Delegation for 12.17.24: Taxman — Mills — Coast Guard — MacDill — Bay of Pigs

Tax relief signed

Tax relief is on the way for many Floridians still recovering from this year’s heavy hurricane season after President Joe Biden signed a measure championed by Florida’s congressional delegation members.

The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act (HR 5863) will allow individuals in federally declared disaster areas to claim disaster-related losses without having to itemize deductions. It also makes settlements tax-free.

“After years of fighting, I am incredibly proud to see the passage of meaningful tax relief for families who faced devastation and loss from Hurricanes Ian, Idalia, Helene, Milton and other disasters in recent years,” said Sen. Rick Scott, a Naples Republican.

“For too long, families have been left waiting. My Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act becoming law will finally start getting families in Florida, Puerto Rico and folks across the nation the tax relief they need and deserve after suffering losses from these devastating storms. I want to thank everyone who supported the legislation and the president for quickly signing it into law to bring relief as soon as possible.”

Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican, pushed for the bill’s passage in the House, including forcing the legislation to the floor through a discharge petition. The legislation includes specific relief for victims of Hurricanes Ian, Nicole, Idalia, Helene, Debby, and Milton. Several of those storms impacted his Southwest Florida district directly.

“The devastation caused by disasters doesn’t stop at state borders or political lines — it affects every Floridian and every American. This bipartisan effort delivers relief to communities across the nation, whether they’re recovering from a hurricane, wildfire or another tragedy,” Steube said.

“For Florida, where we’ve faced the brunt of multiple hurricanes in recent years, this law means real help for families and businesses working to rebuild. I will never stop fighting for Floridians and ensuring our communities come back stronger and more resilient than ever.”

The legislation applies to those living in any natural disaster area, as well as to those impacted by a high-profile train derailment in Palestine, Ohio, and to many affected by widespread wildfires in the West.

“This is a victory for every American who has faced the devastating toll of a natural disaster,” Steube said. “From Florida to California, disasters don’t discriminate by state or party. This bipartisan legislation is a testament to what we can achieve when we work together to prioritize the needs of the American people. After two years of fighting for this relief, this law will help families rebuild their lives and recover with fewer financial barriers.”

The legislation passed by voice vote in the Senate and 382-7 vote in the House, with every Florida Representative supporting it.

Shadow cast

The House Ethics Committee will review a complaint against Rep. Cory Mills. However, the bipartisan body provided few details on the impetus of the accusation.

A statement from the Committee released late Monday said it “has extended the matter” involving Mills. The short statement said the action involved an issue transmitted to the Committee on Aug. 29.

“The Committee will announce its course of action in this matter following its organizational meeting and adoption of Committee Rules in the 119th Congress.”

Mills won re-election to a second term in November over Democrat Jennifer Adams. He also defeated Republican Primary challenger Michael Johnson on Aug. 20, before the Ethics Committee received any information about the matter.

According to Mills, the Ethics Committee issued the release after a political opponent complained to the Office of Congressional Ethics.

“No ‘investigation’ is open or has been opened,” he said in a statement to Florida Politics. “This is a mandatory response letter to an outside entity which is not government-affiliated (OCE). The letter is very clear, and no investigation is or has been opened for a filed complaint by my former Primary opponent.”

Johnson notably endorsed Adams after the Primary loss, questioning Mills’ character at the time.

Coast Guard deauthorized?

The passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) gave plenty of lawmakers reason to celebrate policy wins. But Rep. Daniel Webster also lamented a branch of the military left drifting by ongoing negotiations.

The House originally included the Coast Guard Authorization Act, sponsored by Webster, as part of its version of the NDAA. But that language didn’t make it out of negotiation with the Senate.

“I’m incredibly disappointed that our bipartisan Coast Guard Authorization Act was left out of this NDAA,” Webster said. “The United States Coast Guard plays a vital role in safeguarding our maritime borders, ports and waterways, combating drug trafficking and responding to natural disasters. As the Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, I will continue working with my colleagues to provide the resources the Coast Guard needs to fulfill their mission.”

Webster’s version of the authorization provided additional air and sea assets for the Coast Guard, including two Fast Response Cutters, two Offshore Patrol Cutters, a Polar Security Cutter, two missionized HC-130J aircraft and an MH-60T Jayhawk aircraft.

Last week, the Senate unveiled legislation specifically focused on the Coast Guard. The legislation prioritizes additional personnel funding.

MacDill wins

According to Rep. Kathy Castor, the NDAA does include money for service members at MacDill Air Force Base. The Tampa Democrat, who co-chairs the House Special Forces Caucus, said she fought to fund Special Operations Command, headquartered in her district.

“I am particularly proud to have championed parts of the defense bill that benefit the service members and families at MacDill Air Force Base, including pay raises and critical improvements to on-base housing, health care and child care,” she said.

The legislation includes a 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% pay bump for all other service members.

“This well-earned pay raise will provide meaningful relief to service members and their families,” she said. “Additionally, the NDAA increases the Basic Needs Allowance, helping military families better manage grocery and housing costs.”

Bay of Pigs veteran

For the first time since Rep. Laurel Lee’s 2022 election to Congress, the Thonotosassa Republican has named a Veteran of the Year living within Florida’s 15th Congressional District. The honor went to retired Army Col. Orlando Rodriguez, a Cuban-born veteran who participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion as part of the famed Brigade 2506.

“Colonel Rodriguez’s service and leadership have left a remarkable legacy on our community and nation,” Lee said. “His impressive background coupled with his undeniable admiration and dedication for our great nation make him a deserving recipient of Florida’s 15th District’s Veteran of the Year award.”

Brigade 2506 was made up of Cuban exiles and led a CIA-sponsored attack against Fidel Castro’s government in 1961. However, most participants were captured as the U.S. withheld official military support. Private support resulted in the release of prisoners. Rodrigues returned to the U.S. in 1963 and served as a Green Beret. He later advised Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

In the military, he earned the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Legion of Merit and two Bronze Stars, making him one of the Army’s most decorated Hispanic soldiers.

Lee called Rodriguez a hero.

“His commitment to service, the spirit of excellence, and dedication to supporting fellow veterans are apparent,” she said. “We are forever indebted to American heroes like Col. Rodriguez, and I am honored to present him with this recognition.”

Investigating FEMA

Rep. Byron Donalds, a member of the House Oversight Committee, wants a complete investigation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) “botched” response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The Naples Republican said there has been an insufficient accounting of resources deployed and residents of storm-struck areas deserve a timeline and road map for when relief will become available.

“If you live in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee, then you know how unnecessarily complicated and overly bureaucratic the FEMA portal is,” Donalds said. “FEMA should be in the business of helping Americans, not denying coverage over red tape.”

Donalds led a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell that heavily criticized the storm response, saying the agency had failed to “meet people where they are.”

The letter did not refer to a scandal in Florida in which some FEMA workers skipped a number of houses with Trump signs in their yards. The initiative, which Donalds plans to lead with Rep. Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina Republican, will look further at the lack of efficiency in the response. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, a Palm Harbor Republican, co-signed the letter.

“Indeed, at meetings or briefings provided by FEMA, there is plentiful information about how much funding FEMA has sent out the door, how many volunteers have been activated, and how well coordination between other government agencies is perceived,” the letter reads.
“However, when our offices become quickly overwhelmed with requests for Congressional Assistance to access aid, it is evident that FEMA has failed to provide the basic information to get disaster survivors back on their feet. FEMA needs to ‘minimize bureaucracy and make it easier for people to gain access to’ programs offered as quickly as possible.”

State largesse

As Rep. Brian Mast prepares to take over as House Foreign Affairs Chair, the Stuart Republican released a report on “the ideological and unaccountable way” the State Department issued grants under Biden.

“For the entirety of the Biden-Harris administration, bleeding heart liberals at the State Department have played politics with foreign assistance,” Mast said. “From drag shows in Ecuador to expanding atheism in Nepal to teaching basket weaving in Afghanistan, the State Department is not putting America First. It would’ve been better if they just lit the money on fire instead.”

Over the last two years, Mast chaired the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability.

He said the investigation found the Global Engagement Center routinely giving money to organizations trying to censor free speech by Americans and said the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration funded groups that enabled the trafficking of undocumented individuals across the southern border.

Mast confronted Secretary of State Antony Blinken over spending in Afghanistan when there is not an operating embassy under U.S. control.

Democratic appointment?

Rep. Jared Moskowitz is reportedly a leading candidate to lead FEMA under Trump.

The sophomore federal lawmaker, who headed up Florida’s Division of Emergency Management during the pandemic under Gov. Ron DeSantis, is a “top contender” for the job, CNN senior reporter Steve Contorno reported.

Moskowitz, 43, worked for nearly a decade at AshBritt, a Deerfield Beach-based emergency management company, before accepting the Governor’s appointment in January 2019.

He held the state job for two and a half years, earning the nickname “Master of Disaster.” Florida Politics contacted Moskowitz and his acting communications director, Keith Nagy, for comments but received no response by press time.

Of note, Moskowitz has also been rumored as a candidate for Governor in 2026. Should he vacate his seat for a job in the Trump administration, that would reduce the Democratic caucus to 214 members in the upcoming Congress.

Beg your pardon

Biden issued a record number of clemencies and pardons in a single day last week. Rep. Frederica Wilson called it a good start.

“Today’s announcement from President Biden is a powerful reminder that justice includes compassion and the opportunity for redemption,” Wilson said on Thursday.

“By granting clemency to nearly 1,500 individuals and pardoning 39 non-violent offenders, he’s reaffirming America’s commitment to second chances and fairness. These decisions honor the progress made by those who’ve worked to rebuild their lives and contribute to their communities. I thank President Biden for his action today, but our work isn’t done yet.”

She called for another wave of pardons for non-violent offenders.

“President Biden still has a little over a month left in office, and I hope he uses that time to build on today’s decision by pardoning more non-violent offenders and more deserving folks who have turned their lives around,” she said. “This especially includes Black men who have disproportionately suffered from mass incarceration for non-violent offenses. By extending clemency to more deserving individuals, he can further solidify his legacy of compassion and justice in his final days in office.”

She also sent a letter to Biden earlier this month specifically seeking two pardons for Florida individuals who completed sentences and have become pillars of the community. Those include Desmond Meade, a co-founder of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, and Michael Keiser, a philanthropist supporting Mercy Ships.

Meade served time in the 1980s for grand larceny; around the same time, he was dishonorably discharged from the military and fighting drug addiction. He has since become a Florida civil rights leader and had his state civil rights restored. Keister pleaded guilty to a drug charge in 1989. He’s better known in South Florida now for supporting addiction counseling and funding medical missions to Haiti and Africa. He received a pardon on state charges from former Gov. Lawton Chiles.

Chokepoint

Legislation focused on destroying a fentanyl pipeline from South America into the U.S. has made its way through Congress.

In September, Rep. María Elvira Salazar introduced the Destruction Initiative for Stored Precursors Overseas and Safe Enforcement (DISPOSE) Act (HR 9172). The language was ultimately added to the NDAA, now headed to Biden’s desk.

“The fentanyl crisis is destroying American communities, and Miami is no stranger to the dangers these drugs pose,” the Coral Gables Republican said. “Thank you to House Republican Leadership for prioritizing my DISPOSE Act in the NDAA. This bill will save American lives and rob cartels and criminals of a major source of income.”

Salazar crafted the bipartisan bill with Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat. Castro serves as Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, which Salazar chairs.

The legislation calls for the U.S. to establish fentanyl and precursor chemical destruction facilities in Mexico, Colombia and Peru to serve as choke points in a drug trafficking supply chain.

“The deadly fentanyl trade is an international crisis that demands full attention from Congress,” said Castro, adding he was proud to partner with Salazar on the issue.

On this day

Dec. 17, 1944 — “U.S. rescinds internment of Japanese Americans” via POLITICO — As World War II was moving toward an end with an Allied victory, Major Gen. Henry C. Pratt issued Public Proclamation No. 21, declaring that, effective Jan. 2, 1945, Japanese American “evacuees” from the West Coast could return to their homes. Pratt was commanding general of the Western Defense Command, based at the Presidio in San Francisco. Pratt’s order meant that for the more than 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, two-thirds of whom were American citizens, their wartime internment in “relocation” camps would soon be over.

Dec. 17, 2014 — “Sony drops ‘The Interview’ following terrorist threats” via The New York Times — Sony Pictures Entertainment dropped plans for its Christmas Day release of “The Interview,” a movie that depicts the assassination of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after receiving a terror threat against theaters. Before that, the four largest theater chains in the United States said they would not show the movie, which has been at the center of a devastating hacking attack on Sony over the last several weeks. In a statement, Sony said: “We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theatergoers.”

Happy birthday

Best wishes to Reps. Jared Moskowitz and Bill Posey, who respectively turn 44 and 77 on Wednesday, Dec. 18.

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