Fist bump. America. Fire.

A political firestorm spread through Washington after a report that President Donald Trump’s hand-picked military leaders included a journalist from The Atlantic in a message thread on Signal about a recent attack on the Houthis. But one particular message became an instant meme.

National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, a former Northeast Florida Congressman who resigned his seat in January to take on his White House role, replied to developments of the counteroffensive attack with a series of emojis: a fist bump, an American flag and a flame.

The cartoon communication style, included in a thread intended to be private within a group of administration leaders, attracted criticism and was derided as immature and unprofessional. It also became the most imitated portion of the entire text conversation.

That came from Democratic critics, including some former colleagues of Waltz’s in the congressional delegation like Reps. Maxwell Frost and Jared Moskowitz. “No, this is not an article from The Onion,” posted Frost, an Orlando Democrat.

Moskowitz, a Parkland Democrat with a penchant for social media trolling, posted screenshots of the three emojis to his X feed on five separate occasions Monday, the day The Atlantic released news about the thread.

But perhaps more serious for Waltz, he was also quickly fingered as the reason The Atlantic reporter Jeffrey Goldberg ended up on the text chain. POLITICO reported that the episode prompted an internal conversation about whether Waltz should be forced from his White House role. “It was reckless to be having that conversation on Signal,” one official anonymously told the outlet. “You can’t have recklessness as the national security adviser.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, though, defended Waltz amid criticism. “As President Trump said, the attacks on the Houthis have been highly successful and effective. President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team, including National Security Adviser Mike Waltz,” read a statement provided to CNN.

In Congress, Republicans expressed concerns about the thread but stopped short of demanding scalps. House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast, a Stuart Republican and a close ally of Waltz during their time in the House, said he was “absolutely” concerned about using Signal to discuss classified information, according to The Hill. But Mast argued there was no “systemic thing” that warranted investigation.

Rocket roundtable

Sen. Ashley Moody convened space leaders from around the state as part of a push from Florida lawmakers to relocate NASA headquarters to the Space Coast.

The Plant City Republican led a roundtable discussion at Space Florida’s headquarters to discuss the benefits of such a move.

“We are working with leaders in the space industry to advance our efforts to bring NASA headquarters to Florida,” Moody said.

“Today’s discussion highlighted just how well-situated Florida’s Space Coast is for this monumental move, and how this effort would improve efficiency, foster collaboration with private space companies and capitalize on our well-trained, highly skilled aeronautical workforce. It would also boost our economy, increase tourism, and solidify Florida as the Space State. I am proud to be the sponsor of the CAPE Canaveral Act and will continue fighting in Washington to bring NASA headquarters here where it belongs.”

She filed a bill with Sen. Rick Scott to move NASA HQ to Florida. But Texas leaders also want the space agency there. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott launched a state commission to promote the industry there.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos, a Space Coast Republican, was also part of Moody’s forum, as was Florida International University Interim President and former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, who chairs Space Florida.

Space Florida CEO Rob Long participated, as did Embry-Riddle University President P. Barry Butler and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rodney Cruise, University of Central Florida physicist Dr. Philip Metzger, and EDC Florida Space Coast President Lynda Weatherman.

Pushing Powell

After years of criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Scott called for the economic leader’s resignation.

“Jay Powell proves time and time again that he is a failure at the Federal Reserve,” Scott wrote in a Fox News op-ed.

Much of the write-up criticized policies under former President Joe Biden. Scott said Powell has mismanaged the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet to the point that it grew to an “unsustainable $6.8 trillion.”

“I talk to Floridians who can’t afford a mortgage because of high interest rates,” he said. “They’re working 40+ hours a week but still relying on food banks for dinner, and they don’t understand why their federal government has been driving policies for the past four years that make things worse for them. That is unacceptable and I know that I am not the only one here in Washington (who) is hearing these heartbreaking stories. Now, it is incumbent on those who have the power to reverse these failures to act.”

The demand from Scott comes as Trump and Powell publicly debate whether interest rates should be lowered.

Farm bill frustrations

The farm bill was supposed to pass nearly two years ago but remains mired in negotiations between the House and Senate. Can it be included in the budget reconciliation process?

Rep. Kat Cammack, the top Florida Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, said that’s “absolutely feasible.” But in an interview with Agri-Pulse Newsmakers, she clarified that it could be a tough row to hoe.

“Reconciliation, it’s a beast. It is an arduous process from start to finish,” the Gainesville Republican said. “And so even though you avoid the 60-vote threshold in the Senate, you have to really reconcile the House and the Senate, and really be mindful of revenues, impacts, outlays. And the farm bill is a beast of a bill in itself.”

Cammack said the process could be so lengthy that it’s unlikely to get done this budget year. Meanwhile, she said agriculture producers in Florida and nationwide desperately need certainty about what a farm bill will contain.

“I’ve heard, OK, we’re going to try to get this done by the beginning of Fall. I’m sorry, but we can’t go until the Fall for answers,” she said. “And so, there is a lot of us aggies on the Hill that are concerned that this is going to end up getting pushed to the back burner, as it has in the past, and we just can’t keep kicking the can down the road.”

Leadership fights

As House leadership navigates a tight majority to pass significant legislation, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna voiced irritation at Speaker Mike Johnson for how he has managed members not perfectly in lockstep with his agenda.

The St. Petersburg Republican, a loyalist to Trump who has criticized House leadership, voiced frustrations on X shortly after complaining that Johnson would leak details of budget negotiations with the Senate to press ahead of informing members. She touched on several disagreements she has had with the Louisiana Republican.

“Leadership has been dragging their feet on codifying anything Trump has done. Yet they’re actively working against parents being able to vote,” Luna posted, before arguing she was retaliated against while pursuing a post on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC).

“Did you know they also kept me off HASC (a female vet) because I voted with Rep. Thomas Massie to try to stop FISA in current form? If we’re going to talk to the press, at least be honest with what you guys are doing behind the scenes. I like Johnson, but the swamp is still alive and well.”

Union busting

Rep. Scott Franklin has renewed an effort to limit labor representatives’ ability to perform union work on the taxpayer’s dime.

The Lakeland Republican reintroduced the Taxpayer-Funded Union Time Transparency Act, which requires agencies to report how much “official time” union leaders are paid to do work while being paid as public employees.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t pay for empty federal office buildings or for federal employees to unionize on the clock,” Franklin said. “It’s just common sense — Americans deserve a full, detailed account of how bureaucrats use both their official time and office space for union-related work.”

Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, will carry a Senate companion.

The bill as written would require agencies to report the total amount of official time authorized under federal law, provide data on person-hours used for union duties, including negotiation, mediation and arbitration, reveal the square footage of federal space set aside for unions, along with reimbursement information and show year-over-year comparisons on all of this data with justifications for any increased spending.

“This is exactly the kind of waste and abuse my friend, Sen. Joni Ernst, and I are fighting to root out alongside the Trump administration,” Franklin said. “The President was right to order federal employees back to the office — but if taxpayers are footing the bill, workers must be accountable for how they spend their official time. Our bill will provide critical transparency and expose entrenched bureaucrats who have been skirting these important reporting requirements for far too long.”

Elevating FEMA

​​Two Representatives who know more than they want about hurricane recovery would like to elevate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) status.

Rep. Byron Donalds, a Naples Republican, joined Moskowitz to file a bill that would make FEMA a Cabinet-level agency reporting directly to the President, as reported by Fox News. FEMA falls under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) umbrella.

Donalds represents Southwest Florida, which in 2022 took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian as a Category 5 hurricane. Moskowitz, meanwhile, previously served as Florida’s Director of Emergency Management.

“As the first Emergency Management Director ever elected to Congress, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges of preparing for, responding to and recovering from disaster events,” Moskowitz said. “As these emergencies continue to grow larger and more widespread, the American people deserve a federal response that is efficient and fast.”

Donalds said it could also serve the mission of government efficiency.

“It is imperative that FEMA is removed from the bureaucratic labyrinth of DHS and instead is designated to report directly to the President of the United States.”

More TPS changes

The Trump administration’s revocation of temporary legal status for 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans will impact residents of Florida more than any other state.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Miramar Democrat and Haitian American, slammed the decision as an attack on those at risk of persecution in their homelands.

“As I’ve stated before, the abrupt removal of nearly half a million individuals is inhumane, irrational, and it will have an irreparable impact on businesses across the country and our economy at large,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.

“Those with humanitarian parole status legally work and pay taxes in the U.S. Across South Florida and throughout the nation, they have strengthened our workforce, supporting our airports, our hospitals, our small businesses and our schools.”

According to the Migration Policy Institute, 49% of Haitian immigrants in the U.S. live in Florida, along with 51% of Venezuelans and 76% of Cubans. Similar breakdowns were not available for Nicaraguans, but 11% of immigrants in the U.S. from Central America live in Florida, and Nicaraguans make up roughly 7% of that group, according to Institute data.

Cherfilus-McCormick said those communities need to be heard in Washington.

“I continue to remain in communication with those who would bear the brunt of this decision and am strongly urging the administration to reverse course immediately,” she said.

Blasting Global Media

While the decision to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), including Radio Martí in Miami, generated bipartisan pushback in South Florida, Mast clearly supported the move.

Mast, a Stuart Republican, chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In that capacity, he has criticized silencing broadcasts worldwide.

“The U.S. Agency for Global Media, its outlets and its grantees are blatant examples of how the far left has hijacked your money and your agencies to support terrorist sympathizers, give cover to the CCP, and push anti-American propaganda at home and abroad,” Mast said.

“For years, USAGM’s leaders have ignored serious concerns about fraud, corruption, and their failure to uphold American ideals. President Trump, Kari Lake, and the Foreign Affairs Committee are going to act. If one dollar comes out of your pocket, it has to be explained how that money is better used abroad than in your own wallet — and if we can’t defend it, we will defund it.”

Energy enthusiasm

The senior Democrat in Florida’s congressional delegation wants to strengthen the economic relationship between the U.S. and Israel and sees energy as a strong conduit.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Weston Democrat, filed the BIRD Energy and U.S.-Israel Energy Center Reauthorization Act, extending the U.S.-Israel energy partnership through 2034.

That partnership calls for research and development collaboration between companies and researchers in both nations on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“For over a decade, the BIRD Energy program has demonstrated the power of collaboration between the U.S. and Israel in advancing clean energy solutions,” Wasserman Schultz said.

“By reauthorizing and expanding this successful initiative, we are doubling down on our commitment to innovation, energy security and economic growth. This bill will help develop cutting-edge technologies like hydrogen and fusion energy while strengthening our shared energy infrastructure. Investing in this partnership is an investment in a cleaner, more resilient future for both nations.”

She filed the bill with Republican Reps. Buddy Carter of Georgia, Joe Wilson of South Carolina and Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois.

“Israel is one of the United States’ strongest allies,” Carter said. “By expanding the mutually beneficial U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation program, we will continue to grow our strategic partnership, increase our joint energy security, and ensure both nations have access to cutting-edge technology.”

Housing confirmed

Bill Pulte became the latest Florida man sworn into a key post in the Trump administration earlier this month. The Boca Raton resident was sworn in as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency on March 14 by Vice President JD Vance.

The agency’s fifth Director, created amid the Great Recession to oversee Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank System, is the grandson of Pulte Homes’ founder. He has been a prominent philanthropist, supporting causes in Florida and Michigan for years.

“I am honored by President Trump’s trust as we usher in a Golden Age of housing and mortgage accessibility,” Pulte said.

“Safe and sound housing markets are the foundation of American homeownership, so I will be laser-focused on the safety and soundness of our regulated entities as we ensure that the dream of homeownership becomes a reality for as many Americans as possible.”

On this day

March 5, 1776 — “George Washington earns first Congressional Gold Medal” via the U.S. Navy — Boston was the American headquarters of the British army. After months of preparation, Gen. Washington, Commander of the Continental Army, ordered his men to begin bombarding the city. After a few days of heavy artillery fire, British Gen. William Howe, noticing he and his troops would not be able to defend the city with the decisive positioning of the Continental Army, decided it would be to withdraw. Because of his decisive victory during the Battle of Boston, Washington was awarded the first Congressional Gold Medal by the Continental Congress for his “wise and spirited conduct” in bringing about the British evacuation of Boston.

March 5, 1965 — “Martin Luther King-led march reaches Alabama capital” via The White House — Thousands of people joined along the way to Montgomery, with roughly 25,000 people entering the capital on the final leg of the march. The marchers made it to the entrance of the Alabama State Capitol building, with a petition for Gov. George Wallace. A few months later, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, which President Lyndon B. Johnson signed on Aug. 6. The Voting Rights Act was designed to eliminate legal barriers at the state and local level that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment — after nearly a century of unconstitutional discrimination.

___

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

Post Views: 0

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is strongly urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to name his successor quickly. Patronis submitted a resignation in November to run for Congress in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, and Monday will be his last day.

“I wanted to ensure the transition is seamless,” Patronis wrote to DeSantis. “I take the functions of this office very seriously and believe a new CFO should be identified prior to my exit, and sworn in no later than the evening of April 2, 2025.”

Patronis noted that Florida law required he resign his seat to seek another office. That resignation is irrevocable, and while the Panama City Republican heads into an April 1 Special Election a favorite based on voter registration numbers, he must leave his office after Monday either way.

Patronis has publicly endorsed Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who already filed to run for Chief Financial Officer in 2026, to immediately take over the role. But Patronis’ letter makes no mention of his preference and stressed that the decision on who to appoint to the Cabinet post rests with DeSantis.

But Patronis also said he wants to help with a transition.

“While the decision on who runs the Department of Financial Services lies exclusively with you, it is my honest belief that it is in the interest of the agency, and the people of Florida, to announce the appointment prior to my exit to allow for a certain level of overlap,” Patronis wrote.

Patronis also noted that he will leave his current office halfway through the Legislative Session. That makes it all the more important that a new CFO be in place to meet with lawmakers to handle agency priorities regarding the state budget and insurance issues.

“This agency is very important and is not to be overlooked as something that could function on autopilot,” Patronis wrote. “We are providing oversight and making decisions every day to help people, and a strong leader who is fully apprised of DFS’s role in Florida is critical to ensuring nothing breaks and that the trains continue to run on time.”

Patronis also recalled that he was originally appointed to the CFO post by former Gov. Rick Scott, replacing former CFO Jeff Atwater when he resigned to become President of Florida Atlantic University. Atwater aided Patronis through a transition, and Patronis would like to do the same with his successor.

“I will be forever grateful to CFO Atwater for how he handled transition, and helped me as I entered a new space,” Patronis wrote. “In the coming days, someone will be in the same position, and I want to make sure that my team is doing right by whomever you decide to place in this role.”

Post Views: 0

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera faced a fairly friendly audience as he spoke to Senators at his confirmation hearing to become U.S. Ambassador to Panama.

During the hearing, Cabrera fielded questions from both sides of the political aisle on how he views his potential role. Things never grew heated and featured only one potentially contentious exchange. Otherwise, the discussion centered solely on policy, particularly how Cabrera planned to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda for the Central American nation, its pivotal canal, foreign influence on trade, immigration and drug trafficking.

Asked about Trump’s calls for the U.S. to reclaim control of the Panama Canal for national security purposes, Cabrera said his job would be to “serve at the pleasure of the President” and reiterated Trump’s assertion that “all the options are on the table.”

“Part of ‘all the options’ includes diplomacy,” he said, adding, “President Trump is our Commander in Chief, and I stand behind him and his policies.”

Cabrera, a government relations specialist who led Trump’s 2020 campaign in Florida and was elected last year as a Republican State Committeeman, emphasized his nonpartisan work on the 13-member Miami-Dade Commission, where he has served for the past two and a half years.

He said cross-aisle support he enjoyed in his ambassadorial candidacy from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commission Vice Chair Kionne McGhee, both Democrats, and others from all political stripes.

He stressed that as an Ambassador, he would endeavor to fulfill Trump’s foreign policy mandate to make the U.S. “stronger, safer and more prosperous” while doing his best to maintain the Panama Canal’s neutrality.

But there are concerns. The Chinese Communist Party has exercised increased influence on the region and Panama, which Cabrera noted was both the first Central American country to enter and leave China’s massive Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

China’s tendrils are likely still embedded there, Cabrera said.

“You’ve seen it in cities like Colón, with the cybersecurity grants (China gave) for cameras in the area. You don’t know where that cloud information might be stored, who has access to it, and some of the reports were they have cranes that have been given to them by the Chinese government as well,” he said.

“As a County Commission, we have seen where many times (foreign entities, working through a local business proxy, will) underbid these sorts of things to get their cranes in there by a significant (discount). A lot of these companies are partially government (owned).”

One way the U.S. can counteract China’s influence, he argued, is through economic diplomacy.

“When (American companies) compete, they win, because we have a better product,” he said. He added that China’s sponsorship of Confucius Institutes at all five public universities in Panama and its relationship with government-run TV stations, which “never criticize China,” still pose challenges.

Cabrera said that a lot of work remains to be done to crack down on trafficking and illegal migration, but much has already been accomplished under Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio over the past 60 days, including a 95% drop in crossings through the Darién Gap, a 60-mile roadless stretch or rainforest on the Colombia-Panama border.

That’s a big deal, he said.

“This is an area where two years ago, you had over 500,000 folks crossing, “he said. “Stopping migration … helps us at the southern border and helps America to make sure these drugs aren’t infiltrating.”

For the most part, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s hardest questions were reserved for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick for Israel Ambassador, and his efforts to distance himself from his past rhetoric on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Huckabee and Cabrera fielded questions Tuesday alongside Reed Rubenstein, who served as Deputy Associate Attorney General during Trump’s first administration and is pending confirmation as a Department of State legal adviser now.

Early into the hearing, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate against Trump in 2016, asked about a 2018 incident in which Cabrera, then working as a lobbyist, was caught on video protesting alongside members of the far-right Proud Boys group outside the office of former U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala.

Cabrera has repeatedly maintained that he was exercising his First Amendment rights and denounced the Proud Boys and “any group that espouses any sort of hate.” He repeated that statement, verbatim, when Kaine asked him to condemn the Proud Boys.

“I believe there is no place for (hate), and we have to work together, and I think it would make for a better world,” he said.

Kaine thanked him for being clear on the matter.

Trump tapped Cabrera, who serves as Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade International Trade Consortium, to be his Panama point person in late December, writing on Truth Social that Panama was “ripping (the United States) off on the Panama Canal, far beyond their wildest dreams.”

“Kevin is a fierce fighter for America First principles,” Trump wrote. “Few understand Latin American politics as well as Kevin — he will do a FANTASTIC job representing our Nation’s interests in Panama!”

A vote on his confirmation will occur at a to-be-determined date.

Post Views: 0