Delegation for 9.20.24: Bolivar — Iran away — spaced — ferry funds — droning on

The U.S. Capitol on a sunny morning, April 27, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

BOLIVAR builds momentum

Florida lawmakers continue to push for sanctions on Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, with a bipartisan legislative package moving in the House this week.

On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee advanced the Banning Operations and Leases with Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act (HR 825), legislation introduced by Reps. Michael Waltz, a St. Augustine Republican, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat.

The legislation recognizes Simón Bolivar, the 19th-century general who led the fight for Venezuela and other nations’ independence from Spain.

“Venezuela is in crisis due to the authoritarian rule and Marxist policies of Nicolás Maduro,” Waltz said. “The regime has tampered with the recent presidential election, falsely declaring victory. As we speak, thousands of Venezuelans have been arrested for speaking out against this injustice and the legitimate President-elect of Venezuela has been exiled to Spain. The United States must demonstrate solidarity with the brave democratic opposition in Venezuela as they try to chart a new way forward, and we should deny the Maduro regime any resources it can use to continue its oppression of the Venezuelan people and cause such disruption in the entire hemisphere.”

While the bill was first filed in February 2023, it has received growing interest over the last year. That started in January when President Joe Biden lifted economic sanctions on oil and gold mined by corporations connected to the Venezuelan government. First instituted by former President Donald Trump, Biden lifted the sanctions when Maduro agreed to call and hold free and fair elections in Venezuela.

Biden snapped many sanctions back into place after the Venezuelan government barred Maria Corina Machado, the winner of an opposition Primary, from the ballot. After Maduro declared himself the winner of a July election, despite all available tallies indicating that Edmundo González won, the U.S. recognized González as the rightful victor and imposed fresh sanctions on a dozen Maduro allies.

Members of Florida’s delegation have uniformly criticized the Maduro regime. Waltz and Wasserman Schultz have offered different assessments of the Biden administration’s handling of Latin American affairs, with the Republican saying Biden tried to “appease” the regime while the Democrat called the diplomatic tactics “forceful.”

Florida lawmakers are aligned on the need for sanctions. The BOLIVAR Act applies a similar prohibition on contracts between any federal government entity and Venezuela as currently exists at the Pentagon. The legislation contains waivers for any contractors providing humanitarian or disaster relief.

“Doing business with a criminal and murderous Maduro regime will only prolong the pain inflicted on the Venezuelan people,” Wasserman Schultz said. “American taxpayer money should never further the reign of this narco-terrorist, directly or indirectly. Banning U.S. government agency contracts with anyone who does business with Maduro will stifle his support network and send another clear message that America will not tolerate this oppressive government or a leader who subverts his people and steals an election.”

America’s relationship with Venezuela has been a hot topic in Florida, with good reason. The Pew Research Center’s most recent data shows that the Venezuelan diaspora in the U.S. grew nearly sixfold between 2000 and 2021. And of the roughly 640,000 Venezuelans and Venezuelan Americans living in the U.S., about 47% reside in Florida.

The House Oversight Committee vote put the legislation one step closer to House passage. The Senate will still need to consider it, but the upper chamber unanimously approved identical legislation in the last Congress.

Iran so far away

Congress passed significant sanctions on Iran this year, but Sen. Marco Rubio said the Biden administration has failed to enforce them.

The Miami Republican led a letter to Biden demanding economic consequences for Iran as the nation finances terrorism in Israel, the U.S. and other partners in the region.

The letter was co-signed by other chief sponsors of the Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability (MAHSA) Act and the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act, both of which Biden signed this year. Those include Sen. Jim Risch, an Idaho Republican, and Republican Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Mike Lawler of New York.

“We urge you to follow the law and promptly make sanctions determinations, impose appropriate sanctions, and report to Congress what determinations have been made and which sanctions have been imposed,” the letter reads.

“No amount of appeasement to the Iranian regime will quell its unacceptable conduct. Only by exerting maximum pressure on members of the Iranian regime and connected individuals can we hope to stem this behavior.”

The letter also suggests that Iran has continued to send increasing amounts of fuel to adversaries, including China while continuing human rights violations.

“In the month after the election of the supposedly ‘moderate’ Masoud Pezeshkian as President, Iranian authorities executed 87 people,” the letter states. “This continues the regime’s draconian response to ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ protests sparked by the execution of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by Iran’s morality police.”

Calling security

Following an assassination plot against Republican presidential nominee Trump in Florida, Sen. Rick Scott filed legislation that would boost Secret Service protections around candidates.

The Protect Our Presidents Act would require the same level of protection for presidential nominees as exists for a sitting President. This would enhance security for both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

“Over the course of just 65 days, two deranged individuals have tried to kill President Donald Trump, and one was able to shoot him in the head,” Scott said, alluding to a shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, which resulted in the death of a rally attendee and injury of Trump before the Secret Service killed 20-year-old shooter Thomas Crooks.

“It is unthinkable that this could happen in America today, and it demands the immediate action of Congress. Today, I am leading 12 of my Republican colleagues to introduce the Protect Our Presidents Act which mandates that the USSS provide the same level of protective services to presidential nominees that it affords to sitting presidents.”

Rubio was among the co-sponsors. “The past two assassination attempts on President Trump have been alarming,” he said. “It is clear safeguards are needed to ensure presidential nominees are safe from violence.”

The Secret Service this week announced it plans to step up protection for both candidates in the run-up to the election, even if that means reallocating staff assigned to Biden, according to The Washington Post. Both major candidates have higher Secret Service-level protections than many nominees — Trump as a former President and Harris as a Vice President — but the typical staffing around them is different from that for a sitting President.

“President Trump has great officers and agents working around the clock to keep him safe, but it’s clear that the vile rhetoric on the left toward President Trump has made him a target and more resources are required to ensure the safety of him and his family,” Scott said. “I urge Senate Democrats to join Republicans to quickly pass this bill that will support the protection of President Trump and all future presidential nominees.”

Space waves

Legislation streamlining the process for commercial space launches just blasted out of Congress to the President’s desk.

Reps. Neal Dunn, a Panama City Republican, and Darren Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat, have championed the Launch Communications Act (HR 682) since last year. The Act would eliminate restrictions on private companies using spectrum communications when launching rockets and other spacecraft from U.S. spaceports, including from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.

“America has always led the world in space exploration and innovation. However, current regulations are holding us back from unlocking the next chapter in commercial space development,” Dunn said.

“The Launch Communications Act will streamline the launch authorization process for commercial flights and allow the United States to continue being a world leader in space travel. I am pleased that the Launch Communications Act passed (by) the House will soon be signed into law and urge the President to do so without delay.”

Private space companies must obtain special licenses to communicate over airwaves at spaceports every time a launch is scheduled. Those have become increasingly burdensome as private businesses conduct more launches.

“In Central Florida, the busiest spaceport in the world is right in our backyard at Cape Canaveral. Last year, we hit a record with 72 orbital missions, and over 100 are expected this year,” Soto noted. “We’ve often seen these launches stack up due to bad weather or other factors. This is why having a lengthy FCC license process for each launch can be cumbersome and costly. I’m proud of our efforts to streamline the process and ensure our spaceports remain the most efficient in the world.”

The House initially passed a bill in July 2023. The Senate passed its own version in November, which just came up for another House vote this week. It now heads to the Oval Office to await action by Biden.

REINS Act revisited

Rep. Kat Cammack unveiled updates to a legislative package intended to check federal overreach and scale back the nation’s regulatory environment this week. The Gainesville Republican joined Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, in announcing a new version of the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act.

“Nameless, faceless, unelected bureaucrats in Washington have had too much power over the American people for far too long,” Cammack said. “The federal bureaucracy’s rapid growth over the last several decades has resulted in serious damage to the livelihoods of millions of Americans with reckless rule-making not approved by the body granted Article I authority.”

The original legislation, which passed in the House last year but hasn’t been heard in the Senate, required Congress to consider and sign any major rules announced by federal agencies before administrations can enforce them.

The updated bill grants legal defenses to individuals who sue over new rules that never earned congressional approval. It establishes a process for evaluating the economic impact of rules and clarifies that agencies won’t need Congress to act to withdraw burdensome regulations.

“The REINS Act is a critical step toward ‘reining’ in this unchecked power and restoring the lawmaking authority to Congress instead of the executive branch,” Cammack said. “With SCOTUS’ Loper Bright decision earlier this year, we’ve made solid progress in dismantling Chevron, and I’m encouraged for the future of REINS and what it will mean in stopping executive overreach.”

Ferry godfathers

An expansion of the St. Johns River Ferry Service will be fueled in part by a $15.6 million federal grant. Republican Reps. Aaron Bean of Fernandina Beach and John Rutherford of Jacksonville announced the funding from the Federal Transit Administration.

“Here in Northeast Florida, our ferry system is a critical part of our transportation network connecting residents to their jobs and families,” Bean said. “As ridership continues to grow, I’m proud to have helped secure this $15.6 million grant to ensure that JTA can provide reliable ferry service without disruptions across the St. Johns River. In Congress, I’ll continue to support solutions that make transit more affordable and efficient for all Floridians.”

Rutherford said the funding would be critical to helping establish more multimodal transportation options in one of Florida’s largest metropolitan areas.

“The St. Johns Ferry serves as an indispensable connector for Florida’s State Road A1A,” Rutherford said. “Repairs and maintenance to the one vessel currently running back and forth across the St. Johns River, however, means unnecessary delays and closures for Northeast Floridians who rely on this service daily. That’s why I was proud to help secure a grant from the Federal Transit Administration for an additional ferry to prevent disruptions in this essential service and to ensure our piece of Florida’s iconic thoroughfare remains connected.”

Jacksonville Transportation Authority officials said the funding would help improve critical connections.

“The St. Johns River Ferry is an iconic mode of transportation for Northeast Florida, providing important connectivity for the Ft. George Island and Mayport areas,” said JTA CEO Nathaniel P. Ford. “This investment by the U.S. Department of Transportation toward an additional, environmentally sustainable vessel means we can provide more reliable and efficient mobility to our community. We thank our congressional delegation and all stakeholders for their continuous support of the St. Johns River Ferry and the JTA.”

Computer ports

Hackers and viruses potentially dock and log in at Florida’s ports every day, but Rep. Daniel Webster filed a bill this week that aims to improve cybersecurity at every major harbor in the country.

The Clermont Republican, who chairs the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, introduced bipartisan legislation with Ranking Democratic Rep. Salud Carbajal, of California. The Protecting Investments in Our Ports Act would require specific precautions when equipment prone to cybersecurity threats is purchased or employed at maritime ports.

“The threats posed by (introducing) new software and digital infrastructure continue to be a huge concern of mine,” Webster said. “We must ensure that ports continue to keep cybersecurity vulnerabilities in mind to insulate their operations against any potential attacks by those wishing to disrupt our supply chains. This legislation is an important step in doing just that.”

Sens. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and Gary Peters, the Democratic Chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced a Senate companion.

Modern health care

Two measures championed by Rep. Gus Bilirakis passed the House with a clean bill of health.

The Leveraging Integrity and Verification of Eligibility for (LIVE) Beneficiaries Act (HR 8084) cleared the House and now awaits action in the Senate. They would require states to check the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File database each quarter to ensure that dead Medicaid patients aren’t still on rolls.

“As we work to ensure the long-term solvency of critical safety net programs, we have an obligation to ensure we are serving as good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Bilirakis, a Palm Harbor Republican.

“This means we must always prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. By implementing simple safeguards like the ones in my bill, we can strengthen these programs and help ensure they are meeting their intended purpose of providing access to quality care for our most vulnerable citizens.”

A recent Health and Human Services Department Inspector General report showed that some $249 million in wrong payments to deceased enrollees were made in 14 states.

The House also passed the Expanding Language Access in Telehealth Act, which would establish clearer guidelines for Medicare beneficiaries seeking video- or audio-based care.

“We’ve seen in recent years how valuable telehealth can be for expanding access to critical behavioral health treatment,” Bilirakis said.

“However, it has become apparent that some seniors need additional support in order to fully utilize this tool in an effective manner. It is not enough to simply provide access to treatment, which is why our bill goes a step further and ensures that providers and patients receive the training and support they need to take full advantage of this essential tool.”

Can you hear me now?

The explosion of thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah fighters and leaders, part of an attack widely credited to the Israeli military, reportedly left the Lebanon-based group in disarray. Now, Rep. Greg Steube wants the U.S. to make clear that the Lebanese government should not help the terrorist network rebuild.

The Sarasota Republican filed the Preventing Armed Groups from Engaging in Radicalism (PAGER) Act, which would limit aid to the Middle Eastern government.

“We cannot, in good conscience, continue sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to Lebanon when they are complicit in empowering a terrorist organization whose primary mission is to destroy America and Israel,” Steube said.

“Hezbollah is propped up by the Iranian regime, and responsible for countless attacks against our ally Israel and responsible for killing hundreds of Americans during the horrific attacks on our Beirut Marine Barracks and our U.S. Embassy in 1983.”

He said current conflicts should prompt Congress to consider his proposed sanctions.

“For two years I filed an amendment to the annual State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill to eliminate funding to the Lebanese Armed Forces, as the money goes to Hezbollah. Republicans and Democrats continue to vote it down,” he said.

“Every dollar funneled to Lebanon is another resource aiding Hezbollah’s operations, undermining regional stability, and threatening Israel’s security. My legislation ensures our foreign assistance aligns with American interests in the region and our foreign policies don’t indirectly harm our ally, Israel. No U.S. taxpayer dollars should ever get into the hands of Hezbollah.”

Drones or spies?

China made most drones in American skies. The House just passed a measure introduced by Rep. Byron Donalds to ensure each buzzing device can’t act as a mini spy balloon.

“Chinese drones account for 90% of the U.S. drone market and data stored from these drones may be subject to CCP surveillance,” Donalds posted on X. “This is wrong. This jeopardizes national security. This hurts our economy. And we need action.”

The Naples Republican filed language calling for an analysis of all Chinese Communist Party-associated drones in the U.S. National Airspace System. The measure passed as an amendment to the Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act (HR 1398), which cleared the House on a 237-180 bipartisan vote.

Defending X overseas

Delegation members representing South Florida want the State Department to crack down on foreign Justices who ruled that the government there can block X in Brazil.

Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Giménez, both Miami-Dade Republicans, sent a letter with Scott and two other House members asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken to revoke visas for Brazilian Supreme Court Justices to authorize the censoring of the American social media platform. The letter names lead Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

“Justice de Moraes has a well-documented history of curbing free speech, particularly against individuals and groups with conservative political views. His latest actions represent a culmination of a broader pattern of judicial overreach,” the letter states. “We respectfully urge you to deny any application for U.S. visas or admission to the United States, including revoking any existing visas, for Justice Alexandre de Moraes and the other members of the Brazilian Supreme Court complicit in these undemocratic practices.”

The Brazilian court on Aug. 30 approved a government ban on the app and imposed a fine of nearly $9,000 a day for any internet provider caught allowing the use of the website in the country. Brazil also froze financial accounts for Starlink, a satellite communications company also owned by Elon Musk.

“The repercussions of Brazil’s current trajectory extend far beyond its borders,” the letter reads. “If a nation as influential as Brazil can effectively muzzle dissent and control political discourse through judicial fiat, it could inspire similar undemocratic practices across Latin America.”

On this day

Sept. 20, 2011 — “‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repealed” via History.com — The federal government repealed a law that allowed gay people to serve in the Armed Forces only if they kept their sexual orientation secret. “As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love,” said President Barack Obama. Service members discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” were allowed to reenlist. Former President Bill Clinton had announced his intention to end the military’s long-standing ban on gay people serving. But in a compromise, he supported a measure under which gay service members could remain in the military if they did not openly declare their orientation.

Sept. 20, 2001 — “George W. Bush declares ‘Global War on Terror’” via the George W. Bush Presidential Library — After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, President Bush announced a comprehensive plan to seek out and stop terrorists around the world. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were part of the war on terror; the term was also used to describe diplomatic, financial and other actions taken to deny financing or safe harbor to terrorists. Bush demanded the Taliban stop harboring members of al-Qaida. “Our war on terror begins with al-Qaida, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated,” he said.

___

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