Delegation for 8.22.23: Reef madness — heat index — fair judge — passports

US Capital in Washington,DC.

Reef madness

As scientists sound alarms on the global impacts of coral bleaching, members of Florida’s congressional delegation are banding together to demand solutions.

Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, both Republicans, co-led a bicameral letter with Rep. Darren Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat, urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to employ emergency measures to save the reefs.

“Florida’s coral barrier reef is an irreplaceable resource which must be preserved and protected from this coral bleaching event,” reads the letter to NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad. “We ask that you use the resources and authorities available to you in a timely manner.”

Bleaching has impacted coral reefs in Florida in the past, but events have become more frequent and long-lasting. Bleaching that began in July alarmed scientists less than a decade after a similar event lasted three years.

The day after lawmakers sent the letter, NOAA scientists held a press call to voice fears that the latest bleaching could kick off a global event. According to CNBC, similar events in recent months started throughout the Western Hemisphere — in Atlantic waters off the coasts of Belize, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, as well as in the Pacific in Columbia, Costa Rica and El Salvador. Mexico and Panama scientists found bleaching in both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

“If we compare what is happening right now to what happened in the beginning of past global bleaching events, things are worse now than they were in 2014 to 2017,” said Derek Manzello, NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program coordinator, according to WUSF. “So, Florida is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Lawmakers wrote to NOAA that the federal government must take the environmental problem seriously.

“The Florida Reef Tract is the third-largest coral barrier reef in the world, offering critical ecological, economic, and ecosystem service benefits to South Florida,” the letter to NOAA reads. “The reef is a haven for biologically diverse wildlife, including endangered species, an economic engine for Florida’s tourism economy, and a natural defense for our coastal communities against hurricanes and storm surges. In recent weeks, the Florida Reef Tract has suffered from a severe marine heat wave leading to coral bleaching, further stressing this crucial ecological resource which has already been in decline for decades.”

Signing the letter was Republican Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Neal Dunn, Scott Franklin, Carlos Giménez, Anna Paulina Luna, John Rutherford and María Elvira Salazar, as well as Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Jared Moskowitz, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson.

Florida lawmakers successfully pushed last year for Congress to enact the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act, a bill championed by Rubio in the Senate and Soto in the House. The legislation provided NOAA with resources and tools for coral reef health emergencies. Now, officials want those powers used. That includes directing funds to the Florida Reef Tract, accessing dollars in the National Ocean and Coastal Security Fund, and coordinating with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to leverage more support.

Miami heat

Rubio and Scott also came together to pressure the Veterans Affairs Administration on the state of Florida’s medical facilities. The Republican Senators said Florida’s seven VA medical centers and dozens of clinics serve 1.5 million veterans.

Yet, patients have trouble finding consistent, quality care.

A letter to VA Secretary Denis McDonough demands answers on stoppages in surgery and even just keeping hospitals air-conditioned.

“Last week, the Miami VA stopped all elective surgeries due to AC maintenance. Not only does this interrupt veterans’ care, but it presents an unsafe working environment for the medical staff at the facility, including nurses reporting mold,” the letter reads.

“Miami VA has been using portable AC units, and veterans and hospital employees continue to complain about the uncomfortable heat inside the building. Unfortunately, this is not a one-off event, as similar issues have previously occurred that led to the relocation of veteran patients due to dangerous heat. It is being reported that it will take three months to reopen the closed floors in the hospital, causing prolonged disruption to care for veterans.”

While Miami VA struggles with A/C, the Senators note that both the Bay Pines VA in Pinellas County and the West Palm Beach VA in Palm Beach County received one-star ratings in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services annual Overall Quality Star Ratings.

“We trust the VA is actively working to amend the issues that affect nearly 230,000 veterans between the three facilities,” the letter reads. “Specifically, we expect a swift and lasting solution to the AC issues at the Miami VA to ensure that this does not continue to impede the delivery of care to Florida’s veterans.”

The Senators are seeking swift answers to several questions about maintenance and quality of care at the three beleaguered hospitals and the entire system’s state.

Seeking a return

A former Florida congressional delegation member wants Scott’s seat in the upper chamber.

Former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell announced she’s running for Senate. The Miami Democrat ended months of speculation as she launched her first statewide campaign.

“My mother brought me to this country so we could live in a nation with opportunities for all and where it doesn’t matter who you are, everyone has a chance to make it,” said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, an Ecuadorian American who emigrated to the U.S. as a teenager.

Mucarsel-Powell unseated Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo in 2018, a couple of years before being defeated by then-Miami-Dade Mayor Giménez. But the fact she won her seat the same year Scott narrowly won his seat in the Senate made her a sought-after candidate.

Mucarsel-Powell enters an existing Democratic field, where former congressional candidate Phil Ehr has already launched a campaign and former Rep. Alan Grayson has a campaign account open. But she jumped into the race a day after state House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell announced she would sit out the federal race and seek re-election to the state Legislature.

Showing for shipyards

Scott toured shipyards in Jacksonville, where he visited with leaders from Naval Station Mayport, the Jacksonville Area Ship Repair Association and BAE Systems Shipyard. The Naples Republican said keeping the Mayport military facility open and the ship repair industry vital in Florida was critical.

“Florida’s military and supporting industries, like the ship repair yards we saw today, play a critical role in protecting our national security and are a big part of communities like Jacksonville,” he said. “I was proud to have this opportunity to personally thank the brave men and women serving our nation, their families for the sacrifices they make to protect our freedoms and the hardworking shipyard workers.

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I’m fighting hard in Washington to make sure our brave service members and the communities supporting their mission, like the shipyard workers we met today, have everything they need to succeed. We delivered on that again in this year’s NDAA, but I’m not done fighting to make sure Florida’s military presence remains strong. I’m proud to represent the hardworking Florida families and make Washington work for them as they work hard every day to protect the American Dream.”

J6 Bias

Rep. Matt Gaetz wants Congress to censure the judge overseeing proceedings as charges advance against President Donald Trump in a Washington federal court.

The Fort Walton Beach Republican — and Trump loyalist — said that Judge Tanya Chutkan had demonstrated bias in the Trump case and in charges brought against participants in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

He filed a resolution condemning the judge for a series of statements in court.

“It is deeply concerning that a United States District Court judge would exhibit such blatant political bias from the bench,” Gaetz said. “Judge Tanya Chutkan’s extreme sentencing of Jan. 6 defendants, while openly supporting the violent Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, showcases a complete disregard for her duty of impartiality and the rule of law. Justice may be blind, but the American people are not — we see Judge Chutkan for her actions, and we rebuke them in the greatest possible sense.”

The resolution takes issue with a remark during a hearing for Matthew Mazzacco, an Olympic gold medalist who pleaded guilty to illegally demonstrating inside the Capitol. Chutkan rejected comparisons in court between the insurrection and Black Lives Matter protests.

“People gathered all over the country last year to protest the violent murder by the police of an unarmed man,” Chutkan said in the hearing.

“To compare the actions of people protesting, mostly peacefully, for civil rights, to those of a violent mob seeking to overthrow the lawfully elected government is a false equivalency and ignores a very real danger that the Jan. 6 riot posed to the foundation of our democracy.”

Gaetz characterized that as a “bizarre rant” in the resolution and said it raises concerns about whether she can fairly adjudicate. He also attacks the judge for donating money to former President Barack Obama’s campaign before the Democrat appointed her to the federal bench.

Wake zone

A proposal to limit vessel speed along much of the Gulf of Mexico has lawmakers increasingly incensed.

Dunn, a Panama City Republican, co-introduced legislation this week to prevent the plan from sailing forward.

He filed The Gulf of Mexico Commerce Protection Act with Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican, which would prevent enforcement of any vessel slowdown rule until after a study on the impacts to supply chains and Congress has reviewed the findings.

“Florida’s maritime activities are vitally important to our state’s economy and support thousands of jobs. Much of the Gulf of Mexico, especially my district, would fall under the 10-knot rule,” Dunn said. “This nonsensical and catastrophic rule would slow down transportation and devastate the seafood industry. I’m proud to join Rep. Higgins in this effort to protect the Gulf Coast’s economy.”

Higgins said the Democratic administration has seemed unmoved by commercial arguments against a slowdown.

“By allowing partisan politics to dictate the future of our country’s economic prosperity, we’re setting ourselves up for massive failure,” he said.

The Florida Ports Council came out in favor of the bill. The advocacy group said Florida’s 16 seaports contribute $117.6 billion yearly to the state’s economy. Forcing vessels to travel at only 10 knots along much of the state’s west coast could devastate business.

“Americans have not forgotten how the West Coast supply chain debacle of 2021 left shelves empty, medical supplies limited, and even threatened to cancel Christmas. Florida played an outsized role in resolving that crisis by encouraging ships to change lanes and sail to Florida seaports. Yet, NOAAs restrictive proposed rule will have the effect of putting America back in a supply chain crisis,” said Mike Rubin, Florida Ports Council president and CEO.

Scott has also vocally opposed the rule. Indeed, the Senator’s re-election campaign has started selling boat flags showing a picture of a boat with an American flag and the words “Come & Take It.”

Gas blast

Republican-funded billboards will greet drivers in Soto’s district, suggesting they remember gas prices when they vote.

With the gas price in Florida nearing $4 a gallon, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) launched a campaign blasting 21 Democratic Representatives in vulnerable seats. That includes Florida’s 9th Congressional District, which Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat, represents.

“Rising gas prices are a fresh gut punch to millions of Americans already struggling under Bidenomics,” said NRCC Communications Director Jack Pandol. “Every trip to the pump is a reminder that extreme House Democrats put their radical war on American energy ahead of working families’ wallets.”

According to AAA, gas prices in Orange County sit around 3.812 per gallon and about 3.801 a gallon in Osceola County. The billboards will feature the Congressman’s face, with bold type across it.

“Gas prices are out of control,” the ad reads. “Extremist Darren Soto is making it worse.”

Along with other inflation and rising costs, Republicans see a chance to deploy economic conditions against House Democrats during a presidential year when President Joe Biden stands for re-election.

Billboards will appear near gas stations in Soto’s district. In addition to the sign campaign, NRCC launched a digital advertising campaign with similar messaging targeting voters in the district.

Republicans notably haven’t backed a candidate yet to challenge Soto. But the purchase shows House Republicans see a chance to flip the Central Florida seat from blue to red.

Soto won election over Republican Scotty Moore in November, securing a fourth term in the U.S. House in a closer-than-expected contest. The Democratic incumbent won 53.6% of the vote, the lowest tally of any incumbent in Florida’s congressional delegation last year.

Hot mail

Castor said 3,000 U.S. Postal Service workers in her district need a break from the tropical blaze. The Tampa Democrat sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Tampa Bay postmasters calling for mail trucks equipped with air conditioning.

She said the problem could be solved with a new fleet of electric vehicles, delivering a way to save the earth and beat the heat.

“The Tampa Bay region and its residents just lived through the hottest July on record and have already experienced multiple heat advisories in August with no end in sight,” Castor wrote. “The heat index regularly exceeds 100 degrees due to oppressive humidity. I am very concerned with the impact of heat stress on my neighbors who work outside, including our Letter Carriers. Every corner of our community relies on consistent delivery from the USPS, and we must provide safe working environments, including air-conditioned vehicles, for Letter Carriers.”

Castor previously chaired the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis and noted the environmental threat of gas-powered mail trucks pumping exhaust into the air. She said the matter is urgent as a new Teamsters-UPS North American contract calls for safer work conditions. But Congress provided a means to a solution, approving $3 billion through the Inflation Reduction Act to electrify the postal fleet. Why not start in humid Florida?

“This investment will help USPS adopt a modernization plan to roll out 66,000 electric delivery vehicles and tens of thousands of charging stations through 2028, with a target of acquiring only EVs after 2026,” she wrote. “USPS has announced its priority to provide carriers and communities with safer, more efficient vehicles that feature air conditioning and advanced safety technology more suited to modern-day operations. I urge you to speed these modern vehicles to the Tampa Bay region.”

Where’s Kerry?

Who does John Kerry work for these days? Rep. Brian Mast would like to know.

The Stuart Republican, as Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, held a hearing last month. There he raised questions about the former Secretary of State’s place in the current administration as Climate Czar, a position Biden announced shortly after his inauguration.

Now, he has taken to his official blog to question precisely what oversight exists over the administration official. Mast said if Congress can’t figure out how Kerry even runs his office, it will be virtually impossible for members of the public to figure an executive chart out.

“No one seemed to know definitively whether Kerry reports to President Biden or Secretary of State (Antony) Blinken. No one seemed to know clearly who works in the office and reports to Kerry,” Mast wrote. “No one would disclose exactly how the tax dollars were used to fund that office. No one could give Congress a straight answer.”

Passports to tomorrow

As delays in obtaining passports persist, Salazar said it’s time Congress took a fresh look at the process for approving them.

She introduced the Passport Modernization Act, which would update online portal systems and reallocate State Department staff to handling requests.

“Hundreds of my constituents contact my office every day with the same issue — it takes way too long to get a new passport,” Salazar said. “This bill will bring these wait times down immediately by hiring new staff, modernizing our system, and getting the State Department back on track.”

The bipartisan legislation was co-sponsored by four Democrats and six Republicans, including Reps. Cory Mills and Daniel Webster.

If passed, the legislation would provide for a special hiring authority to oversee passports and visas for the next three years, require quarterly reports to Congress on wait times and delays, and require modernization of the online application system. It would also require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a report on National Passport Information Centers operations across the country, including 566 scattered throughout Florida.

On this day

Aug. 22, 1972 — “War foes harass GOP delegates in Miami Beach” via The New York Times — Republican delegates entering their convention hall were harassed by a crowd of more than 3,000 anti-war demonstrators, many with their faces painted to represent death masks, who chanted, cursed, jostled and sometimes beat on their cars. No delegate or visitor to the convention was reported injured. However, U.S. Sen. James L. Buckley, a conservative Republican from New York, was chased by a crowd of angry demonstrators. The demonstration was the climax of a day that saw a mob of protesters smash windows on Collins Avenue and a march of anti-war veterans to the Fontainebleau Hotel, the headquarters of the Republican National Convention.

Aug. 22, 1990 — “George H.W. Bush orders mobilization of military reserves” via The Washington Post — President Bush ordered the first mobilization of U.S. military reserves in 20 years and declared the call-up “essential to completing our mission” of thwarting Iraqi aggression in the Persian Gulf. In a news conference at his summer home, the President repeatedly sought to reassure Americans that “we are not in this alone.” Despite Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s effort to portray the Gulf crisis as a confrontation between his country and the United States, “it is between Iraq and the entire world community,” Bush said.

Happy birthday

Best wishes to Rep. Scott Franklin, who turns 59 on Wednesday, Aug. 23.

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