Welcome to my e-newsletter, the Ready Room. As a retired Naval Aviator, the Ready Room is special to me because it’s where fellow aviators meet to brief and debrief missions. This is my weekly briefing to you on my mission in Congress. Please follow me on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube for regular updates on how my team and I are working to serve you in Congress.
Opposing Biden’s Negotiations With Iran
As part of its ill-conceived nuclear negotiations with Iran, the Biden administration is reportedly considering removing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list. This would be a dangerous decision for our country and our allies like Israel in the Middle East.
The IRGC is one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world today. Through its sponsorship of terrorism, it is responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people and at least 600 U.S. troops. It has consistently sought the destruction of our partners and allies in the region, most notably Israel, and has been an obstacle to peace in the Middle East for decades.
That’s why I led a letter joined by 86 of my House colleagues, urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to keep the IRGC on the designated FTO list. Removing this designation would remove sanctions against the IRGC and provide the group with more resources to kill innocent people and threaten Israel and our allies. Read the full letter here .
On Friday, I joined Fox & Friend’s First to discuss the threat posed by Iran and the IRGC. Watch my full interview here .
Discussing the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Last week, I joined Fox News’ Jon Scott to discuss the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainians have done an incredible job defending their country against difficult odds. In response, Russia has engaged in increasingly brutal tactics, targeting civilians, and wreaking indiscriminate destruction on their country. I raised concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use chemical or biological weapons in an effort to regain momentum in Ukraine. His actions, such as his purported use of hypersonic missiles, reveal his willingness to use anything at his disposal when backed into a corner. The U.S. must continue to supply Ukraine with Stinger missiles and other sophisticated air defense systems so they can continue to defend their country. The Biden administration must lead proactively to counter Russian aggression. To watch my full interview, click here .
Pre-register for the Congressional App Challenge
Franklin & 2021 Congressional App Challenge Winner, Varun Patel
Are you a middle or high school student with a great app idea? I’m pleased to announce that registration for the 2022 Congressional App Challenge is now open. The mission of the Challenge is to inspire, include, and innovate the efforts around STEM, coding, and computer science education. This nationwide effort allows students to compete alongside other peers by creating an app for desktop/PC, web, tablet, mobile, raspberry Pi, or other devices. The Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in the 15th Congressional District of Florida. Pre-register by clicking here .
Constituent Corner
Chandrash, a veteran who lives in Clermont, was experiencing long delays and having trouble setting up an appointment at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. After multiple attempts to set up an appointment failed, he reached out to our office for assistance. We contacted the Department of Veteran Affairs and successfully helped him schedule appointments. If you need help with a federal agency, please call my Lakeland office at (863) 644-8215 or visit my website franklin.house.gov .
I’m honored to represent you in Congress. For more information on constituent services, current legislation and to sign up for my e-newsletter, please visit my website at franklin.house.gov .
RNC Files Lawsuit Against Pelosi, Jan. 6 Committee, and Its Members
WASHINGTON – Today, the Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit against Nancy Pelosi, the January 6th Committee, and its Members:
“The RNC has sued to stop the January 6th Committee from unlawfully seizing confidential information about the internal activities of the Republican Party and millions of its supporters which is completely unrelated to the attack on the Capitol. Nancy Pelosi and the Committee have weaponized Congress’ investigatory powers by issuing this staggeringly broad subpoena which tramples on core First Amendment rights of the RNC and millions of Americans. The RNC is challenging this unconstitutional overreach so that one of America’s two major political parties may not use the force of government to unlawfully seize the private and sensitive information of the other,” said Justin Riemer, RNC Chief Counsel.
Background:
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing Nancy Pelosi and her January 6th Committee.
Pelosi’s committee has subpoenaed Salesforce.com (Salesforce) for the RNC’s data without any legitimate basis.
Digital communication has revolutionized how political parties and other non-profit organizations to operate, allowing organizations to interact virtually with millions of Americans and becoming a central and core component of political activities.
Salesforce collects and maintains significant amounts of RNC data, including confidential and sensitive information about private individuals with whom the organization has engaged, ultimately helping develop and execute political strategies.
The RNC had nothing to do with the violence that occurred at the Capitol and has repeatedly condemned it.
In fact, the RNC was a target of violence and had a bomb placed outside of RNC headquarters, which put our staff in immediate danger and is something the committee has yet to investigate.
Pelosi and the committee are weaponizing and abusing Congress’ investigatory power.
The committee’s subpoena is so broad, it jeopardizes exposing the personal and private data of up to 60 million Americans and strategy on things like our Election Day turnout operation and the Georgia Senate runoffs.
This information has nothing to do with January 6th, and there is simply no reason the committee needs personal and private information on millions of Americans.
Pelosi’s committee is illegitimate, having rejected two Republicans that McCarthy appointed to the Committee – Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IN) – an abuse of power for purely political reasons.
Pelosi’s committee has dramatically exceeded its scope, having issued hundreds of wide-ranging subpoenas and demanded records well beyond the scope of the events of January 6th.
Pelosi’s committee has disregarded checks and balances and has no respect for due process.
Pelosi’s committee is unconstitutionally attempting to exercise law enforcement authority, with The New York Times reporting that the committee “is employing techniques more common in criminal cases than in congressional inquiries.”
Congressional committees are supposed to write laws, not run politicized investigations for the purpose of prosecuting their political opponents.
Pelosi is attempting to kneecap the RNC for political gain while trampling on free speech and freedom of political association.
If Pelosi and her committee want to look at candidates and committees who lie to their donors to dupe them out of money, they should look at Democrats.
In 2020, DCCC Chair Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) sent multiple emails falsely claiming that President Trump was “rigging” the election.
The far-left Progressive Turnout Project sent a fundraising appeal claiming Mitch McConnell had committed “treason” and had worked to “rig” the impeachment trial.
Lakeland resident Dennis Ross, who spent four terms in Congress, wants to return to Washington, D.C.
Ross announced Tuesday that he plans to run this year as a Republican in U.S. House District 15. The Florida Legislature has approved new district boundaries as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process, and the newly drawn District 15 will cover northeast Hillsborough County.
Rep. Scott Franklin, R-Lakeland, currently serves in District 15, which now covers northern Polk County and parts of Hillsborough and Lake counties. Florida gains a U.S. House seat because of population growth, and the Legislature’s map creates a new district that covers all of Polk County.
Franklin is expected to run in that district. Ross said that he intends to run in the new District 15 and will not challenge an incumbent.
“Seeing what’s happened in the last few years has just forced me to get off the sidelines and get back in the game, and that’s exactly the way I feel,” Ross said Tuesday afternoon. “And I feel compelled to do that in, I think, a very statesmanlike fashion (that) I think the voters are craving for. I am a conservative, always have been, but I think I’ve also worked over the years to build relationships even with divergent ideas, divergent thoughts.”
U.S. House members are not required to reside within their districts. For example, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, lives outside the boundaries of District 17, which he represents.
“And I think the one thing that I bring to the table is eight years of seniority when I go back, which will give them a step up in representation in Congress,” he said.
Ross, 62, served in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2019, originally in District 12. After the last round of redistricting, he shifted to District 15 for his next three terms.
Ross chose not to run for re-election in 2018 and was succeeded by Ross Spano of Dover. Franklin ousted Spano in the Republican primary in 2020 and then beat Democrat Alan Cohn in the general election.
Ross said he expects Republicans to retake a majority in the U.S. House with the midterm elections. He said he would push Republican leaders to “risk their majority” by acting on key issues they failed to advance when they controlled the chamber before.
Ross said he was frustrated by the Republicans’ inability to pass major bills on health care and reforms to immigration law, financial services and flood insurance. He said he favors a piecemeal approach on immigration, including a law to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program former President Barack Obama created by executive order.
Eddie Geller, a Democrat from Brandon, is running against Franklin and is expected to switch his candidacy to the new District 15. He leads all Democrats in the race in fundraising.
The battle over the nation’s children – from flagrant indoctrination to forced masking – has emerged in the national spotlight during the last two years, becoming a widely-known issue as parents take matters into their own hands after years of the left maintaining a monopoly on the educational system, doing their best to keep the leftist agenda moving forward.
However, in the last year, the woke left’s agenda has been exposed, leading to massive conservative victories, as with Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) monumental victory in Virginia last November. Parents are fired up and taking power back, but this battle started years ago, as parents such as Bridget Ziegler waged a war against the radical left at the local level, even before it became a commonly known national issue. Ziegler shared her story in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News.
The Inner Workings
Ziegler, a mom of three and member of the Sarasota County School Board in Florida, has been at the helm of this fight since joining the board in 2014 – long before wokeness in school was a mainstream topic. At the time, she was the mother of an 8 month old and worked in the private sector, as she still does to this day. Her husband is heavily involved in politics, now serving as the vice chairman of the Florida GOP. But at the time, in 2014, a vacancy appeared on the school board, and he encouraged his wife to run, as she is “passionate” about children’s issues. She ultimately filed and former Gov. Rick Scott (R), now a Florida senator, appointed her at the time. She went on to win the election in a close race and stood out as a “staunch” supporter of school choice, which she said was more of a “taboo at the time.” But the union, she said, “just lost it.”
Ziegler said she began to see things that were “shocking” to her upon joining the board, as it operates very differently than the business world. She described going to the Florida School Board Association meeting, a chapter of the National School Board Association, and at the time the unions were suing the governor and legislature for taxpayer scholarships — something she advocated for. It was odd, she said, for them to utilize taxpayer dollars to send her to this conference where they were touting issues she was against. Seeing this, she and other conservative board members formed the Florida Coalition of School Board Members, which she described as a “small but mighty group” that passed a ton of legislation. While effective, she said the group did not gro
w exponentially, despite others showing their support, because there was “very much of an indoctrination to school board members, to policy makers.”
“When you get up there and are elected, you’re automatically part of this association and they tell you that your job is to support the superintendent. [It’s] not about protecting, supporting, representing taxpayers or focus on financial stewardship or … it as very much about no dissenting, very much groupthink, get in line,” she said, as this same tactic appears to be the common theme in school boards across the country. Many people, she continued, subscribe to it, even though they claim to be “conservatives.” But when they get on these boards, they “lose their backbone.”
“They’re typically in the minority and then they just wouldn’t fight for a lot of these issues,” she said, noting that many wanted to join the group but did not because they were nervous about losing their posts. Ziegler, however, a conservative firecracker in this realm, refused to go along with business as usual, paving the way for much of the mainstream exposure to the agenda items pushed by these radically left actors serving on school boards across the country as they dictate what children are exposed to in school.
The conservative group worked with the legislature and had 3-4 years of wins and ultimately dissolved, but reframed because they “knew something was there,” particularly with the battle over parental rights. Some participants branched off, such as Tina
Descovich, who served as the group’s president, focusing on her group Moms for Liberty.
Ziegler, who said she never planned on going for a third term on the board, stuck around.
“I believe it’s so important and haven’t subscribed to the groupthink. I’ve been independent and been very consistent on my policies over the years. I think we do have a moment to really change the tide and all the things over the last six years that I’ve seen that are so incredibly broken, where people are not serving their community with the student’s best interest. It’s more about the system than it is the student,” she said, pointing to the “big educational industrial complex” and the millions that are “in this same game to protect the system.”
“And then you have the media that plays that role and protects the progressive left agenda that are being pushed in there, and also everyone wants to hide the — you know we can’t say anything negative about the school because then you’re anti-public school. It’s not about correcting issues,” she said.
“It’s about, your job as a school board member is to be a cheerleader, not to be someone that serves the public,” she added.
Hidden Agendas
These school boards across the country often sneak in left-wing agenda items without parents knowing. Ziegler provided an example, pointing to the battle over the Parental Bill of Rights in 2018 in Sarasota County, as it embraced “gender diverse guidelines” as left-wing groups lobbied districts to adapt such “guidelines” – a term that helped them circumvent the board completely, robbing parents of a true say. These guidelines, Ziegler said, essentially stated that it was up to a student to determine what gender identity he or she wanted to go with and forbid staff to contact parents on this issue. She fought against this on the board, which fueled her drive to work with the legislature to draft the Parental Bill of Rights, which took three legislative sessions to pass in 2020.
“But now it’s very well known,” she said, noting that parents were being “systematically cut out of their parents’ education on purpose.”
But in 2020, the indoctrination in the school system continued to become more mainstream nationally as leftists became more emboldened and “aggressive,” partially triggered by the George Floyd protests. As another example of the left sneaking in their hidden agendas, Ziegler described a BrainPOP video— a program used in K-5 “heavily across the country,” which covers a myriad of topics for students and touts which she described as lots of propaganda. One video focused on the George Floyd protests, she said, with undertones about systemic racism and defunding the police. The video, she said, essentially told children that they need to act as an avenue for change.
“[It’s] basically a training video for social justice warriors,” she said, noting that another parent made her aware of the video, so she brought it to the attention of the superintendent. Many were not even aware of this video, she stressed, so it was pulled, although that triggered worries about censorship. These sort of issues continued to become more mainstream as some teachers in the district expressed concerns about professional development – which was supposed to focus on reopening schools – instead centering on training for white privilege and cultural responses.
All of these micro-wins have continued to pile up, causing a groundswell of parents to see what is happening and take back control of their children’s education. Ziegler credited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for publicly standing up for parental rights, further nationalizing the issue.
A Crumbling Monopoly
Over the past year, these issues have come to the forefront nationally, serving as a driving force in elections. Between the radical Black Lives Matter agenda and nonessential anti-science coronavirus rules, parents have a clearer picture of the left’s long-held monopoly on their children’s education. And now, leftists are not sure how to handle it.
“Nationally, you see how concerned the left has become because they have had a full on monopoly on public K-12 education — if not all education as we see — and they’re going to
extraordinary levels because for the first time, I think they do see it’s at risk.,” she said, pointing to what we are seeing in areas such as Virginia, San Francisco, California. The left, she said, is “pulling out all the stops,” even stooping as low as deeming concerned parents domestic terrorists.
These school boards, she stressed, are innately tied with the Democrat Party, doing their best to coordinate their moves—a stark reminder that change truly does begin at the local level – a reality easily forgotten in a world of national headlines and personalities.
“The coordination that I’ve seen at the local level with the Democratic Party at the national level and state level with our local school boards to — for the mask mandates, to stick it to Gov. DeSantis because it was more about a DeSantis/Biden thing than it was about safety — and then you see now that there is a very strategic, coordinated effort with these foundations,” she said, using Sarasota County as a prime example and walking through the shift she has seen in the last 2-3 years.
Typically, the district would utilize pilot programs through nonprofits, but recently, she said there is a shift where districts — instead of utilizing money they have through funding – will earmark salary positions and fund them through these foundations, giving them a “straight back door into school districts to push programs.”
“And then the district ultimately is overleveraged and then they garner control without
being elected,” she said. Leaders such as DeSantis pushing back against the woke agenda has “triggered a lot of these foundations who used to work behind the scenes to double down and go all in,” she said, noting that it is happening in other districts as well.
Media’s Role
The establishment media, in its efforts to protect the left’s agenda, has only exposed the radical left’s agenda more. One recent example is their coverage of the Parental Rights in Education bill, which critics and establishment media outlets falsely deemed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, despite the fact that the bill simply protects children from age-inappropriate classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity, applying to children in kindergarten through third grade.
“Bringing that up has been– I knew it was right,” she said of the discussions over gender identity. The left, she said, is “artful” in their branding when they try to push their agendas, but the “reporting has gotten so ridiculous where they’re pushing the left’s narrative.”
“They’re not [just] reporting on the left’s narrative. They’re pushing the left’s narrative, just the same way like the textbook material and all that stuff is not just covering historical aspects,” she said. “They’re pushing a narrative. And so that is why I believe there’s so much concern because there’s way more awareness to it and they worked for decades to
really play this ground game.”
“And they have, between Gov. DeSantis being completely fearless when it comes to punching back, whether it be the media or education bureaucrats or the work school board members or the union, he’s not backing down and thank goodness,” she continued.
The more DeSantis pushes back, she continued, the more people get “excited and applaud,” but the left “who’s been in complete control for so long” is “going to extreme measures and like you see, you see the media kind of becoming unhinged and being reckless with their reporting.”
A “Wild” Moment
“If wasn’t on the school board — I don’t fault parents. I wouldn’t necessarily know who my school members were,” she said, speaking about the national awakening.
“I mean, I might because my family’s a little bit more politically active than the average person, but I understand that that’s how — I understand that’s why when COVID happened, people started to see and showed up to school board meetings and were met with complete disdain of which I had a front row seat to for years. They were shocked.”
It was something to behold as school board members kept “doubling down,” Ziegler explained. She said it was almost as if the school board members and the left “didn’t know
how to change their behavior because they’ve been doing it so long and normally people burn out, they go away.”
That was not happening this time.
In her experience, Ziegler said it takes more time to see a change, “but they [the left] can’t help themselves because they’re so drunk on the power and shameless.”
“Because historically, they’ve been able to run out the clock,” she said, identifying that tactic as a basic in the playbook of education.
That’s what is “wild about this moment,” she said, as these issues she has been fighting for are finally mainstream. “It’s just like — I use this phrase a lot, but I feel like I was screaming in a crowded room but no-one would hear me.”
The Continued Fight
It will be “interesting” to see how this continues to play out moving forward, particularly ahead of the midterm elections, Ziegler noted. The battle against Critical Race Theory (CRT), for example, was fresh in Virginia, serving as a catalyst for Youngkin’s victory. But in Florida, parents were not subjected to two years of closures, remote learning, and forced masking (outside of 11 counties). DeSantis listened to parents and waged a war against it all, long before the Democrat Party and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
decided to loosen mandates because they were getting crushed in the polls. But in other places in the country, she said, parents are grappling with some of those issues. Ultimately, she said it “remains to be seen” how this plays out in the future, as parents likely will not forget what the left put them through.
“It’s almost Marie Antionette-style ‘Let them eat cake,’” she said. “They’re so disregarding.” And still, people are still showing up – those who never voted or paid attention — “and those people are mobilizing and activating people,” she added.
Some parents, she said, may not be as vocal, but when it comes down to decision time, “it’s hard to forget the complete disregard that they were met with when it came to policy decisions impacting their children.”
The left is “going to try very hard to make them forget … and try to flip the script,” she warned, noting there are “still a lot of people who are just fed up with government institutions in and of itself.”
“And I think you’ll see more conservative and even moderates all in to see — certainly for someone like Gov. DeSantis and school board members willing to serve parents and serve the people,” she said.
However, Ziegler warned that the left will pull out all the stops to create their narrative and brand their opponents in a very particular way, “just like they do with DeSantis.”
They use extreme labels and see what sticks, she said.
“That is their playbook. And they do it well. And they play nasty” to maintain their power, she added.
Local Beginnings, National Results
While this movement made national headlines, there is still work to be done at the local level, as that is what has triggered so much of this change in awareness. Ziegler, for instance, has been in the minority since she has been on the “nonpartisan” school board, with the majority of school board members serving as “progressive liberal” members – the “norm” across the state and country, Ziegler explained.
However, that could soon change. Of the five school board seats in the county, three are up, including Ziegler’s, as she is running again. But the other two are not running for reelection. In other words, if Ziegler wins reelection and they flip just one of the open seats, they will successfully flip the entire board.
“And that’s big deal because we have, from a party standpoint again, the Republicans are very, from a conservative standpoint, very focused on school board and in Sarasota have the chairman of the party and the vice chairman of the party in Sarasota County” she said.“Gov. DeSantis is obviously been a big champion of parental rights and has highlighted some of the work I’ve done which put even more emphasis on that race,” she added.
Welcome to my e-newsletter, the Ready Room. As a retired Naval Aviator, the Ready Room is special to me because it’s where fellow aviators meet to brief and debrief missions. This is my weekly briefing to you on my mission in Congress. Please follow me on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube for regular updates on how my team and I are working to serve you in Congress.
Responding to the State of the Union
Congressman Franklin in the Cannon House Office Building
Last Tuesday, I attended President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address. While President Biden was quick to point to his alleged successes, the American people know better. Under his watch, American families are struggling with the highest inflation in 40 years, gas prices are skyrocketing, drugs are pouring into our open border, violent crime is up in our communities, and the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan has emboldened our adversaries like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
While these are serious challenges our nation is facing, I have faith that we can restore a brighter future. Florida has led the way with sound, conservative solutions that respect our freedoms as Americans. If our federal government followed suit, we would be in a much better place. As we Floridians like to say, it’s time to Make America Florida. Click here to read my full statement.
Missed Opportunity to Help Veterans
Many veterans who deployed to the Middle East and Afghanistan were exposed to toxic fumes emanating from burn pits. This exposure has caused severe health complications. Last month, the Senate unanimously passed S. 3541 , a bill to provide resources to help burn pit victims. The House should have passed this bill, but unfortunately, we had to vote on an overly broad bill that would extend benefits to many veterans who were never exposed. I know this to be a fact, because under the House bill’s criteria, I would be eligible for these benefits, even though I was never near a burn pit during my Navy career. We have a duty to care for our veterans, especially those who have been injured, and I will always stand up for my fellow veterans. But we must also ensure our VA system isn’t prevented from helping those in need because it is overwhelmed with cases that don’t truly belong in the system. That’s why I voted against the House version of the bill. Congress must resolve the differences between the House and Senate bills so veterans exposed to burn pits will finally receive the care they need and deserve.
Want a Flag Flown Over the US Capitol?
Did you know that flags may be purchased through our office and flown over the U.S. Capitol to honor a special event or commemoration? All flag purchases include a dedication message, which may be personalized for a particular person, event, or organization. For more information, click here.
Constituent Corner
Daniel is an active-duty U.S. Air Force member stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. While assigned there, his wife gave birth to their daughter. After obtaining her Consular Record of Birth Abroad (CRBA), they unsuccessfully tried to obtain her Social Security Number and Card. After reaching out to our office, my staff helped Daniel get what he needed. If you need assistance with a federal agency, please call our Lakeland office at (863) 644-8215 or visit my website at franklin.house.gov.
I’m honored to represent you in Congress. For more information on constituent services, current legislation and to sign up for my e-newsletter, please visit my website at franklin.house.gov .
With government funding slated to run out this past Friday, the House and Senate scrambled to pass a bill to keep the lights on and avoid a shutdown.
Written out of view of Americans and the rest of Congress, an exclusive group of leaders from both parties dumped a bill almost 3,000 pages long and costing an eye-popping $1.5 trillion taxpayer dollars on the House floor with less than 24 hours for members to read the bill before the vote.
The bill failed to rescind Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandates that have ousted our service members and fired our healthcare workers, advanced Biden’s climate policies, and included over $4 billion dollars worth of earmarks so lawmakers could bring their pet projects to fruition in their home states. Unrelated to government funding, the bill also jammed a version of the Violence Against Women Act which threatens American values such as our Second Amendment rights and fails to protect women from predators who may identify as a woman and gain access to facilities and programs alongside battered women. The bill even gives the Left exactly what they want by dramatically increasing the IRS’s budget to almost $13 billion, the same agency that under the last Democrat president targeted conservative Americans.
And with energy prices at record highs, the omnibus even pushed an earmark tackling racism in our energy system. You can’t make this stuff up.
It’s never been more clear to Americans that Washington is out of touch and not representing hard working Americans. This trillion dollars plus spending package comes at a time when Americans are reeling from Biden’s failed economic policies that have stuck us with record inflation and gas that tops well over $4 a gallon.
Both FL Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott were among 31 of 50 Senate Republicans who voted NO – please thank them. Shame on the 19 Republicans who voted Yes along with all Democrats.
Welcome to my e-newsletter, the Ready Room. As a retired Naval Aviator, the Ready Room is special to me because it’s where fellow aviators meet to brief and debrief missions. This is my weekly briefing to you on my mission in Congress. Please follow me on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube for regular updates on how my team and I are working to serve you in Congress.
Standing Up For Florida Farmers
Strawberry fields being harvested (Courtesy of Canva)
Florida farmers rely on seasonal labor to cultivate the crops that feed America. The visa process for farmers is already costly and cumbersome. Now the State Department plans to raise fees on H-2A temporary agricultural worker visas from $190 to $310. This is a costly 63% increase at a time when supply chain challenges and the labor shortage are already driving up the cost of doing business. That’s why I was pleased that Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24) joined me, along with more than 40 colleagues urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to halt the fee increase. Click here for more on this important issue.
Accepting Applications for Summer Interns
View of the Capitol Building from the west (Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol)
Are you or someone you know interested in interning in our Washington, DC or Lakeland office? We are currently accepting applications from college students or recent graduates. A congressional internship provides a valuable opportunity to learn more about the legislative branch and to serve constituents from Florida’s 15th Congressional District. Click here for information on how to apply.
Constituent Corner
Donald K. – Army Veteran from Lakeland, FL
Donald is a decorated U.S. Army Veteran from Lakeland who lost his medals and military records. After several unsuccessful attempts to contact the VA for help replacing them, Donald reached out to our office for help. We contacted the National Personnel Records Center and obtained his medals and military records. If you need assistance with a federal agency, please call our district office at (863) 644-8215 or visit my website at franklin.house.gov.
I’m honored to represent you in Congress. For more information on constituent services, current legislation and to sign up for my e-newsletter, please visit my website at franklin.house.gov .
EXCLUSIVE: The Republican National Committee (RNC) says a continuously expanding data-driven field program fueled by record-breaking fundraising will help put the GOP in the driver’s seat to win back majorities in the House and Representatives and Senate in November’s midterm elections.
The RNC, which shared its latest data and grassroots metrics first with Fox News on Wednesday, argues the rival Democratic National Committee (DNC) is “playing catch-up.”
Officials at the RNC say their story starts with fundraising.
As Fox News first reported a month ago, the RNC set an off-election record fundraising haul in 2021, edging the DNC in the campaign cash race. And the RNC topped its Democratic counterpart again in January fundraising, $13 million to $10.2 million. But the DNC retains a cash-on-hand advantage with over $11 million more in its coffers than the RNC as of the end of last month.
Pointing to Ronna McDaniel, who’s chaired the RNC since 2017, communications director Danielle Alvarez noted that “the chairwoman during her tenure has raised $1.3 billion.”
The RNC notes that its fundraising prowess has allowed it to invest in its data and field operations. The committee says it has invested over $350 million in data operation over the past couple of election cycles to develop state-of-the-art data and technology.
“Nobody else does data like the RNC does data,” Alvarez touted.
And RNC political director Elliot Echols noted that “all the data that the RNC collects … we share with campaigns up and down the ballot for free,” which he says gives them a huge advantage over the DNC.
“When we talk about being able to flip these voters back, it’s because of the RNC’s data operation that we’re able to share with state parties, share with campaigns, to provide the best targets for these candidates to go after and for us to turn them out.,” Echols said.
The RNC says its data helps it decide where to build its grassroots outreach operation.
“What’s driving all this is our data operation,” Echols noted. “It’s telling us who to go talk to. We’re then using this massive field investment that we have to then get our volunteers and our staff to have these conversations with people.
“The chairwoman’s investment in the ground game [in 2021] allowed us to re-engage a significant number of the 2.6 million volunteers and ultimately turn out Republican voters all across the country throughout the year.”
The RNC says that its efforts helped the GOP to flip the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general’s office and House of Delegates, in November’s elections in Virginia. It also made gains in the state legislature in the blue state of New Jersey.
The RNC says it currently has “more than 200 field staff in battleground states across the country” and that “we’re pretty close to presidential level build uts right now in a lot of these states and especially in battleground congressional districts.”
“These field staffers are out organizing their communities, recruiting, training and getting people activated to go out and make those volunteer voter contacts,” Echols said. “When it comes time to persuading and turning out people, Republicans up and down the ballot are in the best position possible.”
Paris Dennard, RNC national spokesman and director of Black media affairs, highlighted the committee’s current 20 community centers. It expects to expand that number to 30 by November’s midterms.
Dennard noted the “long-term strategic effort to engage the minority communities. And when I say minorities, I mean the Black community, the Hispanic community, Asian Pacific American community, as well as the Native American community.
“Donors and investors are saying this is something that is tangible, this is something that is real, this is something we can see that is happening that we want to invest in.”
The DNC is also highlighting its efforts.
Party officials note that the DNC transferred over $1.3 million in January to support state parties, and that the committee and President Biden have made “critical investments” in partners, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, (DCCC), the reelection arms of the Senate and House Democrats and the Democratic Governors Association (DGA).
The DNC highlights its $20 million funding last year to put staff on the ground in key states earlier than ever before, as well as a $25 million investment for voter education, protection and registration.
“Not only does the DNC have record grassroots engagement and has already invested more earlier than ever before in the midterm elections, but Democrats are actually delivering for the American people,” DNC deputy communications director Daniel Wessel told Fox News.
Wessel argued that “the Republican Party knows that boasting about their programs doesn’t mean they’ll win elections, and they should be more focused on figuring out how they’ll explain to voters their plan to raise taxes on over half of Americans while doing nothing to lower costs for working families.”
The RNC counters that the stability in its leadership has given it an edge in allowing it to think long term.
Alvarez noted that “by the time this cycle ends, chairwoman McDaniel will be the longest serving chair in RNC history and, as a result, she can make long-term strategic investments.”
Welcome to my e-newsletter, the Ready Room. As a retired Naval Aviator, the Ready Room is special to me because it’s where fellow aviators meet to brief and debrief missions. This is my weekly briefing to you on my mission in Congress. Please follow me on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and YouTube for regular updates on how my team and I are working to serve you in Congress.
Ensuring Fair Access to Banking
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Did you know that some of the largest U.S. banks are using their economic standing to discriminate against lawful companies with whom they disagree? Limiting access to capital by banks sets a dangerous and unacceptable precedent. Last week, I joined 62 of my House colleagues and co-sponsored the Fair Access to Banking Act , which prevents discrimination against constitutionally protected industries and law-abiding businesses by banks and financial service providers. Banks do not have the right to deny access to capital based on WOKE political agendas.
Are You a High School Student Interested in Attending a Service Academy?
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For high school students interested in applying to one of our service academies, applications are now open. Each year I have the privilege of nominating a limited number of people to our service academies. To begin the nomination process, please complete the form here . Please note the deadline for applications is October 7, 2022.
Constituent Corner
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Robert from Lakeland needed an expedited passport for work outside the U.S. When contacting the National Passport Center was unsuccessful, he called our office. We obtained the expedited passport for him within four weeks. If you need assistance with a federal agency, please call my Lakeland office at (863) 644-8215 or visit my website at franklin.house.gov.
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REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE NEWS UPDATE
