Delegation for 10.1.24: Back to work — Helene help — government funding — spiny

The U.S. Capitol building reflected in a water body, divided into red and blue hues, symbolizing political balance and contrast.

Return to Washington

After spending most of September in Washington, many delegation members returned home this week to storm-stuck communities. After Hurricane Helene devastated Florida’s Gulf Coast and the Southeastern U.S., several lawmakers are eager to return to work in Washington.

Florida lawmakers from both sides of the aisle asked the Senate and House leadership to call Congress back to Washington to ensure the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has proper resources.

Sen. Rick Scott said Congress must convene to replenish funding for FEMA and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

“While I know from my experience with previous hurricanes that FEMA and SBA damage assessments take time, I am today urging Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to immediately reconvene the U.S. Senate when those assessments are completed so that we can pass the clean supplemental disaster funding bill and other disaster relief legislation, like my Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act, needed to ensure the full recovery of families in all impacted communities,” the Naples Republican said.

Yet, sources close to House leadership told Axios it’s unlikely the chamber will call members back to Washington, and that leadership believes President Joe Biden can access any resources he needs.

However, Biden said he may still require Congress to act. On Monday, Biden said he may have to call lawmakers into Session to pass a supplemental funding package addressing the storm. “This is a historic storm,” he said. “It’s devastating. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The President declined to estimate what level of funding may be needed. Rep. Jared Moskowitz said he’s ready to figure that out. The Parkland Democrat previously served as Florida’s Director of Emergency Management and said it’s clear more federal aid will be needed.

“I stand ready to return to Washington to immediately ensure FEMA has the resources to help the communities devastated by Hurricane Helene,” Moskowitz said.

“Thank you to President Biden for sending all available resources to the impacted states. Congress should have been proactive on this issue. As the only former emergency management director in Congress, I have been sounding the alarm for months that this would be a problem if we just left for recess without properly funding FEMA during the height of hurricane season. Congress must show that it can still deliver for the American people in their hour of greatest need. So, let’s get back to work and pass a bipartisan, long-term solution with no poison pills or politicking involved.”

When Congress reached a budget deal to fund the government through the November election, it did not include any stopgap FEMA funding. Florida Democrats pointed to a POLITICO report that said Scott did not want to include disaster funding in the deal, in contrast with Sen. Marco Rubio, who did.

“Floridians desperately need disaster relief funding to rebuild from Helene, but Rick Scott chose to put politics over people,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

Scott did not end up voting on the budget deal. He left Washington early for briefings in the Big Bend ahead of Helene’s landfall. Since landfall, Scott toured ravaged areas of the Florida Gulf Coast. However, with the clear potential that lawmakers will be back in Washington, he noted that a substantial part of the country remains in need of relief.

“News reports of the devastation in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and other communities impacted by Hurricane Helene are also devastating,” he said. “Floridians are resilient, but the response and recovery from this storm demands the full and immediate support of the government at every level to get families and businesses back to normal.”

Coordinating FEMA efforts

Rubio clarified that he wanted the federal government to provide an appropriate response but also stressed that the states would handle the most immediate needs of residents.

“As far as the resources … primarily it’s a state obligation,” the Miami Republican said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press. “If the state needs anything to give to local communities, that’s where FEMA comes in. And then we’re hoping to get a major declaration here today from the White House. That will open up individual assistance to more counties so that people who have been displaced and have nowhere to live will qualify at the individual level for assistance in the short term. At the same time, they get their lives back together.”

Biden indeed issued that declaration the same day.

Some lawmakers are still pushing for additional resources to be made available. Rep. Kat Cammack, a Gainesville Republican, posted a video online saying she wants Category A assistance from FEMA available for Alachua, Hamilton, Gilchrist and Columbia counties.

“We do know that the White House did not include in the individual assistance Category A declaration,” she noted. “We were on the phone with the White House this morning, and we’re working to rectify that.”

Counties already on the Category A list include Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor and Wakulla counties.

Hurricane shutdown?

Meanwhile, a vote on whether to fund the government immediately prompted public debate in arguably Florida’s hottest congressional contest this election cycle.

Democratic candidate Whitney Fox slammed Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna for voting against funding the government as a storm threatened Florida. But the St. Petersburg Republican’s campaign said now is the time for rebuilding, not attacks.

Fox, the Democratic nominee in Florida’s 13th Congressional District, slammed Luna’s vote last Wednesday against a budget that will keep the federal government operating through the November election.

Luna was among 82 Republicans in the GOP-controlled House who voted against the deal with the Democratic Senate; 11 dissenting votes came from Florida lawmakers.

“Let that sink in,” Fox said in a video statement. “As the worst storm in our lifetime was hours away, Luna couldn’t set aside her partisan games for even a moment. She voted to delay critical FEMA aid and emergency support when we would need it most. This isn’t leadership — it’s a catastrophic failure. We need a Representative who will fight for us, not against us. I’ll always put Pinellas first, not politics.”

Luna, whose office has been dealing with storm response since before the system reached shore, dismissed the attack as a politically motivated smear at a sensitive time in the community. She also said the attack was misinformed, as FEMA offers essential government services, and would likely not be affected by a temporary government shutdown.

“Whitney Fox is clueless as to how FEMA works and, as your outlet pointed out, was fundraising during the hurricane while the barrier islands were destroyed and 11 people were tragically killed,” Olivia Carson, Luna’s Campaign Manager, told Florida Politics.

“Congresswoman Luna does not have time to play make-believe with someone down in the polls and doing nothing for our residents. Rep. Luna will be in the field until all residents have been cared for.”

Spinal tap

Florida’s congressional delegation remained engaged on plenty of non-storm-related policy matters well.

Last week, Rubio filed a resolution with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, designating September as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. The goal was to raise awareness of treatments, therapies and potential cures for such damage.

“The Senate commends the dedication of national, regional, and local organizations, researchers, doctors, volunteers, and people across the United States who are working to improve the quality of life for individuals living with spinal cord injuries,” the resolution reads.

Murder plots?

Are five different assassination teams currently operating in the U.S. who want to kill Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump? Rep. Matt Gaetz said he has been told as much. The Fort Walton Beach Republican, in an interview with Newsmax, discussed his knowledge of details involving Iran-connected plots.

“I had a (Department of Homeland Security) official in my office saying you had a Pakistan-linked team, you had a Ukraine-linked team, you had an Iran-linked team, and you had two that emerged in the United States,” Gaetz said.

Homeland Security officials have declined to discuss the report.

Rep. Ami Bera, a California Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, criticized Gaetz for leaking information to a national media outlet instead of the Committee.

Bera told Raw Story that Gaetz should ask “Congress to have a classified briefing or come into the Intelligence Committee.”

Gaetz said he was ready to do just that, so he sent Bera a letter to clarify that.

“I accept your invitation to brief you and the Committee on information I received about the threat teams targeting former President Trump,” Gaetz said. “I would also be pleased to bring with me my General Counsel, who was also present at the briefings I had. Please let me know when and where I should arrive.”

Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, declined to discuss the allegations with Raw Story and could only confirm publicly available information about Iran’s involvement in an assassination plot against Trump.

Teacher pipeline clogged

According to Rep. Aaron Bean, a teacher shortage in Florida demands Congress’ attention. The Fernandina Beach Republican, who chairs the House Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, held a hearing last week on preparing a new generation of teachers and suggested the matter is especially urgent as teachers in classrooms now look for the exits.

“America’s teacher preparation pipeline is struggling,” Bean said in the hearing’s opening remarks.

“And I’ll be blunt: the numbers are alarming. Eighty-six percent of public schools reported difficulties hiring teachers for the 2023-2024 school year. Between 2020 and 2022, 16% of teachers left their schools. Teachers feel disheartened, and only 20% say they are very satisfied with their jobs. Just 16% would recommend the profession to others. With that said, it should be very apparent that these aren’t just statistics — they’re a flashing red light on the dashboard of our education system.”

He suggested the financial barriers to teacher education and certification were a part of the problem.

“But it’s not just about getting teachers into the classroom — it’s about keeping them there,” Bean said. “The reality is that too many teachers leave the profession because they don’t feel supported and valued. We need to rethink the way we structure the teaching profession. Innovative programs like Arizona State University’s Next Education Workforce are doing just that. By reimagining the traditional model of one teacher, one classroom, new approaches can provide teachers and students room to flourish.”

He said other innovative teaching models deserved to be exported nationwide. Above all, he said allowing new structures could help inspire teachers and ensure their flourishing.

Standing with labor

In August, Brightline workers started on the track to unionization. On Monday, every Democrat representing Florida in Congress made clear that they stand with those employees and their right to organize.

On Monday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic co-Chair of the delegation, expressed solidarity on behalf of all eight Florida Democrats in the House.

“Since 1926, the Railway Labor Act has protected rail workers and their right to form a union and collective bargain — a core principle we all unequivocally support,” Wasserman wrote.

“With the news of employees working onboard Brightline trains from Miami to Orlando seeking to organize with the Transport Workers Union (TWU), we reaffirm and publicly support the right and ability to organize with the National Mediation Board as intended under the Railway Labor Act. We know union workers built the middle class and support critical industries across the state of Florida and the country. We all look forward to continuing to work with and fight for the workers and unions that keep Florida’s economy moving and growing — which is why we strongly support workers’ right to organize and collectively bargain.”

That statement was notably issued as International Longshoremen’s Association union members prepared to walk off the job. Tuesday marked the start of a strike by longshoremen across the country, including at Florida’s ports.

What’s the plan?

A war in Ukraine has now gone on for more than two and a half years. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart said he wants to know the U.S. strategy regarding American involvement.

The Hialeah Republican serves as House State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Subcommittee Chair.

Díaz-Balart, along with House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Ken Calvert, House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers, and House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner, sent a letter calling for the release of a plan.

“The Biden-Harris administration must immediately release an unclassified version of its strategy for how U.S. and allied assistance will hasten a Ukrainian victory in Russia’s war of aggression,” the statement reads.

“After submitting the strategy months after the congressionally mandated deadline, the decision to fully classify it is unacceptable and defies critical provisions that House Republicans fought to enact as part of the National Security Supplemental and the FY24 spending bills.”

Notably, the statement made clear that the group stands with Ukraine, but details about how to achieve victory in the lengthy conflict must be forthcoming.

“Given the vital U.S. interests at stake in Ukraine defeating Putin’s invading forces, all of Congress and the American people deserve to understand how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent,” the statement reads.

Flushing fentanyl

As fentanyl gets trafficked across North America, Rep. María Elvira Salazar wants it not only seized but destroyed.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee last week advanced a bill the Coral Gables Republican has championed calling for the U.S. to work with international partners on ensuring that happens before the drugs come into the U.S.

Salazar previously introduced the Destruction Initiative for Stored Precursors Overseas and Safe Enforcement (DISPOSE) Act (HR 9172) with Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat.

“The fentanyl crisis has become a scourge of the Western Hemisphere,” Salazar said. “By passing the DISPOSE Act, the Foreign Affairs Committee is committing to working with our partners to destroy fentanyl precursor chemicals well before they reach Miami and the rest of the country.”

The bill would call for a step-up in seizures in beneficiary companies, address a backlog of chemicals waiting to be destroyed, free up storage space in other nations, and seek out environmentally safe ways to dispose of the products.

Crane security

When Rep. Carlos Giménez served as Mayor of Miami-Dade County, he helped oversee operations at Port Miami. Now, the Republican lawmaker has pushed to protect it from hostile nations.

This week, the House Homeland Security Committee advanced Giménez’s Identifying Adversarial Threats at Our Ports Act (HR 3169). The bill follows up on the work of a China Select Committee on which Giménez sits. It would require crane inspections in U.S. ports and maritime security enhancements.

“This critical piece of legislation will safeguard our maritime infrastructure from adversaries seeking to exploit vulnerabilities in our ports,” Giménez said in Committee.

“Our maritime ports are the lifeblood of America’s economy and vital to our national security. Our ports are essential to our military’s ability to respond to threats and project power overseas. Foreign actors, particularly Communist China, have systematically positioned themselves to infiltrate our port technology and equipment, such as ship-to-shore cranes.”

On this day

Oct. 1, 1907 — “The Panic of 1907” via the Federal Reserve History — The first worldwide financial crisis of the 20th century transformed a recession into a contraction surpassed in severity only by the Great Depression. It spurred the monetary reform movement that led to the establishment of the Federal Reserve System. The central role of New York City trust companies distinguishes the Panic of 1907. Trust companies, including New York Stock Exchange brokers, lent large sums directly in New York equity markets. Trusts did not require collateral for these loans, which had to be repaid by the end of the business day.

Oct. 1, 1992 — “Ross Perot reenters presidential race” via The New York Times — Perot jumped back into the race for the presidency, instantly creating new risks, opportunities, and uncertainties for Gov. Bill Clinton and President George Bush in the final 33 days before Election Day. Perot, who bolted from the race in July, asserted he was reactivating his independent campaign at the plea of his supporters. “I thought that both political parties would address the problems that face the nation,” he said. “We gave them a chance. They didn’t do it.” Despite polls showing his support vastly diminished, Perot dismissed the notion that he could function only as a spoiler or was motivated by animosity toward Bush.

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Ed. Note — We can all help in one way or another with recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene’s destruction. If you want to lend a hand (or make a generous donation), there are many ways to do so; check out Florida Politics’ list of great nonprofits that need your help now. Thank you, and stay safe.

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