Government reopens, as Central Florida's congressional delegation largely backs deal

Most Americans slept through the brief second government shutdown of 2018.  A midnight deadline to fund the government came and went, without a deal in place.  However, just hours after the deadline a deal was reached and by Friday morning, the bill to fund the federal government was on President Donald Trump’s desk.

The deal, which does not address immigration, increases spending caps by $300 billion for the Department of Defense and domestic programs, with about $165 billion going to the Pentagon and $131 billion for domestic programs.  Additionally, there is $90 billion in disaster aid for Florida, Puerto Rico, and Texas.

“Florida and Puerto Rico have been in dire need of disaster relief funding, and I am proud that our work on the Senate Appropriations Committee has resulted in virtually all of our funding needs being met,” wrote Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) in a statement after the Senate voted 71-28 to pass the budget.  “For Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, this deal includes up to two years of funding for Medicaid and additional money for infrastructure, hospitals, schools, community health centers and grid work repair.”

“This is a big win for all those who are still struggling to recover from last summer’s devastating storms,” wrote Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida) who also voted in favor of the budget.  “For some, the funding in this bill is a light at the end of the tunnel and a major step forward in helping them return to the way life used to be before these storms.”

The spending for disaster recovery in Florida and Puerto Rico helped the bill attract bipartisan support from the Florida Congressional delegation with Democrats Darren Soto (D – FL 9) and Stephanie Murphy (D – FL 7) joining Republicans Ron DeSantis (R – FL 6) and Brian Mast (FL-18) in voting for the bill.

But the budget deal could also add an additional $400 billion to the deficit.  This coupled with the $1.5 trillion added to the deficit by the GOP Tax Plan and the anticipated return to trillion-dollar annual deficits next year, was too much for some local lawmakers to support.

“The massive growth in debt jeopardizes our national security. Voting for this deal today would be voting to do the opposite of what I pledged to my constituents and the American people,” wrote Rep. Daniel Webster (R – FL 11) in a statement explaining his “no” vote on the bill.  “For these reasons and more, I cannot support this bill. I pledge to continue to work hard on behalf of Florida’s hardworking taxpayers and families to advance common-sense reforms and principled policy and budgets that get our fiscal house in order.”

Rubio, who voted for the bill, echoed Webster’s concerns, writing, “while fiscal responsibility remains a top priority for me, I voted for this bill because we must make good on our promise to deliver long-overdue disaster relief to the people of Florida and Puerto Rico, and it is imperative that we fully fund and rebuild our military.”

Among the items of note in the budget:

$6 billion to help combat the opioid crisis nationwide.
$7 billion to help fund Community Health Centers nationwide.
Full funding for the Herbert Hoover Dike (Lake Okeechobee)
$2.7 billion in education funding nationwide.
$4 billion for repairs at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals nationwide.
Reauthorizes the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for 10 years
$2.3 billion for agricultural assistance for areas impacted by hurricanes
$81 million to repair facilities damaged at NASA's Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers during Hurricane Irma and Harvey
$835 million for U.S. Coast Guard costs associated with Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, Maria and Matthew

Cox Media Group