Delegation for 7.7.23: Action Jackson — missile crisis — Israel — Radio Marti

Jackson’s moment

Recent Supreme Court decisions have generated new debates around equity and equality issues. A dissent in one of those high-profile cases also put Florida’s first U.S. Supreme Court Justice in the spotlight.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, an appointee of President Joe Biden sworn in last June, earned praise from progressives — and pushback from the court’s most senior member. She penned the dissent in a ruling that effectively ended affirmative action at American colleges and universities, calling the outcome “a tragedy for us all.”

“The Court has come to rest on the bottom-line conclusion that racial diversity in higher education is only worth potentially preserving insofar as it might be needed to prepare Black Americans and other underrepresented minorities for success in the bunker, not the boardroom,” Jackson wrote.

The dissent arguably marks the most discussed writing by Jackson since her arrival on the high court. As the first Black woman to serve on the high court, the words in an affirmative action case drew particular attention for the Miami Palmetto Senior High School alum.

It also sparked an unusually personal back-and-forth between Jackson and the only other Black justice on the court: conservative Clarence Thomas. The longest-serving justice personally addressed the opinion penned by the court’s newest member.

“Rather than focusing on individuals as individuals, her dissent focuses on the historical subjugation of Black Americans, invoking statistical racial gaps to argue in favor of defining and categorizing individuals by their race,” Thomas wrote.

That prompted Jackson to respond in footnotes.

“Justice Thomas ignites too many more straw men to list, or fully extinguish, here,” Jackson wrote. “The takeaway is that those who demand that no one thinks about race (a classic pink-elephant paradox) refuse to see, much less solve for, the elephant in the room — the race-linked disparities that continue to impede the achievement of our great Nation’s full potential.”

Ultimately, the 6-3 ruling also proved a divisive one within Florida’s congressional delegation.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Hollywood Democrat, said the decision weakened advancements achieved in the civil rights movement.

“Underrepresented minorities afforded the opportunity to study at our nation’s most esteemed institutions have worked incredibly hard to succeed and, eventually, ascend to the most coveted leadership roles in our nation — from Supreme Court Justice to President,” she said.

“Previous Supreme Courts have had a history of upholding race-conscious admissions policies. For over 40 years, they have repeatedly held that race-conscious admissions policies were consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees everyone the promise of equal protection under our laws. Yet, this hyper-conservative Supreme Court has rolled back history instead of pursuing a constitutionally sound and compelling path forward.”

But Rep. Byron Donalds, a Naples Republican and one of few Black conservatives in Congress, called the ruling “a massive win against the left’s equity agenda that seeks to achieve ‘equality’ through equal outcomes, not equal access.”

“There was clearly a time when affirmative action was needed to end racial discrimination, but that time is over,” he said. “The High Court rightly ended this policy. Merit and achievement must be the No. 1 attribute we all desire.”

Missile crisis redux

The prospect of China establishing a spy facility in Cuba has generated angst and alarm in the delegation for weeks. But Sen. Marco Rubio, ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the foreign power had grown its presence in Havana for years.

The Miami Republican spoke to Fox News host Trey Gowdy about hostile powers conducting spy operations 90 miles off Florida’s coast.

“China and Russia have had an intelligence presence in Cuba for a while. I think there’s concern now, as it’s been reported in the media, that they’re expanding their ability to collect electronically on us,” Rubio said.

He noted there’s more than just proximity to American soil for an eavesdropping station in Cuba. “Central Command is in Tampa. Special Operations Command is in Tampa. Southern Command is in Miami,” Rubio said. “NASA, multiple military installations are up to the southeast. So, it’s a huge intelligence threat.”

But more than espionage, Rubio worries hostile powers have grander plans for a foothold in the communist nation.

“The thing I keep an eye on very closely beyond that is, is there now going to be a Chinese military presence, a base of some sort, which is something the Chinese intend to do somewhere in the Western Hemisphere,” Rubio said. “It would be the first time since the Cuban missile crisis in which you have a large, permanent contingent of a foreign adversary, a military presence, not just in our hemisphere, but 90 miles off the coast of Key West.”

He said the Biden administration must make clear the U.S. won’t tolerate that type of expansion.

“This administration should be focused on and making very clear that we will not tolerate or not allow, making it very clear to the Cuban regime that if they cross that line, we will have to take measures against them,” Rubio said. “We really shouldn’t limit what those measures would be in that scenario.”

Sticking with Israel

Sen. Rick Scott visited America’s longest ally in the Middle East this week. The Florida Senator has been in Israel, where he met with leaders and signaled his support for the country amid its recent offensive against what he calls “Hamas terrorists” in the West Bank town of Jenin.

“I had the great honor to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, government officials and members of the U.S. military to discuss our work together to advance our shared national security and economic interests and reinforce our commitment to promote and protect America’s valuable relationships with our partners across the Middle East,” Scott said.

This isn’t the Senator’s first meeting with Netanyahu, a durable leader of the country who has met with American politicians dozens of times over his years in power.

Scott also “met with members of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and National Search and Rescue Unit to thank them for their efforts in Surfside and got briefed on the recent attacks against the Israeli people.”

In addition to signaling support for Israel’s domestic enforcement mission, Scott also made another pilgrimage to the Western Wall. The Senator said he prayed for the safety of Florida families and businesses in the coming Hurricane Season.

Massive hauls

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised upward of $20 million in the first six weeks of his presidential campaign. The campaign announced the haul ahead of a reporting deadline for the second quarter of 2023.

“(DeSantis) posted the best first fundraising quarter of any non-incumbent Republican candidate in more than a decade, raising $20 million in just six weeks,” reads a tweet from DeSantis’ campaign. “This surpasses the amount former President (Donald) Trump’s campaign raised during his first two fundraising quarters in this race.”

DeSantis opened his presidential campaign account in late May.

The campaign first provided the fundraising totals to Fox News. The pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down also announced it had raised more than $130 million since it launched in March.

“DeSantis for President and Never Back Down raised a combined $150 million from all 50 states,” Never Back Down officials later confirmed in a tweet. “The future of the Republican Party is Gov. Ron DeSantis!”

The DeSantis campaign compared its opening quarter totals to Trump’s first quarter this election cycle when Trump raised $14.5 million.

But of note, Trump’s campaign reported to POLITICO that the former President raised $35 million in the second quarter of this year. That means Trump still holds a massive cash advantage over DeSantis or any other Republican in the field and has now raised more than $53 million for his comeback run in 2024.

Organ players

There’s a gruesome sort of import Rep. Neal Dunn wants to make sure doesn’t come in from China. The Panama City Republican, a medical doctor by trade, wants sanctions on anyone involved in the Chinese Communist Party’s forced organ harvesting industry.

Dunn led a letter with Rep. Michelle Steel, a California Republican, asking the State Department to block immigration from anyone in the organ trade and to ferret out those who already live or work in the U.S.

“The firsthand accounts I’ve heard from victims and survivors of the CCP’s inhumane actions are nothing short of horrific,” Dunn said. “Any Chinese health care professionals participating in organ harvesting are committing crimes against humanity. The Department of State must take action to ensure these criminals do not have access to immigration status in the United States.”

Both Dunn and Steel sit on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. Through that work, Dunn noted that the House had heard testimony about the persecution of the Uyghurs, including forcing participation in organ donation by those in concentration camps.

Citrus save

Florida lawmakers from both sides of the aisle introduced the Restore Agricultural Investment, Stability and Expansion (RAISE) Act. The legislation could give the U.S. Department of Agriculture standing authority to issue grants to farmers and growers after natural disasters.

Reps. Kat Cammack, Scott Franklin, Darren Soto and Debbie Wasserman Schultz introduced the measure together.

“When extreme weather threatens our crops, as is often the case in the Sunshine State, we must be prepared to help our farmers recover and continue the important work of feeding our nation,” said Cammack, a Gainesville Republican.

Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, co-chairs the Florida congressional delegation. She said it’s vital that both parties protect the agriculture industry.

“Congress needs to have the back of America’s farmers, and I’m proud to work across the aisle to make sure the crops and agricultural resources that fuel this great nation and its families are protected from increasingly extreme weather threats, something our own citrus industry faces in Florida,” she said. “From timber to food on our tabletops, the federal government needs every tool at hand to help farmers recover from natural disasters.”

The bill is critical for Florida growers after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole collectively wiped out 90% of the state’s citrus production last year. More than 375,000 acres of farmland were impacted, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture. State estimates put industrywide losses at more than $675 million.

“After extreme hurricane seasons like the one Florida experienced last year, growers cannot afford to navigate bureaucratic obstacles to get the help they need,” said Franklin, a Lakeland Republican whose Florida Heartland district was hit especially hard.

In June, the U.S. House passed a Franklin-led bill allowing block grants to be issued in the wake of last year’s storm.

“This common-sense initiative would make this authority permanent, ensuring the federal government can respond as quickly as possible to future emergencies,” Franklin said.

Soto said the federal government must help keep a needed industry thriving as farmers face serious challenges.

“In Central Florida, our farmers, ranchers, and growers have struggled after devastating hurricanes,” Soto said. “As these natural disasters get stronger, we must work to ensure that they have the resources to recover, maintain their livelihoods, and keep feeding America.”

Rallying the troops

Summer is for youth rallies, and the youngest member of Congress this week lent his voice to Central Florida movements.

Rep. Maxwell Frost joined with gun safety activists at the site of the Pulse shooting. There, Parkland parents Manuel and Patricia Oliver kicked off a Change the Ref bus tour on July 3, which would have been their son Joaquin’s 23rd birthday. Several prominent activists were there, including Parkland survivors X Gonzalez and Cameron Kasky and Pulse survivor Brandon Wolf.

The following day, Frost was a headline speaker at the “Freedom to Learn” rally in Orlando. That event, held in conjunction with a National Education Association meeting, was billed as a response to Moms for Liberty’s first national conference in Washington. Frost has criticized the group and education policies enforced by DeSantis in Florida.

“I come from organizing. I come from the grassroots movement,” Frost said. “Rallies aren’t the goal. Rallies are the tool to help us mobilize people.”

Western Flyer

The Western Flyer sailed into Tampa Bay with Rep. Kathy Castor on board. The Tampa Democrat boarded the marine research vehicle to check on research conducted as part of the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) and the University of South Florida’s Peerside initiative.

“FIO and USF are opening the hatch to ocean research and discovery for students of all backgrounds while conducting vital research to address critical issues that impact our way of life here in Florida and across the Gulf of Mexico,” Castor said.

“From rising temperatures to red tide to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the Gulf ecosystem has seen significant changes and challenges over its lifetime. The research conducted aboard the Western Flyer is critical in helping to restore this important supporter of life, jobs and recreation while preparing the next generation of seafaring researchers.”

The Western Flyer is a floating classroom and will be available to students without regular access to seagoing platforms. It benefited last year from a $3.4 million federal grant secured through Community Project Funding by former Rep. Charlie Crist, a St. Petersburg Democrat.

Castor signaled her support for the work done on the Western Flyer, including both its chemical monitoring and student mentoring uses.

Border equality

Migrants seek asylum for a variety of reasons, sexual persecution among them. Rep. Wasserman Schultz, who co-chairs the Congressional Equality Caucus, said the U.S. needs to give special consideration to LGBTQ refugees arriving in the U.S.

“As June comes to an end, along with National Pride Month and Immigrant Heritage Month, we must ensure that our commitment to protect the rights of LGBTQIA people extends to and beyond our borders,” the Weston Democrat said.

“I’m confident that President Biden will do everything possible to ensure that our border policy accommodates the needs of the most vulnerable migrants, including LGBTQIA individuals and families who face violence and persecution throughout the Western Hemisphere.”

She co-led a letter with several Democrats in the House, including Rep. Mark Pocan, Chair of the Equality Caucus, asking Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to reinforce access to U.S. protection for queer migrants if they flee persecution in their homelands.

“While we support your Administration’s efforts to expand alternative legal pathways, they cannot serve as a substitute for a functioning asylum system, especially for marginalized LGBTQIA people,” the letter states.

“The recently announced family reunification parole program promises to allow vetted individuals with sponsors in the U.S. to be paroled on a case-by-case basis. However, the requirements may exclude queer families from countries where LGBTQIA marriage or adoption are barred. It is critical to amend these qualifications to clarify that permanent partners and children adopted by queer parents are eligible.”

Numerous LGBTQ and immigrant advocacy groups endorsed the agenda in the letter.

“The President’s Asylum Ban puts LGBTQ refugees in grave danger, subjecting them to further harm as they are forced to wait in Mexico or dangerous transit countries in order to seek protection from the U.S.,” said Bridget Crawford, Immigration Equality’s Director of Law and Policy.

“Moreover, the alternative pathways for migration proposed by the administration largely exclude queer families and expose LGBTQ refugees to additional dangers. The Biden administration must stop taking a ‘carrot and stick’ approach to managing asylum. The ‘carrot’ of alternative pathways creates a compelling incentive for anyone with the means and ability to pursue them. However, the ‘stick’ of penalizing the most vulnerable for saving their own lives is illegal, immoral, and contrary to President Biden’s promise to protect vulnerable LGBTQ refugees and asylum-seekers.”

Radio Marti

Control of an Appropriations Committee by a South Florida Republican could mean a more significant investment in American broadcasts in Cuba. The Hill first reported Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Hialeah Republican, wants to increase funding for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which is based in Miami, to $30 million.

“Two main issues I was looking at when I was putting this bill together: national security interest and the national debt,” Díaz-Balart told The Hill.

The 50% boost in pay would likely boost the reach of Radio and TV Marti, pro-democracy broadcast outlets. Díaz-Balart now chairs the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, so he holds much greater sway in foreign aid spending — at least in the GOP-controlled House’s budget.

Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized the House budget for reducing spending abroad overall. While he said nothing about Cuba broadcasts specifically, his overall comments signaled disagreement on the way.

Spending on Radio and TV Marti has proven controversial for years. When Democrats held a House majority in 2008, they held hearings on whether to keep running the outlets as the Cuban government jammed signals. In 2019, an audit called out content on the outlets as propaganda instead of journalism.

The last Congress, where Democrats controlled both chambers, budgeted just $13 million for the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, the same as the year before. The Biden administration has asked to raise that to $15 million, half what Díaz-Balart wants.

Cleaning costs

New environmental regulations could threaten the livelihood of Miami dry cleaners, according to Rep. María Elvira Salazar.

The Coral Gables Republican joined House Small Business Committee Republicans in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan sounding alarms on a potential Perchloroethylene (PCE) ban. While the EPA wants to give manufacturers a 10-year period to phase out PCE products, GOP leaders say the impacts on small businesses could be immediate.

“Our small businesses are suffering from overregulation, and the Biden Administration seems to not understand the pain,” Salazar said.

She said dry cleaners, in particular, represent a historic part of the Miami business community. The ban would impact cleaning products with PCE, adding costs to business when inflation and supply line issues already provide enough challenges.

“I’m proud to join my colleagues on the House Small Business Committee to demand answers for President Biden’s unruly EPA policies that are hurting Mom-and-Pop dry cleaners in Miami. Our federal agencies need to recognize how their regulations affect Main Street America.”

On this day

July 7, 1947 — “Military recovers remains of flying disc” via Roswell Army Air Field news release — The many rumors regarding the flying disc became a reality yesterday when the intelligence office of the 509th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, Roswell Army Air Field, was fortunate enough to gain possession of a disc through the cooperation of one of the local ranchers and the sheriff’s office of Chaves County. The flying object landed on a ranch near Roswell sometime last week. Not having phone facilities, the rancher stored the disc until he could contact the sheriff’s office, who notified Maj. Jesse A. Marcel of the 509th Bomb Group Intelligence Office.

July 7, 1981 — “Sandra Day O’Connor nominated to Supreme Court” via History.com — President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor, an Arizona court of appeals judge, to be the first woman Supreme Court justice in U.S. history. The Senate unanimously approved her appointment to the nation’s highest court, and Chief Justice Warren Burger swore her in. O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1930. She grew up on her family’s cattle ranch in southeastern Arizona and attended Stanford University, where she studied economics. A legal dispute over her family’s ranch stirred her interest in law, and in 1950 she enrolled in Stanford Law School.

Happy birthday

Best wishes to Rep. Brian Mast, who turns 43 on Monday, July 10.

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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 A.G. Gancarski.