Delegation for 5.16.25: Big beautiful bill — taxing — moon shot — blacklist — librarian

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Endurance test

Marathon markups kept House members busy as a “Big Beautiful Bill” enacting tax, budget and border policies materialized.

Efforts included a 16-and-a-half-hour meeting with the Energy and Commerce Committee, during which Florida lawmakers from both sides of the aisle took significant stances of support or resistance to the legislation.

“For me, this has been 37 hours of straight Committee markup while six months pregnant with baby Peanut (mamas and mamas-to-be are tough as nails!),” posted Rep. Kat Cammack, a Gainesville Republican, with one of several video updates. “Definitely not complaining — I love the deliberative, ‘regular order’ process and giving Americans a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening in their nation’s capital.”

For some members, the process was about stopping a policy shift under President Donald Trump that focused on cuts instead of services. In opening remarks for the meeting, Rep. Darren Soto showed pictures of children on Medicaid as the House considers budget cuts to the popular program. He compared Republican leadership to Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” but only in this real-life tale could it leave millions of Tiny Tims without health care.

“Of course, this is not some fairy tale,” the Kissimmee Democrat said. “In real life, back in my district, in Florida’s Ninth, these are the kids from McCoy Elementary. Half the kids in my district are on Medicaid; they’re on KidCare. It’s a wildly popular program. You can’t cut $715 billion from Medicaid, and then not have this affect our kids.”

Republicans objected to the characterization and said the plan will simply accelerate the elimination of wasteful spending without necessitating anyone’s removal from the rolls.

But Rep. Kathy Castor trashed plans to gut care for 14 million Americans. She said this would cost America more in the long run than it would save.

“They’re going to add $5 trillion to the debt. It’s fiscally irresponsible and it is morally wrong. Now, at the outset of our hearing that began over 24 hours ago, Democrats highlighted folks back home who rely on Medicaid and the Republicans protested. They said none of those people are going to lose their health care,” the Tampa Democrat said.

“Well, here’s what we know. The nonpartisan, independent CBO (Congressional Budget Office) says 14 million Americans will lose care. And why won’t people believe what the Republicans are saying? It’s because the Republicans have a track record of opposing affordable health care, while Democrats have championed the health of our neighbors.”

But beyond the broader debate, members also fought for the inclusion of policies. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, a Palm Harbor Republican, came out of the process happy after four initiatives from his office made it into the Committee’s final version. That included language mandating quarterly audits of state spending to ensure only living patients take advantage of the plan. He pointed at an audit showing at least $249 million in payments for benefits to those already deceased.

“I’m proud of the common sense approach we’ve put forth to achieve significant savings while preserving benefits and access to care for our most vulnerable individuals. We have a responsibility to ensure taxpayer dollars are used wisely and that includes protecting access to health care for low-income children, seniors, pregnant women, and those with disabilities,” Bilirakis said.

“Despite the fearmongering rhetoric from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle throughout the hearing, these critical populations will not see any change to their health care under our bill. Instead, we will disallow duplicative reimbursement, payments for deceased individuals and coverage for illegal aliens. In doing so, we will strengthen and preserve Medicaid for generations to come while helping to restore fiscal responsibility.”

Tax talks

The House Ways and Means Committee went through a mere 17 hours in markup. In the process, Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Longboat Key Republican, successfully pushed for the bill to make permanent tax cuts passed in Trump’s first term. Buchanan, in 2017, was among House members leading the charge on the business-focused cuts.

“Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee delivered on our promise to the American people. The bill we advanced in Committee restores economic prosperity by providing permanent tax relief to working families, small businesses and seniors. For over 17 hours, Democrats pushed for the largest tax hike in American history, putting illegals over American citizens and special interests over small businesses. We fought back and put America and Americans first,” Buchanan said.

“Our bill secures tax relief for millions of Floridians and local businesses. Over 70,000 families in my district will benefit from the increased child tax credit, and tens of thousands of seniors in my district will receive an additional $4,000 deduction. Our bill also increases the small business deduction from 20% to 23% to provide relief for nearly 100,000 small businesses in my district and more than 30 million small businesses across the country. Republicans are putting everyday Americans first.”

No Florida Democrats serve on that Committee, but Rep. Richard Neal, the ranking Democrat there, accused Republicans of “doubling down on the same failed playbook, one that rigs the system for billionaires and big corporations, while everyone else pays the price.”

But Republicans said taxpayers would enjoy the benefits of codifying tax cuts.

“I have been fighting tirelessly for working families, small businesses, and seniors to keep more of their hard-earned money, not less — and that’s exactly what this bill delivers. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime pay, tax relief for our seniors, and expanding the child tax credit. In addition, I have championed expanding the use of health savings accounts, increasing the standard deduction that benefits all Northeast Florida families, and expanding educational opportunities by creating a tax credit for students to attend private schools,” said Rep. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican.

“By extending and expanding successful provisions within the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we are laying the foundation for an economy that works for everyone, not just today, but for generations to come. I look forward to getting this America First bill to the President’s desk.”

Blacklisting China

Across the Capitol, Senators this week focused on foreign and domestic policy. Sen. Rick Scott introduced legislation in the upper chamber calling for Congress to blacklist China’s Institute of Forensic Science.

The Naples Republican’s Confronting CCP Human Rights Abusers Act would put the Institute, which is run by the Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of Public Security, back on the Commerce Department’s list of entities with troubling human rights records.

“The Chinese Communist Party’s Institute of Forensic Science plays a key role in the regime’s surveillance state, directly enabling mass internment, forced labor and high-tech oppression of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities,” Scott said.

“This lab has actively supported the CCP’s campaign of genocide through biometric data harvesting and forensic tracking and rightly earned its spot on the Entity List years ago. Reinstating it on the Entity List is a critical move to stop American technology from aiding Communist China’s crimes. I am thankful for President Trump, who took decisive action in his first term against this and for standing up for American values and security, unlike (former President Joe) Biden, who caved to empty promises from Xi Jinping.”

To the moon

Sen. Ashley Moody met with Jared Isaacman, Trump’s nominee for NASA Administrator. The newly appointed center noted online that the meeting took place in her office, which once belonged to former President John F. Kennedy during his tenure in the Senate.

“I’m leading efforts to relocate NASA HQ to Florida’s Space Coast, home of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center,” the Plant City Republican posted. “It just so happens my new Senate office used to belong to the Space Center’s namesake: JFK!”

Isaacman, a SpaceX astronaut, would be the first NASA Administrator to have flown missions to space with a private company. According to Space Policy Online, his nomination has already advanced from the Senate Commerce Committee on a 19-9 vote and now awaits a vote on the floor.

This week, Trump also nominated Matt Anderson, a Space Force Association executive and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University alum, as Deputy NASA Administrator under Isaacman.

Visitation rights

After members of Congress were threatened with arrest in a visit to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey, House Democrats, including Rep. Maxwell Frost, sent a harsh letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, reminding her of the legislative branch’s oversight powers.

The Orlando Democrat sent a letter with Reps. Veronica Escobar of Texas and Jason Crow of Colorado demanded new direction for ICE agents, making clear that members of Congress always have the ability to visit and inspect federal facilities.

“The Department itself has affirmed the oversight duties of members of Congress in guidance posted by ICE dated to February 2025,” the letter reads. “Arresting members of Congress for performing their lawful oversight duties cannot be ‘on the table’ because that action would be explicitly unlawful.”

On May 9, ICE agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN that arresting lawmakers was “definitely on the table.”

Celly block zero

The death of a federal corrections officer in Puerto Rico could soon prompt a change in laws around prison security.

Rep. Laurel Lee, a Thonotosassa Republican, introduced the Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act, which would make it a felony to smuggle cellphones into correctional facilities and strengthen deterrence efforts. The legislation is named for Osvaldo Albarati, who was shot and killed on the Jose De Diego Expressway in 2013 in a hit carried out with information from inmates housed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

“Cellphones smuggled into prisons are being used to orchestrate criminal operations that endanger correctional officers, inmates and the public. This legislation strengthens the consequences for those who bring these devices behind bars and ensures the Department of Justice has the tools and direction needed to review and improve prison policies that address contraband,” Lee said.

“I am proud to introduce this legislation to protect the safety of our correctional officers, inmates, and communities by cracking down on the illegal use of cellphones in prisons.”

Road less traveled

St. Thomas University bestowed Rep. Byron Donalds with an honorary doctorate this week. The university invited the Naples Republican to give its commencement address to graduates.

Donalds at the event stressed the importance of graduates setting lofty goals and going through life unafraid.

“Take the hard road,” Donalds advised. “If it was easy, everybody would do it. But what you come to find out in life is that the hard road, the road less traveled, is the one that God has laid in front of you. The question is, are you going to have enough courage in yourself, enough belief in yourself and enough faith in the Lord to see you through when you take that hard road? You’re going to learn a lot about yourself. You’re going to learn things you never thought were there.”

Donalds gave his address, of course, as he mounts a run for statewide office. The three-term Congressman launched his campaign for Governor earlier this year. Donalds suggested that the belief in oneself that drives politicians to seek high office can lead all graduates to greatness.

“What’s really going to be uncovered to you are the strengths in your character, the ingenuity in your mind,” he said. “You’re going to learn the depths to which you can crawl through valleys. You’re going to learn how strong your hands and feet are as you climb mountains. But you can only do that with the road less traveled.”

Library fines

Trump has brought several Florida leaders into key positions in his administration but caught heat last week for firing one Tallahassee native. The President abruptly terminated Dr. Carla Hayden as the Librarian of Congress.

“There were quite concerning things that she had done at the Library of Congress in the pursuit of (diversity, equity and inclusion) and putting inappropriate books in the library for children,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt when asked about the move at a White House briefing.

However, eliminating the first Black woman to run the Library of Congress, despite broad bipartisan acclaim for her work, generated ire, including within the Florida delegation.

“Dr. Hayden, a Florida native, is a lifelong educator and a dedicated public servant who has propelled the Library of Congress to new heights, modernizing the institution with investments in information technology infrastructure and increasing its digital reach using social media,” said Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Miramar Democrat.

“Through her leadership, she has made the Library of Congress more accessible to the public. She’s also a barrier-breaker, becoming both the first woman and the first African American to hold this post at the People’s Library.”

Hayden previously served as president of the American Library Association. Before that, she was born in Tallahassee, where her father, Bruce Hayden, served as the String Director at Florida A&M University.

Jewish American history

The House passed a resolution championed by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to recognize May as Jewish American Heritage Month.

“As we celebrate the 20th year of Jewish American Heritage Month, I am proud to open the doors of understanding to everyone about all the remarkable contributions that generations of Jewish Americans made to shape our nation’s history, culture and society,” said Wasserman Schultz.

“This celebration is also one of the most effective ways to combat rising antisemitism, as Jews and non-Jews alike come to learn about all the amazing Jewish Americans who served in pivotal government and military posts, won Nobel Prizes, led universities and corporations, developed life-changing inventions, authored great American novels, and worked to advance America’s noble experiment in democracy. I am so proud to join my bipartisan House colleagues in this effort.”

Beyond historical education, the bill also encourages elected officials and civic leaders to actively combat antisemitism.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, was the only member of the House to vote against the bipartisan bill.

Guarding e-waste

A United Nations report showed that the average American in 2024 disposed of 47 pounds of high-tech waste. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart doesn’t want that trash to become any bad guys’ treasure.

The Hialeah Republican just filed the Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act (SEERA), which would prohibit the export of electronic waste to “high-risk” foreign entities.

“As we work to free America from unfair and hostile trade practices, the enactment of SEERA would be an important step in that direction — strengthening our national security against China and protecting our future,” Díaz-Balart said.

“Proper handling of electronic waste ensures our critical data and infrastructure remain protected and that dangerous materials are handled responsibly. Importantly, it would set requirements for the recycling of these products to be done domestically while creating new jobs. Passing this legislation will fortify and reinforce our national security as well as our future.”

His office said the U.S. is on track to export 80 million tons of e-waste to foreign nations by 2030. Díaz-Balart introduced the bipartisan bill with Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a New York Democrat.

“Proper e-waste recycling isn’t just an environmental issue — it’s a national security imperative,” Espaillat said.

Maritime policy

​​Leaders at JAXPORT and several companies operating through those docks visited Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Florida’s congressional delegation. The visit was part of a Florida Maritime Partnership effort to reach lawmakers about domestic trade opportunities between Florida and Puerto Rico.

Crowley and TOTE Maritime leaders joined with port officials. The group met with Moody and Scott on Senate matters and with Rep. Jimmy Patronis and Lee in the House.

JAXPORT remains the nation’s No. 1 port for trade with Puerto Rico, and officials discussed the benefits of bringing more manufacturing to the island and the continued growth of the domestic maritime industry in Puerto Rico. That effort works well with the Trump administration’s agenda to bring more jobs to the U.S., including in American territory. The Partnership stressed that if more critical inventory like medical supplies and pharmaceuticals came from Puerto Rico than from Asia, it would strengthen the U.S. supply chain and reduce dependence on foreign cargo.

Three ocean carriers, all flying U.S. flags, travel between Jacksonville and Puerto Rico multiple times a week, moving 3.4 tons of cargo in 800,000 containers annually. The ships also carry automobiles and other oversized cargo.

On this day

May 16, 1868 — “The impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson” via the U.S. Senate — The Senate voted on one article of impeachment, falling just one vote short of conviction and removal from office. Ten days later, the Senate voted on two more articles, with the same result. On May 26, the Senate acquitted the President and adjourned the Court of Impeachment. Johnson was not renominated for the presidency in 1868 but was elected to the Senate in 1875, serving until his death on July 31. Popular interest in the trial was intense, with the galleries of the Senate Chamber filled to capacity.

May 16, 1918 — “Congress passes Sedition Act” via History.com — Passed shortly after the U.S. entrance into the war in early April 1917, the legislation made it a crime for any person to convey information intended to interfere with the U.S. armed forces’ prosecution of the war effort or to promote the success of the country’s enemies. Aimed at socialists, pacifists and other anti-war activists, the Sedition Act imposed harsh penalties on anyone found guilty of making false statements that interfered with the prosecution of the war; insulting or abusing the U.S. government, the flag, the Constitution or the military; agitating against the production of necessary war materials; or advocating, teaching or defending any of these acts.

Happy birthday

Best wishes to Rep. Lois Frankel, who turns 77 today, May 16.

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