Delegation for 7.13.18 — Insights from the Beltway to the Sunshine State

Nelson has work to do with Hispanic voters

It is still a bit too early for Florida voters to engage in the 2018 midterm elections fully, but the results of recent polls indicate Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson should have taken that step long ago. The polls indicate Nelson has more work to do among Hispanic voters, a voting bloc that will play a major role in helping to determine if he gets a fourth term.

Nelson knows that to defeat Gov. Rick Scott, he will need a significant portion of Hispanics to turn out and vote for him. History would show about two-thirds of the vote is required.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton earned 62 percent of the Florida Hispanic vote compared to Donald Trump’s 35 percent, and we all know how that turned out. Clinton dominated the Puerto Rican vote, while Trump earned 51 percent support from Cuban-Americans.

In a recent Florida International University survey among Puerto Ricans who moved to Florida since 2011, nearly 75 percent have a favorable opinion of Scott, while only 18 percent view him unfavorably. Nelson, an 18-year incumbent, has a 62 percent favorable rating while 26 held an unfavorable view.

A more recent survey, conducted by Mason Dixon for FIU, shows Scott with a slight 42-39 percent lead among South Florida Hispanics. Scott is doing well among Cuban-Americans with Nelson is running below what he needs among non-Cuban Hispanics.

“It’s typical Nelson,” said Mason Dixon pollster Brad Coker. “He goes to Washington, and he (more or less) blends in for five years; you don’t hear much from him. And then comes back a year, or a year-and-a-half before the election and he starts putting his coalition together. He has been able to get away with that because he has had historically weak opponents. Not now.”

Scott is receiving credit for his activities as governor following the devastation brought by Hurricane Maria last year. He has made numerous trips to the island and is viewed as trying to help those affected.

At the same time, Scott is not being tied to Trump, who is deeply unpopular in the Puerto Rican community over his administration’s response to Maria. Nelson and his team plan to make that connection as well as identify the true friend of the Puerto Rican community.

“We’re highly motivated to vote based upon the mistreatment of those in the island after Hurricane Maria,” said Rep. Darren Soto, an Orlando Democrat of Puerto Rican descent. “It’s a combination of continuing to educate voters on Sen. Nelson being a longtime friend of the Hispanic community, while Scott has been a Johnny-come-lately to a lot of these issues in a huge election makeover.”

The Nelson camp rightly believes that having a favorable opinion of someone and voting for that candidate can be two different things. When it comes to the 1.3 million Puerto Ricans living in Florida, Nelson and his team are counting on tarnishing their view of Scott and touting Nelson’s efforts on their behalf.

“At the end of the day, what we want to make sure is that our Puerto Rican friends understand that elections have consequences,” Nelson told The Hill newspaper. “They know how they’ve been treated by President Trump. So, we’re going to remind them of that.”

Nelson has less than four months to get that done.

Rubio endorsement draws ire of former RPOF chair

In the race for Commissioner of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio decided to endorse one Republican over three others competing for the seat. On Wednesday, Rubio revealed he is backing GOP Rep. Matt Caldwell.

“As the most conservative candidate in the race for Commissioner of Agriculture, Matt Caldwell has been an unwavering supporter of the Second Amendment, consistently voted to cut taxes and reduce the size of government and is a staunch supporter of the right-to-life,” Rubio said.

The endorsement did not escape the attention of former Republican Party of Florida Chairman Al Cardenas, one of Rubio’s early Miami mentors. Cardenas, an influential lobbyist, tweeted his displeasure.

“This is not right. Both Marco Rubio and Denise Grimsley served jointly in the Florida House,” said Cardenas, who is also the former chairman of the American Conservative Union. “Rep. Grimsley actively supported and campaigned for Senator Rubio for Speaker of the House in 2006-which he won. The least he could do is to stay neutral in this primary.”

In addition to Grimsley, a state Senator from Sebring, Rubio chose Caldwell over former state Rep. Baxter Troutman and retired Army Col. Mike McCallister.

Nelson bill to cap prescription drug costs

Nelson joined with fellow senators to introduce legislation designed to lower the costs of prescription drugs for individuals and families across the country by placing a monthly cap on their out-of-pocket drug costs.

The legislation comes as more than a quarter of Americans taking prescription drugs struggle to afford the costs of their medicine. The Capping Prescription Costs Act of 2018 would place a limit on the amount of money many consumers have to pay each month for their prescription drugs.

 “We have to do more to lower the cost of prescription drugs,” Nelson said. “As prices continue to rise, more and more Floridians are finding it difficult to afford the cost of the medications they need.”

If approved, Nelson’s legislation would cap prescription drug copays for individuals across the country at $250 per month and $500 per month for families. The bill would apply these caps to group health plans and individual market plans.

After White House signoff, Lake O reservoir ready for next step

With another round of algae outbreaks due to water releases from Lake Okeechobee, state and local officials are scrambling for short-term solutions. A plan for long-term answers could become a reality in the future.

A reservoir to hold the lake discharges, approved by the legislature last year, now has the support of the White House. The plan, which would cost approximately $1.6 billion, now heads to the U.S. Senate for possible inclusion in water infrastructure funding.

“This project, spearheaded by state Sen. (Joe) Negron and coupled with existing efforts, will greatly reduce the harmful Lake Okeechobee discharges once again threatening our coastal communities,” Rubio said in a news release. “I am encouraged by the administration’s continued engagement on Florida’s water issues, and I look forward to working with the president to fund the expedited construction of these critical Everglades restoration projects.”

Nelson made no statement on the plan, but earlier in the week asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study the long-term effects of toxic algal blooms.

Palm City Republican Brian Mast, who has spoken loudly on the latest lake discharges, praised the White House action but urged his colleagues to approve the project quickly.

“Congress must authorize this project as soon as possible because every day that goes by without it means more business being forced to close, more animals dying and more people getting sick,” Mast said in a news release. “Lives are quite literally hanging in the balance, and I will continue doing everything I can to get this across the finish line. Failure is not an option.”

Scott tweeted support for the project’s goal of moving more water south of the lake without sending vast amounts into other waterways. The state is looking for the federal government to pick up half of the project’s cost.

Florida representatives involved in contentious hearing

FBI Agent Peter Strzok, whose derogatory text messages about Trump made him the scourge of Republicans, testified on Thursday before the House Judiciary Committee and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. It began as a volatile exchange between Strzok and Republicans as well as between Republicans and Democrats.

Five delegation members of the Judiciary Committee had their chance to ask questions of Strzok or to console him. Republicans Matt Gaetz, Ron DeSantis and John Rutherford were joined by Democrats Val Demings and Ted Deutch.

Gaetz tweeted as the hearing was underway, saying: “The Democrats are acting like children in Committee, raising weird procedural objections to our basic oversight questions. I’m not going anywhere for awhile. Send a @SNICKERS”

DeSantis tweeted “Peter Strzok was biased, and his bias affected his action. He still refuses to answer questions about the genesis of the so-called collusion investigation.”

When the hearing concluded, Republicans threatened to hold Strzok in contempt. Democrats gave him a round of applause.

Demings tweeted “The GOP’s conspiracies about Strzok have been debunked. The Mueller investigation is real …”

“The attacks on Mr. Strzok, the attacks on Rod Rosenstein, the attacks on our FBI director — I wish there was even a slight degree of that same fervor directed against what the Russians did in 2016!” said Deutch.

Throughout the day, Strzok forcefully argued that his texts represented a bias in his work on the investigations of Hillary Clinton’s emails or possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Gaetz welcomes new Coast Guard cutter to Pensacola

The U.S. Coast Guard now has a stronger presence in the Panhandle with the arrival of the cutter Dauntless. With the new arrival, the Naval Air Station at Pensacola now has three cutters in service.

“I am pleased to congratulate the U.S. Coast Guard on the delivery of “DAUNTLESS,” the second 210-foot cutter, to its new home port of Pensacola Naval Air Station,” said Gaetz, who represents the area in Congress. “Just this week, the Coast Guard seized 35 kilos of cocaine in the Gulf of Mexico south of Pensacola. The continued growth of the Coast Guard’s presence in Northwest Florida will help the nation’s fight against illegal drugs coming into America.”

The Coast Guard indicated last year that the Dauntless and the Decisive would be relocating not later than August 2018. The Dauntless moves from Galveston, Tex., following the Decisive’s arrival earlier this year from Pascagoula, Miss.

Along with the Cypress, already based at NAS Pensacola, the cutters will focus on search and rescue missions, stopping drugs, maritime law enforcement and immigration operations.

Pelosi to join Lawson in Jacksonville

With nothing to fear from a Republican challenger, Democratic Rep. Al Lawson of Tallahassee is pulling out all stops to get through next month’s primary against former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. On Friday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will join Lawson for a media availability at Lawson’s campaign headquarters in Jacksonville.

While Pelosi has come under increasing intraparty fire from some of the younger members, Lawson was in full support of her last election as party leader last year. She is now returning the favor by publicly supporting Lawson’s re-election an event in Brown’s backyard.

The race has featured an aggressive Brown, who has claimed that Lawson’s missed votes in the House prove Lawson “does not show up for work.” Lawson responded by listing his legislative accomplishments during his first term.

Lawson is under some pressure to show better fundraising strength when both candidates release their finance reports over the coming days. Last quarter, Brown outraised Lawson by a nearly two-to-one margin, leaving Lawson with $160,000 cash on hand and Brown with $127,000.

Pelosi’s visit will have no impact on second-quarter finances, but Lawson will have something to put into third quarter fundraising efforts. Friday’s event kicks off at 5 p.m. with a meet-and-greet, followed by the availability.

Buchanan’s poorly timed yacht buy

According to a recent financial disclosure filed by Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan of Longboat Key, the veteran lawmaker spent between $1 million and $5 million purchasing a yacht on Nov. 16, 2017. The date coincides with the passage by 226 Republicans and zero Democrats of the first draft of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, otherwise known as the GOP tax cuts.

The Senate passed the final bill December 20.

There is no question Buchanan can afford the yacht. According to a Roll Call report, his net worth is $73.9 million, which makes him the eighth wealthiest member of Congress and by far the wealthiest from Florida.

Estimates by Tax March, a progressive tax group, say the bill would save him up to $2.1 million on his taxes. Buchanan dismissed the linkage.

“It’s no coincidence that this partisan smear comes at the same time a dark money group is airing a TV ad against Vern that is so dishonest one newspaper called it ‘stunning in its deception.’ Vern has owned boats for more than 20 years, and it’s no secret to his constituents that he has lived the American Dream,” said Max Goodman, a spokesman for Buchanan.

Mast opponent sits on $1 million war chest

Democrat Lauren Baer is making a serious run for the Congressional District 18 seat held by Mast, a first-term Republican. Before the release of official campaign reports, Baer’s campaign announced she had raised more than $500,000 for the second quarter, bringing her to more than $1 million cash on hand.

“I’m in awe of the outpouring of support we have received since launching our campaign in September,” Baer said. “Thank you to everyone who has donated, knocked on doors, made phone calls, and registered voters. This campaign will always be about you and your interests, not special interests, and together we will be victorious in November.”

Baer is a former U.S. Department of State official, serving under both Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. She added that none of her contributions came from corporate political action committees.

Mast is responding to the challenge. He announced that he raised more than $1 million in the second quarter and had nearly $2 million cash on hand.

“Congressman Mast’s laserlike focus on the issues that matter most to our community — water quality, protecting Medicare, lower taxes and supporting veterans — are driving incredibly strong grassroots support,” said campaign spokesman Brad Stewart.” While other candidates have been forced to choose hyper-partisanship in pursuit of Nancy Pelosi’s support, Congressman Mast’s independence and leadership continue to deliver results for our community,” said campaign spokesman Brad Stewart.

Political analyst Larry Sabato, who produces “Sabato’s Crystal Ball,” tabs the race as likely Republican. Trump won the district by nine percentage points in 2016.

Baer is facing Pam Keith in the Democratic primary next month. Keith had not yet announced second-quarter fundraising totals.

Deutch, Frankel seek transparency, resumption of Middle East aid

Democratic members of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, led by ranking member Ted Deutch of Boca Raton, are urging full transparency in the Trump administration’s review of assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. Deutch, Rep. Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach and other committee members seek to resume aid to the area and “to ensure no U.S. assistance is diverted from its intended purposes.”

In their letter addressed to “The President,” the lawmakers urge the release of assistance for the region currently on hold.

“It is our understanding that all U.S. assistance, including lifesaving humanitarian aid, has been frozen since January 2018,” they wrote. “Gaza is already suffering a critical food shortage, due in part to the Administration’s withholding of $65 million to the United Nations’ Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which distributes lifesaving medical and food aid to the people of Gaza.”

The letter also places blame on “Hamas’ failure to provide for the most basic needs while directing significant resources to acts of terrorism has only exacerbated the emergency.” Transparency will “ensure that no U.S. assistance is diverted from its intended purposes, or even worse, inadvertently benefiting the terrorist organization Hamas.”

On this day in the headlines

July 13, 2007 — As the war in Iraq approached its fifth year, delegation members were either urging more patience, or demanding an end to U.S. presence. “It’s time to bring them home,” said Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor, a sentiment shared by Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson.

Republicans, including Rep. Adam Putnam of Bartow, sought to wait on a report from Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. “We certainly owe it to our brave men and women putting their lives on the line every day to give their commander the time and resources he needs to succeed in this crucial mission.”

July 13, 2010 — The Senate Judiciary Committee met Tuesday to consider Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court but put off a vote for one week at the request of its Republicans. She is expected to win the support of all 12 committee Democrats while all Republicans, with the possible exception of South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham, are excepted to vote no.

Republicans also called for Kagan, if confirmed, to recuse herself from any case coming before them involving the Affordable Care Act due to her position as Obama’s Solicitor General.

(NOTE: The Senate confirmed Kagan by a 63-37 vote, but she did not recuse, voting with the 5-4 majority to uphold the law on June 28, 2012)

Plane crash survivor named to key NASA post

Trump is nominating James W. Morhard to be the deputy administrator at NASA. He currently serves as the Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms for the U.S. Senate.

Morhard previously served as a senior aide to the late Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. While serving as staff director for the Appropriations Committee, he oversaw portions of the budget that oversaw NASA. In his current role, he has focused on administrative issues within the Senate.

In 2010, he was on an airplane with Stevens that crashed in the mountains of Alaska. Morhard survived, but Stevens and four others died.

Morhard will serve under NASA administrator and former Rep. Jim Bridenstine.