Delegation for 6.3.25: Expulsion — Gator bite — looters — AI friend — Polish

Hispanic chambers lobby Congress to extend Enhanced Premium Tax Credits for businesses, families.

Student expulsion?

A decision to revoke the visas of numerous Chinese nationals studying at U.S. universities drew competing reactions from members of Florida’s congressional delegation.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement announcing his agency will work with the Department of Homeland Security to end the legal right for many students to remain in America. It remains unclear what the impact will be on many of the roughly 277,000 Chinese students currently in the country on visas.

“Under President (Donald) Trump’s leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” Rubio said.

“We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.”

Sen. Ashley Moody said the U.S. cannot afford to ignore spying actively being done by Chinese students from abroad and that action to stop it is long overdue. The Plant City Republican has filed the “Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia” (Stop CCP VISAs) Act, which would halt student visas for Chinese nationals, and praised the administration’s announcement.

“President Trump has it right: the U.S. WILL NOT be importing spies into this country anymore. China requires its nationals, BY LAW, to participate in intelligence gathering on behalf of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party),” Moody posted on X.

But Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick saw the move as another unfair attack on immigrants living in the country legally. The Miramar Democrat also explicitly called out the revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

“This aggressive visa revocation policy of Chinese students comes right after they were used to initiate a lawsuit ending affirmative action for all Americans. The strategy of divide-and-conquer is being used to exploit our differences, making it easier to undermine our collective progress,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.

“If we don’t stand together, we risk being pitted against one another. We must recognize that our struggles are interconnected. Regardless of our backgrounds, we need to unite to defend our rights and ensure equal opportunities for everyone to succeed in this country.”

Florida schools notably educate several Chinese students. More than 24% of all international students at the University of Florida in 2022 were Chinese, according to the Independent Alligator.

Gator or race baiter?

Past statements by former University of Michigan President Santa Ono, who is slated to take over as the University of Florida’s president, have raised concerns among multiple members of the delegation.

Rep. Greg Steube repeatedly said Ono wasn’t a great choice to be a Florida Gator. The Sarasota Republican and UF alumnus has led a public charge against Ono, the UF Board of Trustees’ choice to lead the Gainesville school. Now, Steube has sent a letter to Florida’s Board of Governors asking them to overrule the choice.

“As a Double Gator, I am appalled and disappointed by the decision of the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees to select Dr. Santa J. Ono as its next president. His dubious record throughout his career makes it clear that Dr. Ono is unfit to lead our state’s flagship university. Hollow assurances of an ‘evolved mindset’ cannot erase Dr. Ono’s history of preferential treatment for far-left causes, coupled with his cold indifference to student safety,” Steube said.

“I call on the Florida Board of Governors to reject this choice and find a suitable replacement who reflects the values and interests of the University of Florida.”

Governors, who meet in Orlando on Tuesday, typically approve Trustees’ choices. But Ono has drawn fire from such prominent critics as the Manhattan Institute’s Chris Rufo and Donald Trump Jr., the son of President Donald Trump.

Sen. Rick Scott also joined a chorus of right-wing leaders opposed to Ono’s hire. He released a lengthy statement on the eve of the Board of Governors vote, calling into question why Ono allowed an encampment of anti-Israel protesters on campus for a month before it was broken up.

“UF is a world-renowned institution and our state’s flagship university that has set a gold standard for fighting antisemitism and protecting Jewish students, and its leadership must follow suit,” he said. “Clearly, Ono has a concerning record from his time at the University of Michigan, where he allowed an illegal, pro-terrorist encampment to take over the campus for nearly a month, putting Jewish students in danger and failing to uphold even the most basic standards of leadership.”

But Ono has defended himself from attacks. He said policies changed after last year’s protests, and encampments are no longer allowed. He also informed the Trustees that he initiated the process of phasing out diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Michigan well before he considered applying for the job in Florida.

“Florida is showing the nation that it’s possible to elevate academic excellence without ideological indoctrination,” Ono told UF Trustees. “That’s the work I want to lead.”

Locking up looters

An evacuation order shouldn’t be a green light for looting, according to Rep. Aaron Bean.

The Fernandina Beach Republican this week filed the Law On Offender Transgressions During Emergencies and Recovery (LOOTER) Act. The bill would set clear punishments in federal law for certain forms of larceny committed during a declared disaster, such as a hurricane.

“When disaster strikes, you should not have to choose between evacuating for your safety or safeguarding your property,” Bean said. “This bill sends a clear message: We will not tolerate the exploitation of natural disaster victims.”

As drafted, the bill stipulates that petty larceny committed during a disaster is punishable by up to one year in prison, and that grand larceny results in a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Bean filed the bipartisan bill with Democratic Reps. Jimmy Panetta of California and Tom Suozzi of New York, as well as Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas.

“Our bipartisan legislation is critical to better protecting disaster-stricken communities, supporting our local law enforcement partners, and sending a clear message that if you loot during a disaster, you will be held accountable,” Panetta said.

AI friends with benefits

Children under the age of 13 can’t legally have a social media account, and Rep. Kathy Castor doesn’t want AI-generated kid avatars drawing any minors online.

The Tampa Democrat and other members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee penned a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg urging the company to call off deployment of AI-powered social companion bots for users under the age of 18, and to stop any effort to make those companions in the likeness of children or teenagers.

The message follows a Wall Street Journal investigation that found some Meta bots already engaging in sexually charged conversations, including with users who are minors.

“Even more disturbing, the investigation found that some bots continued these inappropriate interactions while acknowledging the user was underage, with some bots even incorporating the minor’s age into sexual scenarios and discussing ways to avoid parental detection,” the letter notes.

“The investigation further revealed that some of Meta’s most popular companion bots are designed to impersonate children and teens, enabling adults to engage in sexual role-play with these simulated minors.”

The letter demands answers from Meta regarding its efforts to prevent such interactions between its bots and children, provide warnings about the risks associated with chatbots, and update Congress on any safeguards it has implemented to avoid such interactions in the future.

Power boost

Rep. Byron Donalds believes nuclear energy could power the nation’s future. The Naples Republican just filed legislation that could give the sector a significant boost.

The Strengthening American Nuclear Energy (SANE) Act would codify four of Trump’s energy-related executive orders into federal statute by deploying advanced nuclear reactor technology for national security, reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, changing the testing process for reactor testing and “reinvigorating the nuclear industrial base.”

“In November, the American people granted us an unprecedented mandate to implement President Trump’s America First Agenda. Now more than ever, it’s up to Congress to hold up our end of the bargain,” Donalds said in a statement to Fox News. “Energy security is national security, and it’s imperative that our nation reasserts our dominance in the nuclear space.”

Polish interest

Rep. Brian Mast, in his role as House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, slammed efforts in the European Union to undermine a nationalist effort in Poland. Now, a right-wing historian appears to have won a Presidential Election there.

A week ago, Mast, a Stuart Republican, led a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen questioning if the EU was accepting funding from liberal megadonor George Soros to promote Civic Coalition candidate Rafal Trzaskowski and discredit his rivals.

“These actions, occurring under the European Commission’s watch, expose a troubling double-standard in the EU’s approach to Poland’s rule of law, which demands your urgent attention,” the letter reads.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a St. Petersburg Republican, was among the letter’s co-signatories.

Regardless of what efforts existed, Trzaskowski didn’t come out on top in the Monday election. Instead, conservative Karol Nawrocki took about 51% to Trzaskowski’s 49%, according to The Associated Press.

Notably, Trump publicly supported Nawrocki and had previously criticized Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Brothers and sisters

Organizations in Miami associated with Black fraternities and sororities just secured a significant windfall from Washington.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Miami-Dade Democrat, announced $1 million in awards to the Divine Nine Organizations in Miami-Dade County. Wilson, herself an Alpha Kappa Alpha sister, said the funding would help mentoring efforts in South Florida and preserve a tradition currently under attack.

“I am especially concerned about preserving our history, which is being whitewashed across our nation,” Wilson said. “African American history IS American History, and we have a responsibility to protect it from erasure, extinction and exploitation. We must leave a legacy for our children that must endure for generations.”

She announced the funding at a press event surrounded by other prominent leaders with ties to the Divine Nine, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority CEO Glenda Glover, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert and Miami Gardens City Council members Reggie Leon and Katrina Wilson.

Members of Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, Zeta Phi Beta and Omega Psi Phi also spoke about how grant money might be used. But Wilson put in a strong word of support for her own sorority.

“Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is 117 years old. It is the first Black sorority in the country and the largest,” Wilson said. “This sorority was given funds to purchase land to build a sorority house. As we move forward, we will continue to grow and push the limits on how many lives we can impact. We are the heart of our community, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha house will serve as a place for all children to enjoy.”

Citgo situation

The Trump administration in February announced it would reinstate sanctions on Venezuela and prohibit the import of oil from companies tied to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government. But Rep. María Elvira Salazar sounded alarms on the ways Maduro’s regime could take control of the crude that can still flow from South America to U.S. pumps.

The Coral Gables Republican sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rubio urging the U.S. to safeguard Citgo, an oil refiner controlled by the Venezuelan democratic opposition based in the U.S. The political faction opposed to Maduro held on to Citgo since Trump worked to isolate Maduro during his first term.

Meanwhile, Maduro’s allies ran PDVSA, which was unable to import to the U.S.

However, Salazar’s office stated that Maduro has already begun taking steps to regain control of Citgo through legal maneuvers, as regime creditors pursue claims in U.S. courts.

“The plaintiffs against CITGO are really plaintiffs against Maduro and the Chavista crooks that ran PDVSA in Venezuela into the ground,” Salazar said. “The Venezuelan opposition, desperately trying to restore freedom to their country, shouldn’t have to pay the debts of Maduro and his cronies.”

She wants the U.S. to bar any sale of Citgo through the use of its economic power and to work with democratic forces in Venezuela to explore a fair path forward for this strategic sovereign asset.

Rusty returns to Washington

Rusty Roberts is joining the Trump administration as Senior Policy Adviser at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The FRA is one of 11 operating administrations within the U.S. Department of Transportation. He joins a growing list of Floridians receiving appointments to serve under the 47th President.

In the appointment, Roberts touts his many years of focusing on transportation in both the public and private sectors as a key factor.

He is a former vice president at Brightline Trains and was part of the original team that planned and developed the popular passenger rail system that operates between Orlando and Miami.

Roberts served for 18 years as Chief of Staff for former Rep. John Mica, a Winter Park Republican who chaired the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Roberts also served as Chief of Staff for Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a South Florida Republican, and was South Florida Director for former Sen. Paula Hawkins, a Republican.

Roberts currently serves as a Commissioner on the Florida Transportation Commission, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2021.

In 2022, he was a candidate for Congress in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, the seat ultimately won by Rep. Cory Mills.

“Public service is a privilege, and I am thrilled for this opportunity to serve under an Administration that is committed to safety first as we work to grow our nation’s rail infrastructure,” Roberts said.

On this day

June 3, 1916 — “Woodrow Wilson signs National Defense Act” via History.com — Though Theodore Roosevelt and other Republicans were pushing for U.S. intervention in World War I, Wilson, elected in 1912, maintained a position of neutrality. In the first half of 1916, however, with forces from the regular Army as well as the National Guard called out to face Mexican rebel leader Pancho Villa during raids on the American Southwest, Wilson and Congress saw the need to reinforce the nation’s armed forces. The National Defense Act brought the states’ militias more under federal control. It gave the President the authority, in the event of war or national emergency, to mobilize the National Guard for the duration of the emergency.

June 3, 1965 — “Ed White conducts first American spacewalk” via Space Center Houston — Attached by only a 23-foot tether and 25-foot umbilical, the NASA astronaut floated in space for roughly 20 minutes. Circling the Earth at a speed of 17,000 miles per hour, he traveled 6,500 miles. The first American spacewalk was a part of the four-day Gemini IV mission to study the effects of prolonged spaceflight. White served as the mission pilot and James McDivitt as the mission commander. The two-man crew spent the remainder of their flight conducting 11 experiments, which included Earth photography and spacecraft navigation.

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