DoE DOA

Following months of speculation, President Donald Trump signed an executive order largely dismantling the Department of Education.

Members of the Florida congressional delegation responded with polarized views, categorizing the move as either a monumental misstep or a good start to reform.

For Rep. Frederica Wilson, a former teacher and principal, the administration’s action appeared as executive overreach and a slap at public educators nationwide.

“Closing the doors to the Department of Education is closing the doors to opportunities for our youth. The Republicans’ inability to understand why education is crucial to the future of America is laughable and shows how out of touch they are,” the Miami-Dade Republican said in an extensive statement.

“They are trying to break down our public education system and attack children of color. Public education serves everyone, regardless of the color of their skin: the gifted, students with disabilities, the wheelchair-bound, the mentally challenged, the sick, the shut-in, the orphan, the ungovernable, everyone! Our country will not be an international leader if its government leaves its children behind.”

However, Rep. Greg Steube cheered on the decision and said Congress should take it further.

“Congress has to come behind President Trump and back him up on this 100%,” the Sarasota Republican told Newsmax. “I’ve been on bills for the last three or four congresses that would do away with the Department of Education, but Congress has to act, and we can do that through the reconciliation bill.”

Steube suggested that Congress should keep popular programs like Pell Grants for college students intact but abolish the Department of Education as a concept, leaving education completely to state governments and local School Boards.

Trump’s decision came days after Education Secretary Linda McMahon visited South Florida and discussed education. She toured charter schools in Miami alongside Erika Donalds, the America First Policy Institute’s Center for Educational Opportunity Chair. Donalds is also married to U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Naples Republican.

Notably, the top post on McMahon’s X feed hours after the announcement was a repost of a statement Erika Donalds issued upon news of Trump’s order. It laid out a potential future of education after the agency’s sunset.

“By eliminating federal overreach in education, we can foster an environment where innovation thrives, parents have greater choice and students receive the high-quality education they deserve,” Donalds said. “This move will allow states to tailor educational approaches to their unique needs, free from one-size-fits-all federal mandates, and voters can hold their state and local elected officials accountable for the resulting academic outcomes.”

But the state certainly has skeptics who see Florida paying a steep price for the brash move. The Florida Policy Institute estimates the state will lose $800 million a year for programming for students with disabilities and that Florida’s Title I schools, those serving a high percentage of students in poverty, could miss out on a combined $1 billion in federal support.

“The DOE also plays a crucial role in ensuring civil rights protections at schools that receive federal dollars,” said Institute CEO Sadaf Knight. “Florida’s congressional delegation should be working to promote and fully fund education, not creating uncertainty around crucial supports that foster student achievement, racial and ethnic equity, and shared prosperity in our state.”

Law enforcement love

As Sen. Ashley Moody focuses on her election in 2026, she rolled out early endorsements from Florida’s law enforcement community. Now, law enforcement leaders are showing love for her first major Senate proposal.

This week, the Plant City Republican announced she secured endorsements from every Florida GOP State Attorney and Sheriff. Additionally, several law enforcement leaders, along with several Police Chiefs, gathered in Tampa to publicly back her first piece of prime-sponsored legislation, the Homes for Every Local Protector and Responder (HELPER) Act.

“Law enforcement leaders, deputies and front-line officers from across Florida are backing the HELPER Act. I am humbled to have their support in this important fight as we continue to provide law enforcement the tools, incentives, and support they need to protect and serve,” Moody said.

Before her appointment to the Senate, Moody served more than six years as Florida’s Attorney General, so she has strong connections to law enforcement at all levels. Indeed, she spotlighted ranked officers Mike and Angeliesse Nesterwitz, who relocated to Florida to serve at the Tampa International Airport because of incentives for police in the state.

To watch the news conference, please click on the image below:

“Even before we moved to Florida, we knew that the leadership here was like no other. It’s a major reason why we decided to move,” Angeliesse Nesterwitz said. “My husband and I met Sen. Moody while she was Attorney General. She offered us her full support as we were adjusting to service in the Sunshine State, and we are so excited to continue to support her efforts in Congress to provide even more incentives to service. We are also thrilled to introduce baby Isabel to her.”

The event also saw support for the bill from Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister, Marion Sheriff Billy Woods, Hernando Sheriff Al Nienhuis, Sarasota Sheriff Kurt Hoffman, Sumter Sheriff Pat Breeden and Hardee Sheriff Vent Crawford. Tampa International Airport Police Chief Charlie Vazquez, Treasure Island Police Chief John Barkley, Tampa Major Kim Fruit and Plant City Police Chief Richard Mills also backed the bill.

Moody said she would continue to be a voice for law enforcement in Washington.

“As Attorney General, I fought for pay raises, bonuses, and recruitment tools to keep Florida’s law enforcement the best in the nation,” Moody said. “You better believe I will continue to fight for them as U.S. Senator.”

Stitched in the USA

According to Sen. Rick Scott, American flags should be made in the birthplace of the values behind the stars and stripes.

The Naples Republican filed the Make American Flags in America Act with GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The bill would require federal agencies to display only American-made flags.

“The American flag represents the pride and joy of being an American and the very values of a nation founded upon freedom, democracy and the American Dream,” Scott said. “Producing an American flag is a privilege that should only be granted to our fellow Americans who believe in the values it represents, not nations like Communist China who seek to destroy the American way of life. Our bill preserves and protects the pride of American-made products and the patriotism of the flag and nation we love. I urge my colleagues to support its quick passage.”

President Joe Biden signed a similar bill last year, but Scott said overseas manufacturers have continued to ship products to agencies by finding loopholes in the law. The Senate said his bill would stop Chinese flag makers from falsely claiming a flag is American-made on labeling, even if the sewing occurs overseas.

TRICARE trouble

Two Northeast Florida members of Congress want TRICARE to do a better job reimbursing active-duty service members.

Reps. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican, and John Rutherford, a Jacksonville Republican, sent a letter to Dr. David J. Smith, Acting Director of the Defense Health Agency, about ongoing failures in reimbursing troops.

“We have heard from countless concerned constituents that the new T-5 contract has had a severe impact on our military families and community medical providers,” the letter reads. “Providers across the nation have reported millions of dollars in unpaid or unprocessed claims. TRICARE beneficiaries are experiencing unfathomable delays. This crisis has put smaller practices at risk of shutting down, jeopardizing access to care for thousands of military families across the country.”

The letter said many in Northeast Florida suffered from reduced access to care, while other providers warned patients that services would soon be significantly reduced. One clinic in the region, where TRICARE beneficiaries make up a third of patients, reported to the lawmakers that the federal carrier owed it $100,000.

“It would be unacceptable for military families to lose access to critical health care coverage,” Bean and Rutherford wrote. “This crisis must be immediately rectified so that TRICARE payment services are restored, and providers can remain operational.”

Forever DOGE

Meanwhile, Bean and two other delegation members want to see efforts to reduce government become a permanent operation in Washington. Reps. Cory Mills, Bean, and Donalds filed legislation (HR 2006) that would codify the Department of Government Efficiency into a federal statute.

“According to the agency themselves, DOGE has already achieved over $115 billion in savings, which amounts to more than $700 in savings per taxpayer,” said Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican.

“They are rooting out waste and fraud, including the cancellation of 104 DEI contracts, saving the government more than $1 billion. One of my favorite finds was when DOGE identified that the Biden administration spent $8 million performing transgender experiments on mice. This is the type of wasteful spending that the American taxpayer deserves transparency on.”

Donalds, a Naples Republican, similarly saw value in finding savings.

“$2 trillion annual deficits, $36 trillion in debt, and the Washington Swamp wants to continue to grow — enough is enough,” he said. “We’re taking our country back, we’re putting the American people first again, and under President Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency is doing just that. Now more than ever, it’s critical that we codify this consequential endeavor into federal law.”

Bean, a co-founder of the DOGE Caucus in the House, jumped on as an introducing co-sponsor.

“DOGE’s mission is to improve government efficiency and to stop the abuse of taxpayer dollars — and it’s doing just that,” he said. “As co-chair of the House DOGE Caucus, I am proud to join Congressman Mills in introducing the DOGE Act to codify President Trump’s executive order into law. The American people overwhelmingly support ending waste, fraud, and abuse, and we are working to restore accountability to the American public.”

Multiple Medicaid fronts

With Congress out of Session, Rep. Maxwell Frost spent some time away from the national Capitol, visiting the Florida State Capitol instead. The Orlando Democrat headlined a news conference in Tallahassee alongside Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and state Rep. Dotie Joseph, a North Miami Democrat.

Frost slammed Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for failing to expand state support of Medicaid, making Florida one of just 10 states that had refused to do so since the launch of the Affordable Care Act. The Congressman said that proposed federal cuts to Medicaid hurt Floridians much more as a result.

“The question I’m here to ask is: If you support cuts to Medicaid, do you not realize that you’re supporting cuts to the Florida budget? That’s how this works,” Frost said. “We give federal dollars to the state of Florida so they can give health care to people that need it — children, pregnant people, and seniors. So, if you’re cheering on cutting Medicaid, you’re cheering on losing money to help Floridians. In the wealthiest country on this Earth, everyone deserves access to quality health care.”

According to Frost’s office, the spending bill passed by Congress last week calls for $2 trillion in spending cuts, and instructions indicate that a substantial portion of that can come from Medicaid. Meanwhile, about 4 million Floridians rely on Medicaid for health coverage.

Unsung heroes

Rep. Vern Buchanan honored more than two dozen Manatee County philanthropists and community leaders at an event in Palmetto.

The Longboat Key Republican cheered the “Unsung Heroes” at the Manatee Community Foundation’s Spirit of Manatee Awards.

“The unwavering dedication demonstrated by the 2025 Spirit of Manatee honorees exemplifies the true essence of community,” Buchanan said.

“In the face of last year’s devastating hurricanes, these individuals and organizations stepped forward, embodying resilience and compassion. Their selfless contributions have been instrumental in our community’s rebuilding efforts, and it is with profound gratitude that I recognize and thank them for their steadfast commitment to the well-being of Manatee County.”

Affordable housing

Federal support for a program to build more affordable housing in West Palm Beach will increase by $1 million.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Miramar Democrat, announced that the city received a grant for the Coleman Park Affordable Housing Project. City officials said the funding will support nine to 18 supportive housing units for families transitioning from homelessness or for those at risk of homelessness, a population largely priced out of the local market.

“Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick’s support in securing $1 million for affordable housing in West Palm Beach is a testament to the effectiveness of federal-local collaboration. This funding serves as a reminder that when we work together — across levels of government — we can make tangible investments that support working families in our community,” said Jennifer Ferriol, West Palm Beach’s Director of Housing and Community Development.

Cherfilus-McCormick put in an earmark request in the budget for the project.

“I secured $1 million in funding for the Coleman Park Affordable Housing Project so that more households across our community can achieve the American Dream,” she said. “This is about more than just developing new housing units — these are beacons of hope that will help families rebuild, grow, and thrive right here in West Palm Beach.”

Expensive housing

According to Rep. Lois Frankel, the resident of a famously expensive home in Palm Beach County is costing local taxpayers. The West Palm Beach Democrat just filed legislation to allow the Secret Service to reimburse law enforcement and fire crews for protecting Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.

“Protecting the President is a matter of national security and should be a federal responsibility to bear the costs,” Frankel said. “Diverting funds for presidential security can strain local governments’ ability to provide essential public services.”

She filed the bipartisan legislation with Rep. Tom Kean Jr., a New Jersey Republican. Kean agreed that the burden of security should not fall on local taxpayers where a President happens to live. “Currently, much of that responsibility falls on small-town taxpayers and local budgets,” he said.

Palm Beach County Mayor Maria Marino endorsed the legislation.

“At the request of the federal government, Palm Beach County has consistently stepped up to ensure that President Trump has the best security protection available anytime he is in residence in our community,” Marino said. “We consider it an honor to serve and protect our President; however, our taxpaying community cannot continue to foot the bill for this very costly service. We need help and relief from this significant local financial impact that is projected to cost over $45 million by fiscal year-end.”

Returning phone calls

Rep. Jared Moskowitz wants the Social Security Administration to pick up the phone.

Following DOGE-driven cuts to phone support at the federal agency, the Parkland Democrat co-led a letter with Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat, urging the administration to safeguard call service.

“We strongly urge you to consider the individuals who may be harmed, as eliminating or reducing phone services would create unnecessary barriers for the most vulnerable populations at a time when they already face so many challenges,” the letter reads.

“Social Security benefits are earned entitlements that individuals contribute to throughout their entire working lives, and every American deserves the opportunity to access those benefits in a way that is accessible and equitable.”

Call service manages about 40% of claims processed from Social Security recipients annually. Moskowitz said in his district alone, nearly 160,000 constituents depend on Social Security.

Calling out Rubio logic

The Democratic co-Chair of Florida’s congressional delegation led a fresh effort to allow Venezuelans to keep temporary protected status (TPS).

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, co-led a letter with Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, demanding Secretary of State Marco Rubio explain the decision to revoke the protections despite ongoing hostility from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The letter uses several statements Rubio made in the past to counter the administration’s recent logic in withdrawing protections. It also draws on statements Rubio made while serving as Florida’s senior Senator, critical of Maduro.

“On Feb. 5, DHS justified terminating TPS for Venezuelans by citing ‘notable improvements in several areas such as the economy, public health, and crime’ claiming conditions now allow for safe returns,” the letter reads.

“Yet just one day later, on Feb. 6, you contradicted this assessment, stating, ‘I do not know how else to talk about a regime that has forced about 8 million citizens to leave Venezuela. They imprison; they torture innocent individuals.’ You have previously referred to the Maduro regime as an ‘enemy of humanity,’ and on Feb. 26, in an official transcript from the Department of State, you reaffirmed that Maduro remains a horrible dictator and the ‘same threat today that he was two years ago, three years ago, four years ago.’”

Thirty-eight Representatives signed the letter, including every Democrat in Florida’s congressional delegation.

“Venezuelans fleeing horrific, inhumane conditions have received refuge in the United States since the start of the humanitarian crisis through TPS, a program that has enjoyed bipartisan support,” the letter reads. “The Trump administration’s decision to revoke TPS for 348,000 Venezuelans is not just dangerous, it is a betrayal of the Venezuelan American community.”

Deporting Castro loyalists

Meanwhile, Rep. Carlos Giménez pushed the administration to explain why certain Cubans are allowed in the country.

The Miami-Dade Republican sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging her to investigate and deport more than 100 people who the Foundation of Cuban Rights in Cuba said had ties to Fidel Castro’s regime.

“Like so many in our community, I was forced from my native homeland of Cuba shortly after the Communist Revolution and it is absolutely reprehensible how agents of the murderous Castro regime have gamed our immigration laws to infiltrate our country,” Giménez said.

His own family fled Cuba when he was a child. Today, Giménez is the only Cuban-born member of Congress.

“I applaud President Trump and his administration for the swift action in recently apprehending an intelligence agent of the Cuban dictatorship living in South Florida,” Giménez said, “and I look forward to continuing working closely together to identify, detain, and repatriate these despicable fraudsters living in our country.”

West Point appointments

Trump announced several appointments to the Board of Visitors for West Point Academy, including some prominent Florida figures.

The Board now includes former General and (far right figure) Michael Flynn. The onetime National Security Adviser to Trump, who later received a pardon after a conviction involving the Russian collusion investigation, now lives in the Venice area, where he has been involved in the local conservative movement The Hollow for several years.

Additionally, Trump appointed Maureen Bannon to the Board. The CEO of WarRoom, a media umbrella for her father Steve Bannon’s podcast of the same name, was considering a run in Florida’s 15th Congressional District last year and still lives in Florida.

On this day

March 21, 1947 — “Harry Truman orders loyalty checks of federal employees” via History.com — Congress had already launched investigations of communist influence in Hollywood, and laws banning communists from teaching positions were being instituted in several states. Of most concern to President Truman’s administration, however, were persistent charges that communists were operating in federal offices. In response to these fears and concerns, Truman issued an executive order that set up a program to check the loyalty of federal employees. In announcing his order, Truman indicated that he expected all federal workers to demonstrate “complete and unswerving loyalty” to the United States. Anything less, he declared, “constitutes a threat to our democratic processes.”

March 21, 1965 — “Selma to Montgomery march begins” via The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research Institute — The federally sanctioned march left Selma on March 21. Protected by hundreds of federalized Alabama National Guardsmen and FBI agents, the demonstrators covered 7 to 17 miles daily. Camping at night in supporters’ yards, they were entertained by celebrities such as Harry Belafonte and Lena Horne. Limited by Judge Frank M. Johnson’s order to 300 marchers over a stretch of two-lane highway, the number of demonstrators swelled on the last day to 25,000, accompanied by Assistant Attorneys General John Doar, Ramsey Clark, and former Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall.

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

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Rep. Hillary Cassel on Thursday blasted a lobbyist for his testimony on a bill that would increase the potential for wrongful death lawsuits to be filed against Florida doctors and hospitals, accusing him of using scare tactics to try to sink the bill.

During public testimony on HB 6017 before the House Judiciary Committee, lawyer Mark Berlick said allowing adult children of single parents to sue physicians and hospitals for noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering, would open the door to estranged children suing Florida’s hospitals and physicians.

Berlick, a lawyer with the Bolin Law Group, said he represented the Florida Justice Reform Institute, which champions lawsuit limitations.

He testified that the “bulk” of people who would be filing medical malpractice lawsuits are going to be nonstate residents who are estranged from family members who live in Florida.

“So, though you’ll end up with the individuals that will end up with a check being sent to them for an individual that never sets foot in the state of Florida, they won’t receive any medical care here. They won’t have any taxes paid here. They’ll just simply receive a settlement check from the death of their relatives,” he said.

The comments didn’t sit well with Cassel, a Republican who noted that the majority of the people in the committee hearing who testified on behalf of the bill were Florida residents.

“We as members expect that the people that come before us to provide information are going to do so truthfully and with facts, and for the gentleman from the Florida Justice Reform Institute to come before us and assert that the people that are going to benefit from this don’t live in this state and must be estranged from their families, and we’re going to just be writing checks to estranged members, doesn’t have an ounce of data to support that,” Cassel said.

“And that was nothing more than a scare tactic to this committee, and it’s an insult on our intelligence, and it’s an insult to the people who are here today, who are clearly not estranged from the loved ones that they have lost. And of the ones that have testified, all but two are Floridians. So, if you’re going to come before this committee and make assertions about what’s going to happen if we pass legislation, I expect you bring facts and data and not scare tactics and opinions.”

Quid pro quo

The insurance industry, Florida hospitals associations, and organized medicine such as the Florida Medical and Florida Osteopathic associations, oppose the bill in its current form. But they are willing to support eliminating the ban if the Legislature agrees to limit damages for pain and suffering.

Otherwise, increasing civil liability will further increase medical malpractice insurance rates and drive physicians away from practicing, the opponents say.

To date, neither the House nor Senate have included the industry-coveted caps in the bill. The Senate passed its version, SB 734, earlier this week.

Rudman returns

There are some individual physicians, though, who support the proposal, including former state Rep. Joel Rudman.

Rudman resigned from the House to launch an unsuccessful congressional bid but returned Thursday to testify in support of the bill.

A Navarre physician, Rudman said he came to Florida from Alabama during the 1990s and the high medical malpractice rates didn’t drive him away. The premiums he pays today, he said, haven’t changed in a decade. And the costs of the insurance protection from lawsuits isn’t among his top three overhead costs.

“I’ve had a license since 1997, and I’ve never been sued. I’m very proud of that,” Rudman said. “It’s not because of some bogus protections carve-out in the current statute. It’s because I’m damn good at my job. And this bill will not change that, either. The only doctors that want to see this statute remain in place are bad doctors and, unfortunately, we have a few of those in the state of Florida.”

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The Fort Myers City Council has unanimously approved an agreement for city police to aid deportation efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The move reversed a decision made days prior that drew threats of removal from state officials.

A crowd that largely spoke against the agreement booed as Mayor Kevin Anderson gaveled an emergency meeting to a close. But City Council members who changed their vote since Monday said they had little choice on the matter.

Based on state guidance, City Council members said it became clear that an agreement must be in place based on a new immigration law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis last month.

“To be unequivocal, I am not against ICE. I support lawful deportation. I support our local police and their continued partnership with the federal agencies,” said City Council member Darla Bonk, who initially voted against an agreement.

“I also believe in the rule of law, and I believe our immigration system is deeply flawed and in need of reform. But I also believe in asking questions, and I believe any elected official, when uncertain about the implications of a legal document, not only has the right, but the obligation, to get clarity.”

Bonk took to task City Attorney Grant Alley, alleging that he had failed to advise Council members that rejecting a proposed agreement with ICE would effectively make Fort Myers a sanctuary city.

A day after an agreement failed to pass because of a 3-3 vote by the City Council, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier threatened an investigation and legal action against Fort Myers, including raising the specter of DeSantis removing City Council members from office.

“It is imperative to our City Attorney that you come prepared to our Council meetings, regardless of what a vote is, with the legal guidance necessary for every possible outcome,” Bonk said. “It is not overstepping us to inform this body of the law and guide us. It is literally your job. You are paid handsomely to protect this Council, and in this matter, you failed us.”

Other state officials rapidly criticized Fort Myers City Council members for shooting down the initial deal negotiated by Fort Myers Police and ICE.

Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, a Fort Myers Republican, spoke at the Friday Council meeting and stressed that the new state law was itself a product of a democratic process.

“This is not a policy discussion or policy issue. Before you all today, that policy debate happened in the halls of Tallahassee, happened on the House floor, happened on the Senate floor,” Persons-Mulicka said.

“The people of Florida have spoken through their elected representatives in the Legislature and through our Governor, who was overwhelmingly re-elected, and the people of Florida have said that we are a law and order state and that we have preempted local government. We will not permit sanctuary cities or sanctuary city policies, and we will no longer permit catch-and-release in the state of Florida.”

Persons-Mulicka also noted that the city has experienced crime problems as a result of illegal immigration. She recalled the death of Fort Myers Police Officer Adam Jobbers-Miller in 2018. An undocumented immigrant was convicted in 2023 of that murder, as covered by Fox 4.

But members of Fort Myers’ Hispanic community said the memorandum puts the city on weak legal ground while creating a division between police and members of the community.

“Why can’t ICE recruit their own people?” asked Cielo Zenteno. “They have jurisdiction here.” She said the agreement between the city and ICE allowed a significant federal overstep.

“Anyone with civic responsibility would want my basic promise: Do not harm my community,” she said. “Immigrants, legal or not, are part of this community.”

Dozens spoke against the law, often heaping criticism at DeSantis and President Donald Trump for pushing for mass deportation of immigrants, saying they are scapegoating an entire community for the crimes of a few. Anderson frequently advised those speaking to the issue that discussing Trump, DeSantis or even the vote taken Monday was off topic, and that citizens should only speak directly to the agreement in front of the board.

Anderson early in the week said he wanted the failure to approve an agreement corrected, especially after receiving Uthmeier’s letter.

“I am in receipt of the AG’s letter and am working with the City Manager and City Attorney to correct the matter,” Anderson said. “While I do not want to see the removal I would have no choice to support the decision if so made.”

Council member Diana Giraldo, who also initially voted down the agreement but reversed her vote Friday, said that it remains unclear what training ICE will administer to Fort Myers officers regarding the enforcement of immigration law.

She also voiced some concern about whether a focus on deportation would actually result in criminals avoiding due process in the U.S. justice system.

“They need to be prosecuted for their actions, regardless of the immigration status,” she said. “If they are here illegally, they have to follow the due process. I am an immigrant. I understand what that means.”

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