‘OUR SPACE COAST LAUNCHED THE FIRST AMERICAN SUBORBITAL FLIGHT AND THE FIRST AMERICAN TO ORBIT EARTH’

(Sunshine State News) – Led by two Republican congressmen, members of the Florida delegation are calling on the Trump administration to base the proposed U.S. Space Command in the Sunshine State.

On Tuesday, Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Bill Posey and Mike Waltz wrote a letter to acting U.S. Defense Sec. Patrick Shanahan on the matter. Waltz, the only freshman Republican serving on the U.S. House Armed Forces Committee, has been increasingly vocal about his support for the space industry’s role in Florida.

“We write to express our support for the establishment of a U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) and urge locating the headquarters in Florida,” the members wrote. “Space Command is a crucial step for the United States maintaining its position as a global leader in space innovation which is essential to national security and commerce in the 21st Century. According to the January 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, ‘countries – including U.S. adversaries and strategic competitors – will become more reliant on space services for civil and military needs, and China and Russia will field new counterspace weapons intended to target U.S. and allied space capabilities.’”

The members of the Florida delegation showcased why the Sunshine State makes sense to host the new branch of the military.

“Florida, with its existing civilian and commercial space infrastructure and launch capabilities, is uniquely suited, and the logical choice to locate USSPACECOM headquarters to counteract these growing threats,” they wrote. “Florida is the epicenter for America’s space program. Our Space Coast launched the first American suborbital flight and the first American to orbit Earth. From Cape Canaveral, rockets propelled the astronauts that left their footprints on the face of the moon and ferried the space shuttle astronauts into the stratosphere for 30 years. Florida universities lead the world in training premier aviation and aerospace talent, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

“Florida has a strong defense and aerospace industry base and also has a long history of supporting America’s military community,” they continued. “Florida offers an unrivaled quality of life for personnel and their families. Our state is committed to assisting our brave servicemembers who go into harm’s way overseas, and now into the frontiers of space. U.S. Space Command will be essential to American national security through the acceleration of space capabilities to defend our national interests and deter our adversaries. We hope these important factors are considered when your department makes recommendations as to where to locate the USSPACECOM headquarters.”

A handful of House Republicans have proposed legislation that would require federal workers to be paid if they are required to work during a government shutdown, a sign that Republicans are growing increasingly worried about the long-term effect of the ongoing lapse in government funding.

Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, introduced a bill with four other House Republicans to ensure federal employees who are required to work during the shutdown are paid. When the government is partially shut down, departments require essential employees to stay on the job without pay, while nonessential workers are furloughed without pay.

But Gibbs said it’s unfair to have essential workers do their jobs without any pay.

“If they are working to protect America and the lives of our citizens, they should be getting their paychecks on time,” Gibbs said. “We shouldn’t be forcing these men and women to shoulder the burden of Democrats’ unwillingness to work with President Trump and congressional Republicans to solve the humanitarian and security crisis on our southern border.”

The fight over funding for President Trump’s proposed border wall has prevented Congress from reaching a deal on funding for nine agencies, which forced them to partially shut down on Dec. 22.

Passing Gibbs’ bill into law might make it easier for the shutdown to continue since it would ensure critical federal workers are still paid on time. For that reason, it’s unlikely House Democrats would call it up for a vote.

Four other Republicans joined Gibbs on the bill: Reps. Mark Meadows, R-N.C.; Scott Tipton, R-Colo.; Morgan Griffith, R-Va.; and Susan Brooks, R-Ind.

Rep. Mo Brooks, a Republican from Alabama, introduced his own similar bill along with Rep. Bill Posey, R-Fla., to pay essential workers.

“Ordering a federal employee to work without timely pay is morally wrong and runs counter to every economic principle on which a free enterprise system is based,” he said.

Meadows also proposed a separate bill that would allow federal employees to make withdrawals from their Thrift Savings Plan accounts during a government shutdown.

The bills were proposed on Tuesday amid speculation that Republicans could start to crack under the pressure of a shutdown that would be the longest on record if it continues into Saturday. But as of Tuesday, Republicans said they still expect most Republicans to vote against Democratic bills this week aimed at funding the government without Trump’s border wall.

Still, Democrats on Wednesday were predicting that Republicans would start to cave in on those bills this week. Democrats need to pick up nearly 20 GOP votes in order to pass bills in the House.

At the end of last week, Congress reauthorized the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), elected officials from across the Sunshine State are increasingly calling for action.

After clearing the U.S. Senate without opposition, the U.S. House agreed to reauthorize the NFIP until May on a 315-48 vote with 69 members of the House not voting.

U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., was the only member of the Florida delegation to vote against reauthorization.

Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Bill Posey, Francis Rooney, Tom Rooney, Dennis Rossand Dan Webster did not vote. Neither did U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla.

At the end of November, freshman U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., who sits on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee which oversees the NFIP, took to the House floor and called for its reauthorization.

“I rise today urging action to extend the National Flood Insurance Program,” Crist said. “If Congress fails to reauthorize the NFIP by November 30th, millions of homeowners will be unable to obtain or renew their flood coverage. Housing markets will grind to a halt and families will be left at risk of financial ruin should a flood occur.

“Congress must put this uncertainty to rest,” Crist added. “Policyholders need stability. Our housing market needs stability. American families also need stability. I urge my colleagues to bring to the floor – and to pass – the reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program as soon as possible.”

Republicans from the Sunshine State are also calling for Congress to reauthorize the NFIP. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and outgoing U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., pushed for the reauthorization.

“Extending the NFIP for six months is good news for millions of Floridians. Congress must now use this time to come to a bipartisan and bicameral consensus that ensures the program is affordable and sustainable. I urge President Trump to quickly sign this important extension into law,” Rubio said after the House vote.K

Republican Congressman Vern Buchanan on Thursday applauded House passage of bipartisan legislation to combat the devastating impact of harmful algal blooms (HABs), including red tide. The bill now heads to President Trump for his signature.

“Red tide has plagued our local economy, environment, and way of life,” Buchanan said in a written statement. “I urge the president to swiftly sign this bill into law.” 
 
Buchanan, co-chair of the Florida congressional delegation, worked with three other Florida congressmen, Alcee Hastings, Bill Posey and Brian Mast, to get the bill passed. 

“Red tide is a problem that requires more research and development of cutting-edge technologies to mitigate its damaging effects,” Buchanan continued.

The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2017 was included in the legislation passed Thursday by Congress, providing more than $100 million to combat HABs like red tide. It also establishes a process to declare an “Event of National Significance.” That declaration would trigger disaster-like funding for affected communities.

The bill also reauthorizes the Harmful Algal Bloom Federal Interagency Task Force; formally adds the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the task force; and permits private donations to be used to fund recovery for events of national significance, according to Buchanan’s statement.

Harmful algae blooms cause $82 million in economic losses to the seafood, restaurant and tourism industries each year in the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) claims.

Buchanan co-sponsored nearly identical bipartisan legislation in the House (H.R. 4417) and earlier this summer wrote a letter with Democrat Hastings urging House leadership to immediately bring this legislation to the floor for a vote. Buchanan and Hastings are co-chairs of the 29-member Florida congressional delegation.

Separate legislation signed into law earlier this year included Buchanan’s proposal to provide NOAA with an additional $8 million to reduce the threat of algal blooms, including red tide.

Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Posey may have seen his most organized Democratic opponent yet this fall but it made little difference as he easily won re-election to a sixth term representing Florida’s Space Coast in Congress.

Posey crushed Democratic activist and business consultant Sanjay Patel by a spread of 61 percent to 39 percent Tuesday, after Patel’s campaign raised more money and organized more volunteers than any previous challenger Posey has faced in Florida’s 8th Congressional District.

The Republican from Rockledge, who has a critical seat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee and on its Space Subcommittee, ran a campaign largely on supporting the economic policies of President Donald Trump and on his record in bringing the commercial space industry to life in Brevard County.

The district, which covers Brevard County, a piece of east Orange County, and a section of north Indian River County, went solidly for Trump in the 2016 election and has trended more Republican since.

Posey won in Brevard by 60 percent to 40 percent, and in Orange by slightly better, 61-39.

Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Posey had the most significant fundraising drive yet for his re-election campaign during August and September, bringing in $182,000 to fuel his battle with Democratic challenger Sanjay Patel in Florida’s 8th Congressional District.

In this latest reporting period, the incumbent Posey easily outraised Patel, who nonetheless once again put up fairly impressive fundraising numbers for a first-time candidate with little or no outside backing, in a race for what most observers consider a very safe Republican congressional seat.

Posey, who entered both the 2018 race and the most recent campaign finance reporting period with big cash advantages because of a big rollover of unused funds from his 2016 re-election campaign, also is outspending Patel significantly. Posey continues to have a huge cash advantage for the stretch run, though his Democratic challenger entered October with a war chest larger than those held by some incumbent members of Congress in Florida.

CD 8 covers Brevard County and parts of east Orange and north Indian River counties. Republicans have about a 12-point voter registration advantage.

Going into October, Posey had raised $780,000 in this election cycle and spent $642,000 of that, including $170,000 during the Aug. 9-Sept. 30 period, according to campaign finance reports posted Wednesday by the Federal Election Commission. That left him with $650,000 left to spend in October and early November.

Patel brought in $76,000 in August and September. With the $39,000 his campaign raised before the pre-primary Aug. 8 reporting deadline, Patel has managed to attract six-figure contribution money in consecutive quarters. In the second quarter of 2018, he outraised Posey.

Patel now has raised more money for his 2018 bid, $307,000, than Posey’s previous four challengers combined. Patel spent only $97,000 of that, including $58,000 in August and September. So he enters the final weeks of the campaign with $210,000 left.

Posey received $479,000 of his campaign contributions from individuals and $303,000 from political action committees.

Patel picked up $289,000 from individuals and about $12,000 from PACs.