Diaz-Balart: Let the sun shine in

A group of House Republicans, including Lincoln Diaz-Balart, is calling on the Democratic chair of the House Rules Committee to let the often long, often late-night, meetings be televised, the Hill reports.

Diaz-Balart, the second ranking Republican on the committee, has often taken to the House floor to decry restrictions on legislation imposed in the committee.

“Whether it is a 300-page amendment dropped in members' laps at 3 o'clock in the morning, a conference report authorizing large payouts to AIG executives, or the Rules Committee's new-found role as the arbiter of every amendment considered on the floor of the House, the public deserves to see what we're up to in the Rules Committee,” he and the others wrote.

Bob Graham tapped to help find cause of financial crisis

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today appointed Florida's Bob Graham to a 10-member financial crisis inquiry commission, established by Congress to examine the domestic and global causes of the financial crisis. 

“The American people are entitled to a thorough examination of what went wrong," Reid said. "The men and women who we appoint to this commission must help the public gain a full understanding of why our system failed us in the past and I am confident that we have chosen the right people to lead that effort."

Pelosi said the commission is charged with conducting a "thorough, systematic, and non-partisan examination of the failures in both government and financial markets. The men and women we are appointing today bring great experience and credibility to the work of the commission.” 

Florida GOP'ers bash stimulus; DOT transportation chief says, with a smile, he's not heard any complaints from Crist

Mario Diaz-Balart and John Mica have joined the chorus of Republican critics panning the Obama administration's stimulus plan as -- in the words of Diaz-Balart -- "a dismal failure." At a press conference Friday, Diaz-Balart noted the unemployment rate has continued to climb and Mica, the top Republican on the House Transportation Committee, says only 1 percent of the transportation dollars have been spent.

"Americans have realized that the promises made with the passage of the so-called stimulus were in fact just empty promises," Diaz-Balart said.

But Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood disputed the assertions Monday and noted he's not heard such criticism from Gov. Charlie Crist -- the rare GOP governor who enthusiastically embraced the stimulus plan.

"I think if you talk to Gov. Crist, he would tell you that there's a lot of money flowing into Florida," said LaHood, a former Republican congressman. "I've not heard one complaint from Gov. Crist about this," he said, smiling broadly.

Another candidate for Meek seat

Prominent defense attorney Roderick Vereen is adding his name to the list of contenders for the seat to be vacated by U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, who is running for the Senate.

Vereen will compete in a crowded Democratic primary against state Sen. Frederica Wilson, state Rep. Yolly Roberson, former state Rep. Phillip Brutus and Haitian-American activist Marleine Bastien.

Hosts for Vereen's kickoff fundraiser tomorrow in Coconut Grove include a number of well-known attorneys: Kendall Coffey, Ben Kuehne, Joe Geller, Brian Tannebaum.

Martinez and Nelson fire a warning shot on Cuba proposal

With word of Sen. Byron 'Let's drill off Florida's coast' Dorgan proposing an amendment to extend U.S.-based financing to Alimport, a corporation of the Castro regime in Cuba, Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson have fired off a letter, warning lawmakers off.

According to Martinez's office, the amendment would alter the current practice of "cash-in-advance" for authorized sales to Alimport, which is owned and operated by the Castro regime. Dorgan earlier this year introduced a bill to allow Americans to travel to Cuba.

"Any policy change concerning the national security of the United States should be subjected to a full and rigorous debate...." the pair say in a  letter to SAC re Cuba Polic to Appropriations Committee chair Sen. Daniel Inouye.

Jeb to push for immigration reform

Jeb Bush will be back in DC this week to present a Council on Foreign Relations-sponsored report on immigration policy that calls for a path to legalization for illegal immigrants -- a position shared by his brother, former president George W. Bush.

The task force -- co-chaired by Bush and Mack McLarty, former President Bill Clinton's chief of staff -- argues that "the failure to reform immigration laws and procedures threatens to harm America's economy, jeopardize its diplomacy, and weaken its national security."

The report urges Congress and the Obama administration to undertake a new effort with three central components: "the creation of a more efficient legal immigration system that responds to labor market needs and enhances U.S. competitiveness; a strong enforcement regime that secures U.S. borders and ends the hiring of unauthorized workers; and a program of earned legalization that will offer an
opportunity for many illegal immigrants to earn the right to remain in the United States."

Ileana and the president

The House Republican who famously hung up on President Barack Obama after his election, is still welcome in the Oval Office.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was at the White House Wednesday as Obama signed into law a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots who served during World War II. Ros-Lehtinen was one of the bill's sponsors.

 Photo courtesy The White House

Wasserman Schultz defends her cancer bill

Debbie Wasserman Schultz took to the airwaves -- MSNBC - today to defend her legislation aimed at educating younger women about breast cancer. The bill has attracted opposition from several cancer groups who say it's well-meaning, but misguided. And Nancy Snyder, host of MSNBC's "Ask Dr. Nancy," appears to agree with them.

"At a time when you have been charged as a member of Congress to overhaul health care reform, and there doesn't seem to be enough money to go around, my concern is while well meaning, we know that
younger women have lumpier breasts, the chance of more false positives, higher spending," Snyder said. "Even the National Breast Cancer Coalition, which is seen by doctors as being a really credible coalition, even the American Cancer Society, they haven't jumped on the bandwagon with you."

Wasserman Schultz noted the "majority of the breast cancer advocacy community" supports the bill.

"The bottom line is it is a paltry sum to spend $9 million a year simply to raise the awareness of women younger than 45 about the importance of focusing on their breast health," Wasserman Schultz said. "We need to make sure that young women know what their breasts feel like and know what's normal for them so that they know when something feels different."

Dems eager to take on Miami Republicans?

The Southern Political Report suggests Democrats are eager for another bite at Miami's three Republican members of Congress, pointing to a blizzard of press releases the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington has issued assailing the trio. (Last week's example, for voting against the climate change bill a release went out saying that: "Given the chance to create 2.5 million clean energy jobs, Representative .... just says No."

The report doesn't name any challengers for Lincoln Diaz-Balart, whom it notes easily dispatched former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez 58 to 42, but it notes 2008 challengers Joe Garcia and Annette Taddeo haven't ruled out reprising their bids against Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, respectively.

B. J. Chiszar, chairman of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, tells the report that party "intends to challenge at least two of the three.

Pork watchers decry Florida project

Citizens Against Government Waste has labeled a Florida project sought by nearly a quarter of the state's congressional delegation as a prime example of pork.

The anti-earmark group says its preliminary analysis of the House version of the 2010 Interior and Environment spending bill found 272 projects costing taxpayers $156 million -- a 10.1 increase in projects and a 15.6 increase in spending from fiscal year 2009.

"As usual," the group says, "Appropriators loaded the bill with pork." It singled out several "outrageous examples of wasteful spending that members of the House added to the bill," including $500,000 sought by Florida lawmakers for the Florida Scenic Trail.

Those requesting the money include Reps. Bill Young, Ron Klein, Suzanne Kosmas, Kendrick Meek, Robert Wexler, Lincoln Diaz-Balart and John Mica. The trail runs from the Gulf Islands National Seashore near Pensacola to Big Cypress National Preserve west of Miami. The funds will be used to acquire approximately 267 miles of gaps in the trail, according to Wexler’s website.