Politics
Delegation for 9.15.26: AI alarm — snapper season — disaster relief — Alcatraz accountability — political exile
Earth’s final frontier?
As leaders in the artificial intelligence field call for regulation and a slowdown in development, congressional leaders have offered mixed messages about what happens next.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said Congress needs to hold a Special Session immediately to address the future of AI.
“Congress must begin thinking about how we are going to guide Americans through a transition regarding AI,” the Pinellas Republican posted. “We must start thinking differently regarding this. The entire system will need an overhaul. Of every issue we face as a country, this one is by far the most consequential. This will be impacting EVERY single American.”
But several lawmakers said AI companies need to regulate themselves. Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican from Naples, echoed David Sacks, Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, in suggesting that AI executives should take proactive measures to restrict their work.
“AI isn’t going anywhere, so we need a plan to move forward safely, with America leading the way. These companies have said what they are building could kill mankind. Seems pretty obvious they need to slow down now,” Scott posted.
“But these companies can’t just raise their hands and say Congress has to do something. We can’t lose to Communist China, obviously. If America doesn’t lead, we allow Communist China to make the rules and develop truly dangerous AI that will hurt Americans, especially our kids. Congress is a mess right now. We can’t even pass election security protections. But AI regulations shouldn’t be rushed. It has to be thoughtful, so that is not going to happen this year.”
The House intends to bring issues peripheral to the AI debate to a vote this week, including Rep. Kathy Castor’s Ratepayer Protection Act (HR 9340), which addresses data centers. The bill would implement nationwide requirements that spikes in electricity costs be absorbed by large-load customers rather than passed on to other ratepayers.
“My neighbors across Florida are grappling with skyrocketing electric bills. Ratepayers should not have to subsidize wealthy corporations’ growing energy demands, especially from AI data centers,” Castor said when she introduced the bipartisan bill.
But regulation of AI itself continues to move at a slow pace. If anything, most Florida lawmakers see Congress as a poor institution for catching up to an industry moving too fast. Some said Congress could only put the U.S. at a disadvantage with regulation.
“We cannot let fear dictate America’s future,” posted Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican. “We need common sense, responsible AI development and policies that ensure America stays on top.”
Speaker Mike Johnson already signaled he doesn’t see Congress this Session tackling regulation of AI. Rep. Jimmy Patronis, a Fort Walton Beach Republican, agreed with those comments but also suggested Congress could take steps to increase accountability for the very companies sounding the alarm right now.
“The idea that Congress is capable of building sound policy to navigate these disruptive and complex technologies is naive. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these people are still using dial-up internet or carrier pigeons. HOWEVER, real accountability can only come by eliminating Big Tech’s Section 230 protection,” he said.
“If AI is great and makes life better — awesome. If it hurts people and ruins lives, then at least Americans will have a tool to ruin these oligarchs financially, forever. But as long (as) these people can ‘break it’ but not have to ‘buy it,’ there’s no reason to pretend like they care about how their creations may negatively impact folks. Repealing 230 will provide a lot of incentive to get it right and protect people.”
Snapper season
Two Florida lawmakers spearheaded regional support of the fishing industry on the Atlantic Coast.
Sen. Ashley Moody, a Plant City Republican, and Rep. John Rutherford, a Jacksonville Republican, led a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in support of new Exempted Fishing Permit applications submitted by Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. If granted, they would allow the states to improve data collection efforts and advance state-led management of the recreational red snapper fishery in federal waters in the South Atlantic.
“Despite fishery managers’ success rebuilding the red snapper stock for more than a decade, recreational anglers in the South Atlantic have been largely shut out of harvest opportunities,” the letter says.
“For too long, anglers have faced one- or two-day seasons, a frustrating cycle that leaves them unable to access a healthy and abundant resource even after years of conservation and compliance. The current management system is out of step with conditions on the water.”
A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the South Atlantic congressional delegation signed onto the message. Floridians on board included Sen. Scott, joined by Republican Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Aaron Bean, Byron Donalds, Randy Fine, Scott Franklin, Mike Haridopolos, María Elvira Salazar and Daniel Webster, and Democratic Rep. Darren Soto.
The letter noted that, during President Donald Trump’s first term, Florida was allowed to manage the red snapper season in the Gulf and was given a 140-day season.
Disaster relief
Individuals affected by natural disasters could soon enjoy tax relief courtesy of a law championed by Florida lawmakers.
Trump signed the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act (HR 5366). That’s a law that was sponsored by Scott and Steube and ultimately named for late U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa after the California Republican’s unexpected death in January.
“This delivers long-overdue certainty to Americans rebuilding after natural disasters. Disaster victims should be focused on rebuilding their homes, businesses, and communities, not worrying about an unexpected tax burden on the assistance they receive,” said Steube, a Sarasota Republican.
“I’m grateful to President Trump for signing this important legislation into law and ensuring families across the country receive the relief they deserve. Congressman LaMalfa worked tirelessly to get this legislation across the finish line, and it is fitting that his legacy of service will live on for years to come.”
Scott sponsored the Senate version with another California lawmaker, Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat. He noted the fires that savaged Los Angeles last year.
“After disaster strikes, impacted Americans should be focused on rebuilding their lives and their communities — not surprise changes to their tax bills. After speaking with so many Americans in Florida and across the country impacted by natural disasters, including meeting Spencer Pratt at his burned-down home and touring the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, I knew we had to do something,” Scott said.
“Now that President Trump has signed this bill into law, I’m grateful to have worked with Spencer, Rep. Steube, and Sen. Schiff to ensure those affected by hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural disasters continue to receive the real tax relief — and the peace of mind — they deserve.”
Rare child diseases
A group of lawmakers wants to establish a permanent bipartisan incentive program to develop treatments for rare diseases.
Reps. Bilirakis, a Palm Harbor Republican, and Kat Cammack, a Gainesville Republican, were among the introducing sponsors for legislation codifying the program, which first launched in 2012. In the first 14 years, treatments reached the market for 47 rare pediatric diseases, of which only 4 had approvals before then.
While the program is set to sunset in 2029, Bilirakis said its success warrants making it a permanent fixture of the Food and Drug Administration.
“Parents of children battling rare diseases should never have to hear that promising research was abandoned because there wasn’t enough incentive to pursue a treatment,” Bilirakis said.
“Medical innovation is advancing at an incredible pace, but no child should be left behind simply because their disease affects too few patients to attract traditional investment. Drug development takes years, and innovators need certainty when making research decisions today. By making this successful program permanent, our bipartisan bill will encourage continued investment in lifesaving treatments and give hope to families who are desperately waiting for the next breakthrough.”
Rep. Nanette Barragán, a California Democrat, is the chief co-sponsor. “We should not let a rare disease become a death sentence simply because the market is too small,” she said.
Cammack also signed onto the effort. The Gainesville Republican’s District includes Shands Hospital at the University of Florida.
“Every child deserves a chance at life, no matter how rare their disease,” she said.
“The Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher Program encourages America’s innovators to take on these devastating diseases and pursue breakthroughs that can give children and their families hope. I’m proud to join this bipartisan effort to make this important program permanent.”
Voting rights
With less than 50 days until the Midterms, Rep. Maxwell Frost called on voters to remain vigilant about threats to the process. The Orlando Democrat participated in a town hall in his District to discuss voting with constituents.
“With new voting restrictions, redistricting, attacks on vote-by-mail, and Trump’s SAVE Act, there are lots of questions and concerns about what’s next as we head toward the Midterms,” he said.
“Last week, I joined Equal Ground Florida and the Orange County Supervisor of Elections for a Voting Rights Town Hall to break down what’s happening and how we can fight back to protect our right to vote.”
It was a notable pushback against efforts by Republicans, including both of Florida’s Senators, to still implement a Trump-backed election reform package, the SAVE America Act. But that bill looks unlikely to be taken up before the Midterms.
Alcatraz accountability
Auditors from the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Inspector General released a report on surprise inspections of Florida’s now-shuttered Alligator Alcatraz facility. It immediately raised new questions about conditions in the short-lived immigrant detention center in the Everglades.
The report said it conducted a surprise inspection in January while the facility was still in full operation. Among other things, inspectors found closet-sized cages with little floor space.
It said staff “confined 79 detainees in small metal enclosures — each offering about 18 square feet of floor space — for periods ranging from several minutes to nearly two hours, a practice unlike any OIG team has observed in ICE facilities. The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment.”
Rep. Lois Frankel immediately called for someone to be held responsible for the deployable status of the Florida-run facility.
“The federal watchdog found the conditions unprecedented and a serious threat to their health and safety,” the West Palm Beach Democrat said. “America can enforce our immigration laws while treating every person in our custody with basic human dignity. Those responsible must be held accountable. This cannot happen again.”
Exile to ICE
Salazar says Immigration and Customs Enforcement went a step too far by detaining exiled Nicaraguan journalist Luis Galeano. He was detained in Florida, his wife later told Expediente Público.
“America must always know the difference between a criminal and a political exile,” said Salazar, a Coral Gables Republican and former journalist. She said Galeano had played a critical role in informing the public of abuses by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo.
“Luis is a respected journalist who paid a price for telling the truth about the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship. The regime persecuted him, forced him into exile, and stripped him of his citizenship,” Salazar said.
“That history matters. He cannot be sent back into the hands of the people who targeted him. I have been clear with the Administration: enforce the law and deport dangerous individuals, but do not treat political exiles like criminals. We are still learning the details of his detention, but his case must be reviewed immediately and with the full weight of what he has already endured.”
Taking sides
Meanwhile, Rep. Carlos Giménez turned his attention to political fights happening in Spain. The Miami-Dade Republican, who recently left a leadership position in the Friends of Spain Caucus, made clear which side he took in a conflict between left-wing protesters and the far-right Aliança Catalana in Barcelona.
“From the United States Congress, we denounce the political persecution faced by the patriots of Aliança Catalana at the hands of Pedro Sánchez’s regime in La Moncloa and its socialist communist allies in Barcelona,” Giménez said. “This is the same as what they tried to do to President Trump in the USA. That’s why it’s no surprise that Aliança Catalana continues to increase its popularity in all the polls!”
The Spanish political party on social media thanked the South Florida Republican by name.
“Thank you very much for your kind words, Congressman Rep. Carlos,” a post reads. “In the struggle for liberty and justice, the people of the United States will always find Catalonia and Aliança Catalana ready to fight hand in hand against the threat of communist and woke totalitarianism. Our President Sylvia Orriols is a vivid example of such struggle, which inspires Catalan nationalists and democracy/liberty fighters beyond Catalan borders.”
Florida appointments
A batch of federal appointments by Trump was sent to the Senate, including three Floridians.
Most notably, the President nominated businessman Austin Holmes as the next U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. Holmes’ personal website notes his background serving more than 1 million people with supplies and food after Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and after a devastating earthquake in 2021.
He also nominated Robert E. Long Jr., a judge on Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeals, to be a U.S. District judge for the Middle District of Florida.
Trump also formally appointed William Toti as Under Secretary of the Navy, a job he had held in an acting capacity. He previously served as a special adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
On this day
Sept. 15, 1963 — “Four Black girls killed in church bombing in Birmingham” via the Equal Justice Institute — A White man was seen placing a box under the steps of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Shortly afterward, the explosives inside detonated, devastating the church building and the 400 congregants inside. Parents rushed to the Sunday school classroom to check on their children and soon discovered that four young girls had been killed in the blast: Denise McNair, 11, Addie Mae Collins, 14, Carole Robertson, 14, and Cynthia Wesley, 14. More than 20 others were injured. The Church was the largest Black church in Birmingham and served as a meeting place for civil rights activities.
Sept. 15, 1959 — “Nikita Khrushchev arrives at Washington” via History.com — Khrushchev became the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States. During the next two weeks, Khrushchev’s visit dominated the news and provided some dramatic and humorous moments in the history of the Cold War. Khrushchev came to power in the Soviet Union following the death of longtime dictator Josef Stalin in 1953. Many observers believed that Khrushchev, a devoted follower of Stalin during the 1930s and 1940s, would not provide much difference in leadership. He surprised them, however, by announcing that he sought “peaceful coexistence” with the United States and denouncing the “excesses” of Stalinism.
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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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