Delegation for 1.16.24: And they’re off — boxed in — Hamas hostages — electrified — West Point

US Capital in Washington,DC.

So, it begins

According to an old political saying, there are two tickets out of Iowa.

If that’s true, Caucusgoers gave both to Florida candidates — former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Trump, as expected, cruised through the caucus as the far-and-away victor. Unofficial final results showed that more than 50% of the caucus votes went his way. During a speech in Des Moines, he asserted that the results show it’s time to pull the party together and focus on the General Election.

“I really think this is time now for everybody, our country, to come together,” he said. “We want to come together, whether it’s Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative; it would be so nice if we could come together and straighten out the world, straighten out the problems and straighten out all the death and destruction that we’re witnessing.”

That seemed to signal a desire by Trump to focus on the incumbent administration and defeating President Joe Biden.

Throughout the day, several members of Florida’s congressional delegation took to stages around Iowa, rallying support for Trump. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Naples Republican, and Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican, streamed video from inside caucus sites as they pitched the former President as the best choice to represent the GOP this year. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Michael Waltz also posted pictures of themselves on the trail.

All attended a victory party to hear Trump’s first speech after securing delegates in this year’s contest.

Meanwhile, there was a tough fight for the second-place slot, but a Sunshine State resident also won. DeSantis edged former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in a battle for relevance.

“You helped us get a ticket punched out of the Hawkeye State,” DeSantis said shortly after networks called his finish.

The win was critical for the Florida Governor. The nomination fight now heads to New Hampshire, where the nation’s first Primary will be Jan. 23. While Haley and DeSantis ran neck-and-neck in Iowa heading into the Monday caucuses, she has consistently led the polls in the Granite State. She had hoped to top DeSantis in Iowa and New Hampshire before heading to South Carolina.

DeSantis besting Haley gives him at least some momentum heading to the Northeast and a new chance to catch her there. But the other read of the Iowa results is that he came in roughly 30 percentage points behind Trump.

The field immediately winnowed following the contest. Iowa’s fourth-place finisher, Vivek Ramaswamy, folded his campaign once the results became clear. He announced he would endorse Trump instead. Before caucuses even convened, other significant players like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had thrown in the towel.

By month’s end, it could be time for candidates to assess the likely path forward and how far it may extend. It’s unclear whether the race will still be on when Florida holds its Presidential Primary March 19. But for now, the leaders in delegate counts both come from Florida candidates, and the number still vying for the nomination dwindles by the day.

Sucker punch

A decision by USA Boxing regarding transgender athletes has U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio coming out swinging.

The Miami Republican sent a letter to USA Boxing Executive Director Mike McAtee questioning a decision to let boxers assigned male at birth to compete in women’s events.

“Allowing men to hit women is reprehensible, even under the guise of athletic competition,” Rubio said. “It is behavior no civilized country would tolerate, much less encourage. Civilized countries enforce special prohibitions on violence against women because there are differences between men and women that make men more capable of violence.”

USA Boxing announced in January it will allow trans boxers to compete based on their gender identity, but only if they have completed gender confirmation surgery. The change also does not apply to minors.

LGBTQ advocates notably have been critical of the changes not going far enough, noting many sports allow prepubescent athletes to compete based on identity even if they don’t allow adults to do so.

But Rubio said other sports have shown the problems allow trans athletes to compete in women’s sports.

“Mixed-martial artist Fallon Fox, a man who claims to be a woman, knocked out three women in the ring,” he said. “One of her opponents reportedly was hospitalized with a fractured eye socket and needed seven staples in her skull. Biological men have also competed unfairly against women in sports like powerlifting, swimming, and cycling, but it is especially egregious that they are allowed to compete against women in combat sports, where losing can mean serious blunt force trauma.”

Too long a wait?

With Hamas now holding hostages in Israel for more than 100 days, Sen. Rick Scott slammed the Biden administration for doing too little.

“It is unbelievable and infuriating that an American President has allowed U.S. citizens to be held hostage by savage Iran-backed Hamas terrorists for 100 days,” the Naples Republican said.

“These innocent Americans and the others held hostage in Gaza should have been safely reunited with their families months ago. President Biden’s unprecedented weakness has denied them that freedom while he continues to funnel American tax dollars to the Palestinian Authority, which is paying terrorists and sending money to Gaza, which only helps Hamas.”

Scott has kept a poster at his Washington office showing pictures of detained hostages. He also shared a video sent to him of a memorial at the site of the Nova Music Festival, where Hamas killed several attendees.

“These Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and brutally beheaded babies, burned people alive, raped and murdered young women and are STILL holding Americans hostage,” Scott said. “Biden needs to show strength NOW. These families have spent far too many days separated from their loved ones and today marks a somber milestone. Enough is enough.”

Charged up

Congress has passed legislation introduced by Rubio that could nullify an administration decision regarding electric car chargers. The Biden administration had previously waived a rule that manufacturers of products only use American-made parts.

In November, the Senate narrowly passed the resolution (SJR 38) in a 50-48 vote, supported mainly by Republicans, including Rubio and Scott.

“The bottom line is this: if we’re going to spend $5 billion of taxpayer money to build electric vehicle charging stations for the United States, it should be made by Americans in America using American products,” Rubio said.

The House took up the legislation and passed it last week in a 209-198 vote that again went largely along party lines. All Florida Republicans who voted supported the action, while all Florida Democrats opposed it. Republican Rep. Cory Mills and Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson missed the vote.

Rep. Bill Posey, a Rockledge Republican, said if the Biden administration wants to sell the push for electrification as a way to create U.S. jobs, Congress should hold him to it.

“One of the major points the Biden administration used to sell their $550 billion infrastructure bill was that its Made in America provisions will further spur investment in the United States and help shore up our supply chain,” Posey said.

“It is disappointing to see the Biden administration is now trying to ditch those requirements and use billions of American taxpayer dollars to support Chinese and other foreign products, making us more dependent on adversaries for our energy needs.”

An investment of more than $7 billion in creating a national charging station network was part of Biden’s infrastructure package.

Bean bags border policy

In a speech on the House floor, Rep. Aaron Bean accused Biden of prioritizing vacation time over border security. The Fernandina Beach Republican gave an independent monologue on immigration Friday.

“Can you guess how many times President Biden has visited the border in 2023 compared to how many days he went on vacation? One versus 138!” Bean said.

“Maybe if President Biden spent more time at the border, he would understand the chaos his policies have created. This is my first term in Congress, and I’ve just returned from my second trip to the border. What I saw was illegal immigrants walking across our border and then being chauffeured to the processing center where they are given free bus and airline tickets to cities across America.”

To watch Bean’s speech, please click the image below:

 

The conversation occurred as budget negotiations between the Republican-controlled House and the White House and Democratic Senate have frozen on immigration. Speaker Mike Johnson announced over the weekend he would not consider a bipartisan border deal negotiated by Republican and Democratic Senators. He signaled he may be unable to agree with the administration.

The Biden administration said the obstruction has only prevented any strategy for controlling the border from going into effect. “House Republicans have obstructed his reform proposal and consistently voted against his unprecedented border security funding year after year,” read a statement from White House representative Andrew Bates reported in The Hill.

But Bean said that’s deflection.

“In typical fashion, President Biden has attempted to shift blame for the influx of illegal migration to his favorite political targets: House Republicans,” Bean said. “But here’s the truth. It was President Biden who ended the Remain in Mexico policy. It was President Biden who ended Title 42. It was President Biden who instructed CBP agents to cut the razor wire at the border.”

Back the black

Secret Service leaders deserve a raise, according to Rep. John Rutherford. The Jacksonville Republican just filed legislation to boost pay and benefits for the agents with the rank of Chief or Assistant Chief.

“As a former Sheriff, I know firsthand how critical it is to recruit and retain the best officers,” Rutherford said. “This bill invests in executive training and leadership within the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division, which will help the Secret Service maintain their leadership talent. I am proud to partner with Ranking Member (Bennie) Thompson in this effort to ensure the men and women defending our nation’s leaders are best equipped to do their job.”

The Investing in Uniformed Division Leadership Act (HR 6955) was introduced with Rep. Thompson, ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee.

“The Secret Service Uniformed Division Chief and Assistant Chief are experienced leaders in charge of a law enforcement staff of over 1,700 officers,” said Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat. “They are critical to our homeland security and their positions clearly belong in the Senior Executive Service. I thank Congressman Rutherford for introducing this bipartisan bill and look forward to it being taken up by the House soon.”

West Point banter

In a terse exchange with West Point Academy leadership, Waltz pressed on whether a push for racial diversity effectively indoctrinates the military with Marxism.

At a House Oversight Committee, Waltz questioned retired Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule on the meaning of “equity” in its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at military academies. Seidule previously served as the department head at West Point, and Waltz alleged the school was forcing controversial topics like critical race theory on cadets.

At one point, Walts pointed to charts on the racial makeup of the student body.

“This is from the Superintendent, and here are the goals. It has African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women with percentages. We have ‘red’ here for when they missed those goals,” Waltz said.

“Some athletes are there,” Seidule responded, “and the largest number of people that are recruited at West Point are athletes at 25%.”

“When you say your directive is to advance one group based on the skin color, you have to take those slots from another group based on their skin color. It’s a zero-sum,” Waltz replied. “The athletes get broken down by their skin color in this chart that you just said doesn’t exist.”

He also called equity focused on equal outcomes a Marxist concept and said critical race theory was behind the push for DEI in any academia.

Seidule defended West Point and stressed that learning different philosophies was a hallmark of higher education.

“Congressman, the great thing about education is you can get a variety of different perspectives,” he said. “It is not training, which is what some of my colleagues have talked about. I am talking about education. You want to hear the broadest representation of every viewpoint.”

Saving standards

The House’s proposed budget would set conservation standards on various appliances. But Rep. Kathy Castor said the House and Senate appropriators can stop such a move.

The Tampa Democrat co-led a letter to House and Senate Appropriations leadership urging them to stop the gutting of energy efficiency advances. The letter, which Castor led alongside Democratic Reps. Debbie Dingell of Michigan and Doris Matsui of California, was signed by 49 House members.

The letter says the House-passed version of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act would give the Department of Energy (DOE) authority to set energy conservation standards.

“When the House of Representatives enters conference negotiations with our counterparts in the Senate on fiscal year 2024 appropriations, these provisions should not be part of the final agreement,” it reads.

“With initial standards enacted in 1987, national energy and water efficiency standards ensure that technological innovations that improve efficiency and save consumers and businesses money show up in the everyday products we rely on to keep our food cold, clean our clothes, stay warm when it’s cold out, cool when it’s hot out and much, much more. Federal law requires DOE to periodically review existing product standards to determine whether an update that would save a significant amount of energy or water would be technologically feasible and economically justified. By ensuring that standards are up-to-date, we can save money and energy while also ensuring that consumers have a wide range of top-performing choices that suit them.”

Reps. Darren Soto and Wilson co-signed the letter.

Houthis assessment

A decision by the Biden administration to open fire on Houthi ships near Yemen generated a divide in Congress. But among Florida Republicans, the general attitude seems to be that the President should step up pressure on the Iran-backed group.

Rep. Brian Mast co-led a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for Houthis to be redesignated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The Stuart Republican penned the message with Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat.

“Targeting commercial shipping vessels in retaliation for Israel acting in self-defense after one the deadliest days for the Jewish people since the Holocaust clearly falls within this definition of terrorism. Their actions pose a significant threat to the safety and security of maritime activities in the region,” the letter reads.

“Since Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, the Houthis have openly declared their unwavering support for Hamas and its barbaric acts against Israelis. Utilizing ballistic missiles, drones, and even hijacking vessels by boarding them from a helicopter, the Houthis are actively attacking ships they believe are destined for Israel.”

Biden lifted the prior FTO designation shortly after taking office in 2021 but has reportedly considered redesigning the group recently. Reps. Jared Moskowitz, a Parkland Democrat, and Waltz, a St. Augustine Beach Republican, separately called on the administration to reconsider the decision in November.

But Gaetz has been among those uninterested in escalating conflict with another group in the region. He trashed Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, for backing up Biden’s attacks. “Breaking News: Lindsey Graham supports another war in the Middle East,” he posted online.

Tip to Taiwan

Leaders of the bipartisan Congressional Taiwan Caucus, including Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, cheered democratic election results in the East Asian nation.

Díaz-Balart, a Hialeah Republican, introduced a resolution last week with Reps. Andy Barr, a Kentucky Republican, Ami Bera, a California Democrat, and Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, to commend the Taiwanese government for holding elections.

“The United States and Taiwan share core values, including a commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law,” Díaz-Balart said.

“The robust relationship between the U.S. and Taiwan is key to our national security, benefits the global community and is critical to prosperity in the region. As Taiwan faces growing threats to its democracy and security from Communist China, this resolution reaffirms our unwavering commitment to Taiwan.”

Days later, the caucus Co-Chairs joined again, releasing a joint statement congratulating presidential election winner Lai Ching-te.

“In the face of escalating threats to Taiwan’s democracy and security, it is imperative that the United States remains steadfast in support of the people of Taiwan and our shared commitment to democratic values,” the statement reads.

“It is an honor to serve as Co-Chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus and to celebrate yet another vibrant display of Taiwan’s thriving democracy. We look forward to working with President-elect Lai Ching-te to strengthen the U.S.-Taiwan relationship.”

On this day

Jan. 16, 1919 — “Prohibition ratified by the states” via History.com — The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” was ratified by the requisite number of states. The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for total national abstinence. Nine months after Prohibition’s ratification, Congress passed the Volstead Act, or National Prohibition Act, over President Woodrow Wilson’s veto.

Jan. 16, 2001 — “Theodore Roosevelt, Black Civil War hero awarded Medal of Honor” via CNN — President Bill Clinton posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to a pair of distinguished veterans of 19th-century wars, as he recalled the battlefield exploits of famed former President and “Rough Rider” Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson Smith, a Black Union soldier previously unrecognized for his service. Smith, a formerly enslaved person, was part of the 55th Massachusetts Voluntary Infantry, a Black regiment that fought in the Civil War. Taking part in Gen. William Sherman’s famed “March to Sea” through South Carolina in 1864, Smith played a leading role in the Battle of Honey Hill by saving the regimental flags after the color-bearer was killed.

Happy birthday

Best wishes to Reps. Maxwell Frost and Carlos Giménez, who respectively turn 27 and 70 on Wednesday, Jan. 17.

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