Politics
Delegation of 7.14.25: No veto — fentanyl — cropped — LEGO trolling — drowning
Law without signature
A major housing bill that Congress once expected Donald Trump to tout just became law without his signature. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (HR 6644) became federal statute Saturday, when the President’s 10-day window to sign or veto the measure expired.
Trump, amid high-profile friction with Senate leaders over an election reform bill, canceled a signing ceremony at the Capitol hours before it was scheduled to take place. But while the spectacle of a rare Hill signing was not to be, lawmakers still celebrated the bill as a legislative branch achievement.
“At the heart of America’s housing crisis is a simple problem: we are not building enough homes. For years, rising costs, delays, and unnecessary barriers have made it harder to build the homes our communities need, leaving families across South Florida and the nation to pay the price,” said Rep. María Elvira Salazar, a Coral Gables Republican.
“The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act takes meaningful steps to address that challenge by making it easier to build, finance, and expand housing opportunities. I’m especially proud to have served as the Republican co-lead of the bipartisan RESIDE Act, which was included in the final package and will help communities transform vacant and abandoned properties into housing, revitalize neighborhoods, and create new opportunities for families.”
The bill also streamlines the bureaucracy for home construction and allows pre-approval of designs to speed up the process. It also modernizes Housing and Urban Development programs to expand supply, while reducing regulatory burdens on banks related to community and rural financial institutions.
Not everyone in Florida’s congressional delegation cheered passage.
“Housing is more unaffordable now than at any other point in American history, and the Democrat housing bill that President Trump rightly refused to sign won’t fix anything,” posted Sen. Rick Scott, a Naples Republican and one of five votes against the bill in the Senate.
“Here’s what we need to do: Pass my American Dream Accounts Act to help first-time homebuyers save for a down payment tax-free. Cut back on Congress’ wasteful spending so hard-working Americans actually have the chance to afford a home.”
But the bill drew bipartisan praise among the state’s House contingent.
“21st Century ROAD to Housing Act becomes law without the President’s signature,” said Rep. Darren Soto, a Kissimmee Democrat. “Making housing more affordable for millions of Americans should be a priority in Washington.”
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, an Indian Harbour Beach Republican, also welcomed the news, but presented it as a victory for champions of small government. “The housing bill that will reduce red tape and give more options to buyers is now law!” he posted.
But the issue had staunch support throughout Florida, which real estate experts say may be more vulnerable to market jolts than any state in the union.
Fentanyl summit
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) held its first Fentanyl Free America Summit in Orlando on Monday, with Sen. Ashley Moody kicking off the event.
“As Florida’s Attorney General, I united local, state, and federal partners to confront the opioid crisis — and we delivered results. Florida led the nation in fentanyl interdiction efforts, while our overdose death rate declined faster than the national average,” the Plant City Republican said in a speech at the summit.
“Now, as Florida’s newest United States Senator, I am working to bring that proven model to the country. Today’s inaugural summit reflects our shared commitment to strengthening coordination, sharing critical knowledge and resources, ending the fentanyl crisis nationwide, and saving lives.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, DEA Administrator Terrance Cole and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Sara Carter were among those in town to address the opioid crisis. Florida law enforcement leaders, including Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma, also played a key role at the event.
Moody, whose husband previously worked for the DEA, touted her record as Florida Attorney General fighting fentanyl, and mentioned several pieces of legislation she has filed aimed at curbing the distribution of the drug.
Crushing crop growers
Are Mexican farmers cheating Florida farmers? A week after Scott sent a letter urging Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to investigate the dumping of poor-quality strawberries across the border, Florida’s senior Senator penned an op-ed raising similar concerns about other crops.
“Mexico has used the same playbook against Florida’s tomato, blueberry, bell pepper, and many other specialty crop growers for nearly 30 years,” the Naples Republican wrote in the Plant City Observer.
“The damage this illegal practice causes is immense. I have sat down and met with Florida farmers, many from the Winter Strawberry Capitol of the World in Plant City and have seen firsthand the damage that this illegal crop dumping brings.”
He said the damage to the industry has been felt especially acutely by growers in regions like Tampa Bay, which suffered severe crop losses from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Regardless, he said it’s past time for the federal government to intervene.
“When a family farm in Plant City shuts down, it doesn’t come back, and the jobs, the rural communities and the food security that depend on it can disappear with it,” Scott wrote.
“Food security is national security; a nation that cannot feed itself cannot defend itself. We cannot allow our nation’s ability to feed itself to depend on the trade practices of a foreign government. It’s time to put an end to this despicable practice and allow our Florida farmers to sell their crops at fair prices and continue to produce the best strawberries in the world.”
Holding the line
Moody last week co-sponsored a Senate resolution to honor lineworkers who put their lives on the line during natural disasters and other emergencies.
The lineworkers for countless utility companies and local municipalities are the workers who labor to restore power after hurricanes and other severe weather events. Moody’s resolution is designed to express gratitude to the workers who keep Florida and other parts of the U.S. running during the most challenging times.
“Lineworkers’ jobs are essential, and often dangerous. That became very apparent in Florida after Hurricanes Helene and Milton rocked our state” in 2024, Moody said during a ceremony honoring Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day Friday.
“Crews from Florida and from across state lines left their own families and worked around the clock in hazardous conditions to restore power to Floridians. On Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day and every day, we say thank you to the linemen who rushed to our state to get power back up and running after major disasters.”
The resolution acknowledges, “journeyman line workers perform heroic services during national and regional disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and ice storms, and also work in tough terrain, extreme heat, and cold areas of the country.”
Cartoon form
Propaganda LEGO videos produced with artificial intelligence and distributed from Iran have repeatedly gone viral on social media, drawing interest from the international press. A recent one appears to include Rep. Randy Fine, an Atlantic Coast Republican known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Fine chose to spotlight his cameo.
“Iranian media made a LEGO version of me. Not sure how to react, other than I am making it my profile pic,” he posted on X.
The video appeared on channels like Telegram around the same time as one attributing the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, to Iranian assassins (Graham actually died from an aortic tear, per the D.C. medical examiner’s preliminary findings) and from an apparent threat on right-wing influencer Laura Loomer, who has run for Congress in Florida multiple times.
The depiction of Fine can be identified by his glasses and most distinctly by a kippah worn by the Jewish congressman, believed to be the first to wear the religious headgear on the House floor.
A new tactic
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna will no longer try to stop all floor votes over an elections bill.
The Pinellas Republican announced on social media that she will stop using a floor tactic that, last month, cut short Congress’s days in Washington. Instead, she received a commitment from House leadership that the SAVE America Act would be attached to budget bills sent to the Senate.
“We will try the MIRV process on the condition that Speaker Johnson attaches the SAVE America Act to all the appropriation bills and all must-pass bills here in the House and ensures it is sent to the Senate as one bill,” Luna posted on X.
“If John Thune strips it out in the Senate, that will be on him, and the entire country should be watching what he does. If he wants to actively work against Voter ID and the SAVE America Act, he must face the consequences of his actions. His state party should censure him, and/or he should be primaried if he wants to betray his constituents in this manner. That is the nature of politics.”
MIRV is a military term that stands for Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle, which Speaker Mike Johnson has used to describe attaching policy bills to defense funding legislation.
Stopping drownings
For years, Florida has led the nation in child drownings. At an event in South Florida, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz helped spotlight Summer programs aimed at preparing a generation of young swimmers.
She convened community advocates at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County in North Lauderdale, where she stressed the critical importance of water safety.
“Drowning is a public health crisis – and it needs to be treated like one. With 119 tragically losing their lives in 2025, we just had the deadliest year on record for child drownings here in Florida. Sadly, we’re on pace to surpass it,” Wasserman Schultz said.
“Since I came to Congress, I secured over $30 million for drowning prevention using my position on the House Appropriations Committee and will continue to fight for swim safety measures to save more children’s lives.”
It’s an issue she said has drawn her focus since her days serving in the Florida Legislature.
At the press event in Broward, she was joined by Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County Director of Aquatics George Coneo, Broward County Parks and Recreation Operations Manager Katherine Fermenich, Let Us Swim CEO and Diversified Swimming President Shana Lorde, Every Child A Swimmer Executive Director Cassie McGovern, and Safe Kids Broward Injury Prevention Coordinator Rachele Solomon.
Political prisoners
Five years after pro-democracy protests broke out in Cuba, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart said Congress still stands with the people there. The Hialeah Republican issued a public demand for Cuba to release political prisoners taken into custody amid the “Patria y Vida” events.
“We stand in solidarity with the brave Cuban people who, on July 11, 2021, made history by rising up across the island to demand freedom, dignity, and an end to decades of tyranny,” Díaz-Balart said.
“The historic J11 protests further exposed the brutality of the Castro regime. Instead of responding to the Cuban people’s legitimate calls for liberty, the dictatorship’s thugs unleashed violent repression, arrests, and harsh prison sentences against demonstrators, including minors. Still today, over 1,300 courageous Cubans — including 40 children — remain unjustly imprisoned.”
Díaz-Balart now chairs the House Appropriations National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee. From there, he has pushed for more funding to encourage democracy in Cuba.
“I demand the immediate release of all political prisoners, the end of impunity for those responsible for these heinous crimes, and I reaffirm my unwavering solidarity with those struggling for freedom,” he said.
Streamlining screenings
Flying in and out of Miami could soon be a little more efficient for international travelers. The House on Monday passed legislation championed by Rep. Carlos Giménez, a Miami-Dade Republican, which would further streamline security checks.
The One-Stop Pilot Program Extension Act (HR 9388) was introduced just last month by Giménez and Rep. Troy Carter, a Louisiana Democrat.
“In South Florida, Miami International Airport is one of the busiest international gateways in the United States. Every day, millions of passengers pass through airports like Miami International throughout the country,” Giménez said on the House floor. “We have a responsibility to keep those passengers and our airports moving efficiently while maintaining the highest security standards. This bill does exactly that.”
The bill expands a federal aviation security program that allows eligible international passengers and their checked baggage to connect to domestic flights without undergoing a second Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening.
“Passengers arriving from trusted foreign airports can connect to their final destination without unnecessary duplicate baggage screening,” Giménez said.
“Security is never compromised. Every participating airport must meet strict TSA standards. Customs and Border Protection retains full oversight, and any passenger or bag identified as a security concern receives additional inspection. This common sense bipartisan legislation will reduce delays, ease congestion, improve the travel experience, and strengthen our aviation system while protecting our homeland.”
Crossing the Capitol
One Hill staffer with strong Florida roots is moving to the other side of the Capitol.
Ryan Walker most recently worked as a legislative assistant to Rep. Jimmy Patronis, and before that, worked as Press Secretary for the Fort Walton Beach Republican during both his time in Congress and as Florida’s Chief Financial Officer.
But as of this week, he works for Moody. The legislative assistant will take over the junior Senator’s portfolio of issues related to agriculture, commerce, energy, environment, transportation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Originally from Clewiston, Walker graduated from Glades Day School in 2012 and now holds degrees from Palm Beach State College, the University of Florida and Stetson University College of Law.
On this day
July 14, 1798 – “Sedition Act becomes federal law” via History.com – While the United States engaged in naval hostilities with Revolutionary France, Alexander Hamilton and congressional Federalists took advantage of wartime fears and drafted and passed the Alien and Sedition Acts, without first consulting President John Adams. The first three acts targeted immigrants’ rights. The fourth act, the Sedition Act, became a black mark on the nation’s reputation. In direct violation of the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of speech, the Sedition Act authorized the prosecution of individuals who voiced or printed what the government deemed malicious remarks about the President or the government. Fourteen Republicans, mainly journalists, were prosecuted and some imprisoned.
July 14, 1943 – “George Washington Carver National Monument became the first to honor an African American” via The Wilderness Society – Congress dedicated George Washington Carver‘s boyhood home near Diamond, Missouri, as a national monument to celebrate his influence on agriculture in the early 20th century, seen in the now-common practice of rotating crops to allow nutrients in the soil to recover. This innovation stemmed from a conservation ethic that was ahead of its time. Carver is immortalized in a monument that also commemorates the history and struggle of underrepresented groups. Soon after Carver was born in 1864, slavery was abolished, and the young boy was raised by his former White masters, Susan and Moses Carver, on a small homestead.
Happy birthday
Best wishes to Rep. Cory Mills, who turned 46 on Monday, July 13.
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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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