Delegation for 10.13.20: Court order — Tyndall — China Olympics — Michael — labor rule

Order in the court

Analysts have offered reasons why President Donald Trump scored a surprising victory in 2016. Among those was his ability to solidify skeptical Republicans behind him through his pledge to appoint conservative federal judges and Supreme Court justices.

As Trump continues an uphill campaign for reelection, both health care and his response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been the target of his opponent, former vice president Joe Biden and Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris.

With the confirmation for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett moving front and center for the remainder of Oct., the issue of the court is likely to motivate voters again. The Senate Judiciary Committee, led by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, began confirmation hearings this week.

If she is ultimately confirmed just days before the election, will the outrage of Democratic voters match the cheering of Republicans? Will the circumstances help Biden to a greater extent than they did for Hillary Clinton in 2016 with the anger over the snub of Judge Merrick Garland?

Within the context of the confirmation hearings, health care will still play a key role in the Barrett hearings and for the remainder of the campaign. During their opening statements Oct. 12, committee Democrats focused on the November case involving the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Each provided anecdotal stories of individuals who would face grave consequences if the law is struck down.

“Trump asked the #SCOTUS to kill the #ACA,” tweeted Weston Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “Today, rather than provide relief to businesses and struggling Americans, Republican Party Senators are cramming a right-wing justice on the court to erode health protections — amid a pandemic, in the middle of an election.”

Her comments were similar to those provided by Harris in a virtual setting to her Judiciary Committee colleagues when it was her turn. After criticizing the hearings as being a threat to the health of those in attendance, workers and Capitol Police, she blasted the Senate for the lack of coronavirus financial relief.

After calling Democrats “hypocrites,” Sen. Rick Scott called on them to “end these political games and do our jobs.”

After opening statements from 22 committee members, it was Barrett’s turn to introduce herself. She spoke of her family and mentors, which included the late Justice Antonin Scalia, before providing a glimpse into her judicial philosophy.

“(The) courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life,” she said. “The policy decisions and value judgments of government must be made by the political branches elected by and accountable to the People. The public should not expect courts to do so and courts should not try.”

The hearings are scheduled to continue for four days before moving to a final vote. While Democrats will pose hard questions to Barrett, Republicans will press their Supreme Court issue to Biden, who refuses to answer a question on whether he would go along with a plan floated by some Democrats to pack the court if Barrett is confirmed and if Biden wins, and Democrats gain majorities in both houses of Congress.

In response to a question from a news anchor in Nevada, Biden responded that calls for him to take a position were coming from Republicans, who “don’t deserve an answer” before the election. He accused Republicans of packing the court by their actions

Order in the court will have to wait until long after the election.

Don’t forget Tyndall

Before Hurricane Delta slammed into Louisiana, residents and officials in the southwest portion of the state were still recovering from Hurricane Laura a few weeks before. While the impact of both was severe, the damage did not approach the devastation wreaked on the Florida Panhandle from Hurricane Michael two years ago.

The area around Panama City is still recovering, including military installations within the region. In a letter, Sen. Marco Rubio asked Secretary of Defense Mark Esper not to forget Tyndall Air Force Base.

“Through my efforts on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Congress has provided the funding necessary to rebuild and expand Tyndall’s operational capacity,” Rubio wrote. “Because of the funding provided, it is vital that the (Department of Defense) continue to include Tyndall’s future reconstruction and operational requirements in its budget planning cycle.”

Rubio reminded Esper that 60% of the base suffered damage and a full recovery is still months, if not years, away. He further highlighted the “critical role in our country’s national security” and its economic importance as the provider of jobs for the region.

“I look forward to continuing to work with you and others in the administration, to further provide Tyndall AFB with the resources needed to return to full operational capacity to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” he added.

No Olympics in China

COVID-19 forced the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan until July 2021. The 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled for Feb. of that year in Beijing, but Scott is continuing his campaign to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move the games elsewhere as punishment for human rights violations within the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.

Scott is urging the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to pass a resolution he crafted with Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts that highlights the reasoning behind the call for action. Rubio is among the resolution’s co-sponsors.

“It is our duty and the duty of freedom-loving nations around the world, to say that what General Secretary Xi (Jinping) is doing to his people will not be tolerated” reads a letter to committee members. “As long as General Secretary Xi continues on this indefensible course, Communist China should absolutely not be rewarded with the 2022 Olympic Games.”

Last month, Scott spoke with IOC Vice President Anita DeFrantz, who would not commit to revisiting the decision to award the games to China. He expressed his disappointment, adding he is not giving up.

“I am disappointed that the IOC would not commit to moving the 2022 Games out of Communist China, but this fight is not over,” he said then. “The IOC has to decide whether the Olympics stands for freedom or stands with Communist China and their human rights abuses.”

One year ago the first-term Republican began urging the International Olympic Committee to find another venue for 2022.

Reflecting on Michael

October 10 marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Michael making landfall in the Mexico Beach area, claiming at least 74 lives. Thousands were rendered homeless, numerous businesses were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural and timberland were wiped out.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the storm was responsible for $25 billion in hurricane-related damage. Rep. Neal Dunn, who represents part of the areas hardest hit, recounted the tragic events, but also recognized the generous actions he witnessed despite the hardships.

“2 yrs. ago today, #HurricaneMichael struck our district. I’ll never forget the devastation we saw in the days following,” the Panama City Republican said in a series of tweets. “I’ll also never forget the generosity, compassion, & perseverance I saw from people in our communities.”

“Please join me today in reflecting not on what was lost, but what we have accomplished since this devastating storm,” Dunn concluded.

The day before the anniversary, Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis announced that counties still rebuilding from the storm will be receiving an additional $5.2 million to support the continuing efforts to expand telemental health services and rebuilding early education facilities.

Since January 2019, the Florida Division of Emergency Management has paid out more than $831 million for Hurricane Michael recovery.

Investigation sought

Among the federal assistance approved during the COVID-19 lockdowns was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that was created to assist small businesses to keep staff employed through the crisis. In the closing stages of the 2020 campaign, Rep. Michael Waltz is accusing the Florida Democratic Party of malfeasance after receiving $780,000 in PPP funds.

Waltz led a letter signed by six delegation Republicans to Small Business Administration Inspector General Mike Ware calling for a federal investigation and a release of documents involving the application. The party received the funds in July.

“Congress created the PPP to help small businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic, NOT to fund political parties. The @FlaDems illegally applied for a $780k PPP loan anyway,” Waltz tweeted. “This is completely unacceptable & I’m calling for a federal investigation to get to the bottom of it.”

The letter recounted the application for the funds, which were later returned, was submitted by an FDP affiliated fund that has no employees. Waltz and his colleagues wrote the funds were then “funneled” into the FDP.

“The fact that FDP — which was ineligible for PPP funds — applied for the loan via the Florida Democratic Building Fund, Inc. and the money was subsequently transferred back to support FDP’s payroll raises questions as to whether someone at FDP knowingly made a false statement on the PPP application in question,” the letter reads in part.

Also signing the letter were Republican Party Reps. Dunn, Bill Posey, Brian Mast, Greg Steube and Ross Spano.

Supporting better training

Following the death of a constituent in a military training accident, Longboat Key Republican Vern Buchanan has focused on seeking better training for the operation of military vehicles for servicemen and women. That push includes improvements to emergency response efforts when accidents such as the one suffered by Army Spec. Nicholas Panipinto in South Korea occurs.

Buchanan recently met with the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate and House Armed Services Committee on the issue. Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Republican Party Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas are supporting his effort.

“I’m thankful to Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Thornberry for their support for our service members and for their commitment to seeing this issue addressed,” Buchanan said. “No family deserves to face the pain and suffering that Nick’s family has faced.”

Inhofe agreed that military training must be reformed across all branches of the military in order to prevent unnecessary and tragic deaths like Spec. Panipinto’s. Thornberry said he supported Buchanan’s call for a congressional hearing on ways to prevent training accidents and also agrees with the need for reform.

In particular, Thornberry supported a Buchanan amendment inserted in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requiring the Pentagon to examine emergency medical response services and capabilities at U.S. military bases around the world.

Labor rule applauded

A new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) would increase financial transparency for unions and prevent a repeat of the recent high-profile corruption scandal within the United Auto Workers International Union (UAW). The rule would apply only to unions with annual receipts of $8 million or more.

That works for Rep. Francis Rooney, who lauded DOL’s action. It is consistent with a bill he sponsored more than two years ago.

“In 2018, I introduced the Union Transparency and Accountability Act for the purpose of rooting out corruption of powerful, acquisitive union bosses,” the Naples Republican said in a statement. “For too long, union members in this country have been misled by the leaders they elect to represent their wants and needs to the corporations they work for. This cannot continue to happen.”

The DOL believes that this change will help identify conflicts of interest and will facilitate tracking funds that may be transferred from one union to another. It will also require the amount of a strike fund to be disclosed to union members which will allow them to assess the health of the union and monitor the amount of money available in the fund.

“This is a great step in the right direction for union members so they can have a better understanding of how their union is being administered and its dispersion of funds” Rooney added.

25th Amendment

During the Russian collusion investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, reports surfaced that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein suggested invoking the 25th Amendment in order to remove Trump from office. Rosenstein denied the report.

Though a different mechanism, the issue is now part of the final three weeks of the campaign after Democrats introduced a bill last week calling for a congressional commission that would give the legislative branch a say in the process to remove a sitting President. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the bill, sponsored by Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin, was not directed at Trump.

“The highest office in the land needs 2 operate w/stable leadership,” tweeted Delray Beach Democrat Alcee Hastings, one of the bill’s 38 co-sponsors. “I joined @RepRaskin in co-sponsoring the Commission on Presidential Capacity 2 Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office, 2 uphold the guidelines of the constitution in the best interest of the American ppl.”

The legislation has zero chance of passing in the current Congress, but perhaps blazed a path for the next Congress should Democrats win the White House and control of the Senate. Trump also said it’s not about him.

“Crazy Nancy Pelosi is looking at the 25th Amendment in order to replace Joe Biden with Kamala Harris,” he tweeted. “The Dems want that to happen fast because Sleepy Joe is out of it!!!”

Waltz called out Pelosi for what he described as the wrong priorities. He tweeted “Nancy Pelosi will work on this ridiculous political stunt to remove the President from office but won’t negotiate relief for Americans in need. Absolutely absurd.”

Other bill co-sponsors included Democratic Reps. Wasserman Schultz, Val Demings, Ted Deutch and Donna Shalala.

Controversial principal rehired

Comments by a South Florida principal that he was unable to state the Holocaust was a historical fact, led to his ouster by the Palm Beach County School Board in 2019. After Administrative Law Judge Robert Cohen called for reinstating Dr. William Latson with back pay in a recommended order, the board complied by a 4-3 vote, prompting outrage from elected officials.

“Holocaust denial is unacceptable. Being politically neutral about the genocide of millions of Jews is unacceptable,” tweeted West Palm Beach Democrat Lois Frankel. “Failing to apologize for these actions is unacceptable. The school board backtracking and sending mixed signals is unacceptable.”

In his ruling, Cohen said the board acted in haste. He added their policy required board members to reprimand Latson before termination could even be considered.

In an op-ed, Deutch also blasted the board’s decision, but also pointed to a failure in the education system. He lamented what he described as a lack of knowledge of an event that took the lives of 6 million Jews.

“We must all acknowledge the fact that we are failing our schools, our community, and our country when our young people don’t know basic facts about the Holocaust,” he wrote. “We should honor the survivors in our community and the memory of the 6 million by acting together — now.”

Dems lauded

As the election draws closer, advocacy organizations of all types are rating the candidates through scorecards. Few, if any, have middle-of-the-road ratings, which reflects the intense polarization of 21st-century politics.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), which advocates for issues on behalf of the LGBTQ community, has published their 2020 scorecard rating all 535 members of Congress. Members were graded by their votes on policy issues of interest to the LGBTQ community, including the Equality Act, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act and even voting to impeach Trump.

All 13 delegation Democrats earned perfect scores of 100.

“I’m proud to have received a perfect score in the @HRC‘s Congressional Scorecard for the 116th Congress,” tweeted Frankel. “LGBTQ rights are always worth fighting for, and I will continue to push for full LGBTQ equality. #HRCscorecard”

St. Petersburg Democrat Charlie Crist also tweeted he was pleased with receiving a perfect score, adding “Equality is the cornerstone of our democracy and NO ONE should be discriminated against for who they are and who they love!”

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Hialeah was one of only four not receiving a zero score, earning a 40 to lead his party. On the Senate side, both Rubio and Scott earned scores of zero.

No more time

Confusion and angst reigned October 5, when Florida’s voter registration database crashed under what was described as a “flood” of potential voters trying to beat the registration deadline. Reportedly, tens of thousands of potential voters were unable to register. Florida’s chief information officer indicated the crash was not the result of a cyberattack, but instead involved a misconfiguration of the system’s servers.

Secretary of State Laurel Lee allowed seven additional hours to register on the following day, but many Democrats said that was insufficient, while others filed a lawsuit arguing for more time. Wasserman Schultz was among those blasting Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“Gov. Ron DeSantis provided a brief voter registration extension until 7 p.m. today, but this minimal reprieve should be extended another full day, so any Democrat, Republican or independent who was waylaid by the state’s overwhelmed system can participate in our democracy,” the Weston Democrat said in a statement.

“A last-minute window of seven more hours is a confusing fix that many voters will never hear about in time,” she added. “A governor known for voter suppression should always err on the side of generous voter accommodation when he screws up like this.”

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, based in Tallahassee, ruled against those seeking a greater extension, but blasted the state, saying “Florida has done it again,” later writing the state “is never prepared for an election.”

On this day

October 13, 2015 — More than a year before the next presidential election, five Democrats took the stage for a debate over who should become the nominee in 2016. Former Secretary of State Clinton, who gained experience running for the job in 2008, was judged to have had a better night than rivals former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Sen. Jim Webb.

At the same time, Republican presidential candidate Trump will briefly return to his former life as a television host. The longshot candidate hosted Saturday Night Live on November 7. He previously headlined the program in 2004.

October 13, 1997 — Senior Republicans are calling on Attorney General Janet Reno to resign over her handling of the allegations of fundraising impropriety by the Clinton/Gore campaign in 1996. Republicans believe suspicious donations possibly coming from foreign contributors calls for an independent counsel.

“She looks like a fool, let’s be honest,” said House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Reno said she would not be pressured by Republican “name-calling.” She added that nothing has emerged at this point that would incriminate either President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore or their 1996 reelection campaign.