Later that same day, Rutherford provided an update on his office’s operations during the shutdown: “During this Schumer Shutdown, my office is still hard at work as we continue to carry out our Constitutional duties by assisting constituents from Florida’s Fifth Congressional District. Federal agencies have been instructed to execute an orderly shutdown due to lack of funding.”
John Rutherford has served as the representative for Florida’s 5th congressional district since 2017 after succeeding Ander Crenshaw. Before joining Congress, he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives. Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1952 and now residing in Jacksonville, Rutherford earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University in 1974.
