Delegation for 6.30.23: FEMA — extremist moms — military bases — cancer care

Refilling FEMA fund

Hurricane season is a bad time for federal disaster funding to run dry, but that’s precisely what will happen to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund unless legislative action is taken.

To keep that from happening, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz filed measures in their respective chambers to replenish the fund with $11.5 billion. The fund — used to respond to major disasters nationwide, from hurricanes and tornadoes to wildfires and earthquakes — is on track to run out of money in August, according to FEMA’s most recent funding report.

In a statement accompanying the filing of his bill — which fellow Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Roger Wicker of Mississippi co-sponsored — Rubio said President Joe Biden “failed to take the necessary steps” to ensure the federal government is prepared to respond quickly and effectively to natural disasters this year.

“Congress cannot allow the Biden administration to use disaster funding as a bargaining chip; doing so puts countless vulnerable communities at risk,” he said. “Our communities deserve better than this.”

Moskowitz, sponsoring the bill with Republican Resident Commissioner James Moylan of Guam, took a less partisan tack in explaining the bill’s importance.

“We have to be proactive. We know this fund is going to run out. How can FEMA operate if we are always being reactionary?” he said in a statement. “Emergency management cannot be politicized and should always be prioritized. I’m encouraged to see there is still bipartisan interest in solving this problem, and I look forward to working together to get the appropriate funding to the Disaster Relief Fund.”

Hurricane season in Florida runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, though the strongest storms to strike the peninsula have frequently come in August or after. Last year, Hurricane Ian struck the state’s southwestern coast as a Category 5 storm on Sept. 28. Hurricane Michael landed in the panhandle as a Category 5 in October 2018, and Hurricane Irma hit Florida at Category 3 strength in early September 2017.

Moms or extremists?

After the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) labeled Florida-based Moms for Liberty as an extremist group, Rubio said that designation couldn’t impact parents’ rights. He led a letter to Biden signed by many Republicans in the state delegation criticizing the decision and saying it can’t impact policy.

“SPLC’s bad-faith designation of Moms for Liberty, as well as other parental rights groups, should come as no surprise, as SPLC is a corrupt and vicious tool of progressive radicals seeking to label individuals and groups with whom they disagree as hateful and/or extremist,” the letter states.

Other groups designated as extremist, but not with the harsher hate group label, include the National Vanguard, Brotherhood of Klans, White Revolution, ProEnglish and the Oath Keepers.

Scott co-signed the message with Reps. Aaron Bean, Gus Bilirakis, Kat Cammack, Byron Donalds, Neal Dunn, Scott Franklin, Anna Paulina Luna, Bill Posey, Greg Steube and Daniel Webster.

The letter came after communication between the Biden administration and the SPLC.

“SPLC’s designation also follows your administration’s actions to target concerned parents for scrutinizing decisions from local education leaders,” the letter states.

“And indeed, there is reason to suspect your administration has been coordinating with SPLC on this matter. It was recently reported that Susan Corke, director of SPLC’s Intelligence Project, met with National Security Council counterterrorism director John Picarelli earlier this year. This meeting raises serious questions as to whether the White House encouraged SPLC to work on behalf of the administration to label parental rights groups and organizations as ‘extremist groups.’”

On target

The Senate’s defense budget will bring a bounty of spending to Florida, according to Scott, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee. From improvements to bases in the state to research projects by Sunshine State companies, the Naples Republican found much to praise.

“Florida is home to 21 military bases and three unified combatant commands, nearly 64,000 active-duty members, 38,000 reservists and over 1.5 million veterans. As Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee for Personnel, I am grateful for the bipartisan work the Armed Services Committee has done to ensure our men and women in uniform are taken care of and our military remains the most lethal force in the world,” Scott said.

“As the threat of China continues to grow, and our focus shifts to the Indo-Pacific, we must continue to make smart investments in our armed forces and continue bolstering our defense capabilities. As Florida’s Senator, I’ve been proud to advocate for major investments in our defense capabilities and in Florida’s military bases over the past five years. We’re off to a great start for the 2024 NDAA, and I look forward to continuing to fight for priorities that matter most to Florida families and military communities on the Senate Floor.”

The Senate budget includes a Consolidated Communications Center at Patrick Air Force Base and a KC-46A ADAL Aircraft Maintenance Hangar at MacDill Air Force Base. The budget also funds the LGM-35A Sentinel program, the Fleet Ballistic Missile Strategic Weapon System and the Hypersonic Targets and Countermeasures Program.

Scott also praised funding to improve the Black Hawk, Apache and Chinook helicopters, along with night vision enhancements and multispectral camouflage development to improve the effectiveness and defense of troops on the group. The Senator also supports funding in the budget for better military training in Taiwan.

No kneeling?

Should FBI agents who knelt in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protesters be eligible for promotion within the agency? Rep. Matt Gaetz sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray questioning why anyone who supported “riots” has a place of power in the national law enforcement agency.

The Panhandle Republican has widely distributed pictures of six agents photographed kneeling at a BLM event in Washington. One of those appears to be Sarah Linden, now the Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Criminal Division within the Washington Field Office.

Gaetz, in his letter, characterized the 2020 protests across the country, sparked after the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota, as “violent riots” that swept the nation. He pointed specifically at protests in the nation’s Capital in May 2020 when the photos allegedly were taken.

“Shameful and unprecedented violence took place over several days and included the arson attack on St. John’s Episcopal Church adjacent to the White House,” Gaetz wrote. “During these events, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) personnel were quite literally ‘on the line’ defending our nation’s Capital in an attack that has not been surpassed since in either its scope or violence. Perhaps in an effort to placate the mob, on June 4, 2020, at least six alleged FBI agents were filmed kneeling in supplication. Attached is a photograph believed to be Sarah Linden, expressing her support for these seditious riots that caused so much destruction.”

The FBI has not publicly addressed the letter.

Sails versus whales

Rep. John Rutherford wants to delay the implementation of a National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) rule before the Florida boating industry feels a blow.

The Jacksonville Republican filed a bipartisan bill to delay an NOAA rule around areas with a significant number of whales. The Northeast Florida Congressman is most concerned with protections aimed at helping North American right whales. But a 10-knot speed restriction on all vessels longer than 35 feet would have profound impacts, Rutherford said.

“As a Floridian, I understand the significance of the North Atlantic right whale to our ecosystems, our local economy and our way of life,” he said. “With less than 350 North Atlantic right whales left, we must act smartly to help this species survive. That means collaborating with all stakeholders and using the best science available.”

He put in the delay bill with Republican Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia and Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska.

“Like most of my colleagues, I am concerned about the long-term health of our marine mammal populations, including the North Atlantic Right Whale. This rule, however, has too many potential unintended consequences for small boat operators who need the flexibility to maintain their safety at sea.”

Of note, the rule impacting Atlantic communities isn’t the only whale-focused regulation under consideration at NOAA. A proposed maritime rule could shut down many of Florida’s Gulf Coast ports. That prompted the Florida Ports Council to sound alarms on restrictions to protect Rice’s whales on Florida’s west coast.

“It’s as if NOAA wants Florida to hang up a ‘closed for business’ sign,” said Mike Rubin, president and CEO of the Florida Ports Council. “Florida’s Gulf of Mexico seaports play an enormous role in fueling (petrol) Florida and are essential suppliers of everything from food to medical supplies, and construction materials to build homes, roads and make ongoing hurricane repairs in Southwest Florida.”

Fighting for freedoms?

The first general town hall led by a Generation Z member of Congress took place in Central Florida this week. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, an Orlando Democrat met with hundreds at Dr. Phillips High School.

Frost has held issue-specific meetings in the district on gun control matters, and reiterated what a priority that issue was for him. He became involved in political activism after meeting families impacted by school shootings. “I decided to dedicate myself to fighting for a world where gun violence doesn’t exist,” Frost said.

The 26-year-old Congressman also highlighted his first few months in office. He received applause after playing a floor speech where Frost noted many of the Republicans refusing to raise the debt ceiling had ridiculed the young Congressman for having poor credit and having trouble finding a D.C. apartment. Frost called that hypocrisy from the floor and voiced no regrets to constituents.

“Sometimes we’ve got to call out the lies,” Frost said.

He also said the federal government needs to do more to actively protect the constitutional rights of Floridians. That’s especially true, he said, in the wake of several recent laws signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, now a presidential candidate.

“We at the federal level need to pass legislation that works to protect people,” the Orlando Democrat said.

“That is one of the sole jobs of the federal government. I think about states like ours where I disagree with the way we are being run. I disagree with targeting vulnerable communities. And we need to pass legislation in Congress to protect people, no matter who you are.”

For the heroes

With Independence Day on the horizon, Rep. Vern Buchanan filed three bills celebrating America’s heroes.

Two bills focus on the needs of veterans, while another seeks safer conditions for those in service now.

“As someone who represents over 64,000 veterans in Florida’s 16th District, serving our nation’s heroes is one of my top priorities,” the Longboat Key Republican said. “The brave men and women who served our country in uniform deserve all the care and respect a grateful nation can offer every day — not just on Independence Day.”

Buchanan’s first bill focuses on the high rate of suicides among those who served. The Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act would direct the Veterans Affairs Department to review the deaths of all veterans it treated who died by suicide or from a drug overdose in the last five years.

That data should be used to inform better treatments, Buchanan said.

His office pointed to a prior suicide report by the VA that showed about 17 veterans took their own lives daily in 2020, or 6,146 over the year. The report showed veterans made up 16% of all suicides in the nation that year.

Veteran groups have come out in favor of the bill.

Buchanan also filed the Restoring Earned Veterans Benefits Act, which will streamline the process for veterans who return to active duty and then seek veteran status. The bill will mean veteran benefits are immediately restored when a service member leaves duty the second or subsequent time.

The Congressman also introduced the DRIVE SAFE Act, which calls for equipping tactical weapons with black boxes. Data after accidents could be used for corrective action. Buchanan has pushed for increased safety with military vehicles for several years, particularly following the death of Bradenton soldier Nicholas Panipinto in a 2019 training exercise.

Environmental hazard?

Following news of an ethylene oxide leak in Fort Myers, Donalds said a comment period needs to be extended regarding a local chemical plant.

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the Lee Sar American Contract Systems plant has been leaking a colorless, carcinogenic gas since 2011, Which generated community outrage, reported by WINK News.

Donalds sought to assure people that there was no imminent threat to their health.

“As a father, husband, member of the community, and Congressman elected to serve the people of Southwest Florida, the health and safety of everyone I represent is paramount,” he said. “Over the last several days, my office and I have worked diligently with the EPA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and other stakeholders to gather the most accurate and up-to-date information in assessing the detriment to the public. Following these productive conversations, the consensus is that there is no public hazard for citizens in the discharge zone.”

He noted improvements to the plant are nearly done and the owner is “implementing a voluntary discharge control system to capture additional carcinogens, ultimately lowering EtO emissions by over 99.9%.”

But he said the need for oversight is clear.

“Lastly, I, too, share the public’s frustration concerning the inadequate handling of the dissemination of information to the people that have caused undue panic and anxiety for countless families,” Donalds said. “As a result, I’ve sent a letter to the EPA calling for an extension of its official public comment period and an in-person meeting for community members to ask questions and submit their pertinent concerns.”

Short on chemo

A shortage in chemotherapy treatments could soon put U.S. cancer patients at risk. Moskowitz, a Parkland Democrat, wrote a letter to President Biden urging him to invoke the Defense Production Act and force U.S. manufacturers to make more Carboplatin and Cisplatin drugs.

“I write to express my grave concern about the nationwide shortages of cancer drugs, antibiotics, and other medications,” Moskowitz wrote. “Drug shortages have remained a severe and persistent public issue for over (10) years. According to the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists, various prevention and mitigation efforts have failed to resolve the problem, as evidenced by the more than 300 drugs currently on the list, the highest since 2014.”

Moskowitz noted that former President Donald Trump used the federal authority to force the production of personal protective equipment, ventilators, testing supplies and vaccines. Moskowitz closely followed that as he led Florida’s Department of Emergency Management at the time. But he also has heard from his constituents about crises they are facing.

“It is unacceptable when people like my constituent, Carrie, from Coral Springs, are told they must wait three additional weeks for the drug to treat her breast cancer. It is unacceptable when doctors are forced to prescribe alternatives that might not be as effective. And it is unacceptable when there often aren’t alternatives for chemotherapy drugs,” he wrote.

“These shortages have burdened health providers and negatively impacted patient care. While I understand that the White House has assembled a team to address the ongoing shortages, I firmly believe that more must be done. We must adequately address this nationwide shortage and find concrete ways to fix supply chain issues before it’s too late.”

Gimme shelter

A tax burden shouldn’t be what stops Florida residents from preparing for a hurricane. Three members of the state’s congressional delegation helped introduce the Shelter Act, a bipartisan bill that would give tax credits to families and small businesses that invest in disaster mitigation improvements to protect homes and properties.

“Hurricane season is here,” stressed Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Coral Gables Republican. “While disaster relief is critical after storms, we must be proactive in mitigating damage in advance. The Shelter Act will provide the right incentives for families to protect their homes and loved ones while also providing incentives to safeguard small businesses.”

She introduced the bill with fellow Floridian Republican Reps. Carlos Giménez of Miami-Dade and Steube of Sarasota. Democratic co-sponsors include Reps. Brittany Petterson of Colorado and Scott Peters of California. In the Senate, Democratic Sen. Mike Bennett of Colorado and Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana will champion the bill.

Steube said last year’s storm season brought an abrupt reminder of the importance of preparation.

“In the wake of Hurricane Ian, many Floridians who have just recovered are choosing to make home improvements to minimize damages during the next storm,” he said. “I’m glad to co-sponsor legislation to provide a federal tax credit for these proactive mitigation expenditures. This legislation will encourage Americans in disaster-prone areas to better prepare their properties and contribute to shorter, less costly recoveries following future disasters.”

Construction industry leaders said the bill would be helpful in disaster-prone regions.

“We promote public and private incentives to facilitate the construction and retrofit of more resilient buildings and infrastructure,” said AC Powell, president and CEO of the National Institute of Building Sciences. “The Shelter Act is an important step, providing needed disaster mitigation investment through tax credits. We need to be proactive and prepared for natural disasters.”

On this day

June 30, 1906 — “Meat Inspection Act signed by President Theodore Roosevelt” via American Historama — It was signed the same day as the Pure Food and Drug Act, and the two laws worked in combination. They were the first federal laws to regulate foods and drugs in America and a direct result of the unsanitary methods used by the food industry revealed in ‘The Jungle’ by the progressive author Upton Sinclair. The Meat Inspection Act and the Food and Drug Act were essential elements of Roosevelt’s Square Deal Domestic Policy and critical pieces of legislation during the history of the Progressive Era.

June 30, 2014 — “Supreme Court rules against Barack Obama in contraception case” via CNN — Some corporations have religious rights, a deeply divided Supreme Court decided in ruling that certain for-profit companies cannot be required to pay for specific types of contraceptives for their employees. The 5-4 decision on ideological lines ended the high court’s term with a legal and political setback for a controversial part of President Obama’s health care reform law. It also sparked a fierce partisan debate over religious and reproductive rights that will continue through the November congressional elections and beyond. All five conservative Justices appointed by Republican Presidents ruled in favor of closely held for-profit businesses.

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Delegation is published by Peter Schorsch, compiled by Jacob Ogles, edited and assembled by Phil Ammann and Ryan Nicol, with contributions by Jesse Scheckner.