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One of the most influential Cuban Americans in Congress announced that she will retire next year rather than seek reelection in an evolving South Florida district that once helped launch prominent Florida Republicans but is now moving toward Democrats.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), the first Hispanic woman and the first Cuban American elected to Congress, will end a 30-year run on Capitol Hill next year as one of her partys leading moderate voices on social issues. She will leave behind a district that President Trump lost by 20 percentage points, the most Democratic-leaning district held by a Republican based on last years presidential contest.

Part of her partys wing that opposed Trumps candidacy, even during the general election, Ros-Lehtinen told the Miami Herald that she was not retiring because of her differences with Trump or her prospects of a difficult reelection bid. Instead, she said it was the right time after nearly four decades in local and federal office.

Its been such a delight and a high honor to serve our community for so many years and help constituents every day of the week, she told the Herald on Sunday. We just said, Its time to take a new step.

She burst onto the scene in 1988 with her first congressional victory, heralding the power of Cuban migrs and their children in South Floridas politics. For years now, three House districts in South Florida have been held by Cuban Americans, almost all Republicans. They have formed a vocal opposition to the Castro regime in Cuba and also delivered votes for GOP candidates who also pledged to fight the dictator.

Democrats Trump-era House map starts in diverse South

Her first campaign manager, a young Jeb Bush, launched a new flank of the family political dynasty from that part of Florida, becoming governor and then basing his 2016 presidential campaign in that region. Ros-Lehtinen was a staunch Bush supporter, only to see his bid to become the third Bush to win the presidency fail amid a relentless assault of personal insults from Trump during the Republican primary contest.

Democrats pounced on the news of Ros-Lehtinens retirement, rejecting her denials that it had anything to do with Trump or the floundering legislative effort during the first 100 days of his presidency and unified GOP control of Congress.

This is first of many retirements, Meredith Kelly, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), predicted on Twitter. Kelly said that many Republicans will not want to defend the embarrassment of GOP DC and will instead choose to retire.

Starting earlier than expected, Kelly said of Ros-Lehtinens decision.

Although she was a staunch conservative on most foreign policy matters, Ros-Lehtinen steered clear of the partys increasingly conservative views on social matters, particularly gay rights. In recent years, her son, Rodrigo Lehtinen, who is transgender, took on a prominent role among Floridas gay rights community.

The Miami-based district, which includes South Beach and Key Biscayne, has increasingly turned away from national Republican politics, particularly as the more recent generations of Cuban Americans expanded their political viewpoints beyond policy toward Cuba.

Floridas 27th Congressional District voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 presidential election, 51percent to 49percent, but four years later, Ros-Lehtinens district supported President Barack Obama, 53percent to 47percent, over Republican Mitt Romney.

Then Trumps nationalist campaign, with rhetoric that liberal Latino activists used to increase turnout, turned the district solidly blue: Democrat Hillary Clinton won there by 19.7percentage points.

Despite Trump, Ros-Lehtinen remained popular in South Florida. She won reelection last year by almost 10 percentage points, and she would have been a formidable opponent in 2018. Still, last year marked a more difficult campaign than her usual previous victories of more than 20 percentage points, and she was going to need to raise millions of dollars to fight again next year.

There was no epiphany. There was no moment, nothing that has happened that Ive said, Ive got to move on, said Ros-Lehtinen, 64.

Three Democrats had already declared for the 2018 contest, but the DCCCs recruiting range may now expand because it will be an open seat rather than a challenge against a well-known institution of Florida politics.

See the original post:
Ros-Lehtinen, leading Republican moderate, says she will not seek reelection - Washington Post

John Croman, KARE 11:04 PM. CDT April 30, 2017

Minnesota State Capitol

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature will press Gov. Dayton to go along with their budget blueprint in the final three weeks of the 2017 session, but several of their major bills contain items Dayton has vowed to veto.

House and Senate Republican leaders announced they've reached agreement on budget targets in the major segments of the two-year budget that pays for state government operations from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019. Those sectors include education, health and human services, higher education, public safety, agriculture and state government.

"Without a doubt were going to fight for each of these targets," Senate Majority Leader PaulGazelkatold reporters. "We want the governor to engage, and hes going to push back without a doubt."

The single largest change over the current biennium is a plan to shift $372 million away from the General Fund, and dedicate it exclusively to roads and bridges for the FY2018-2019 period.

General Fund money is currently used for schools, health care for low income elderly and persons with disabilities, and other non-transportation uses.

Sen. Scott Dibble, the Minneapolis Democrat who formerly chaired the transportation committee, said that $372 million over two years will barely keep up with basic maintenance needs, let alone replacing dangerous roads and intersections.

"This budget is leaving Minnesotans abandoned," Sen. Dibble remarked.

Another budget category is for tax relief, which is considered a form of spending because the state agrees to forego revenue that was anticipated in the original budget forecast earlier in the year. The Republican joint budget targets feature $1.15 billion in targeted tax cuts.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk of Cook said Republicans should abandon the tax package, because it drains too much of the state's projected $1.6 billion surplus and faces a sure veto by the governor.

"I dont want to use the word fake because thats Donald Trumps word, but its friggin phony!," Sen. Bakk asserted.

He said the Republican numbers are off base because they relied on spending levels approved in 2015 for the current biennium, instead of actual spending that has happened in the current budget cycle.

Sen. Gazelka said he will press Myron Frans, the state's budget commissioner, to find more savings in the Health and Human Services budget than is currently projected.

DFLleaders say Republicans, by seeking cutbacks in some areas -- such as Metro Transit and the Dept. of Revenue -- are budgeting as if the state faces a deficit rather than a surplus.

But Gazelkapointed out that the state spent $300 million to provide health care premium discounts for those in the individual (non group) insurance markets. And they've also spent $542 million on the reinsurance program to help insurance carriers cover the cost of the most ill, most expensive customers in 2018.

Another point of contention is that some of the budget bills include policy changes in addition to appropriations, policies such as requiring the Dept. of Corrections to buy the shuttered private prison in Appleton. Another policy change would make it a gross misdemeanor to block a highway.

Gov. Dayton has denounced the idea that he's expected to accept policy he disagrees with in order to pay for basic operations of the court system and state patrol.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt said the governor is being unrealistic to expect budget bills that are free of policy changes.

"There has been policy in every budget bill in the history of the world. I dont think Im overstating that even," Rep. Daudt told reporters.

The bonding bill hasn't been released yet, and it doesn't have to pass this year for lawmakers to avoid a government shutdown. But there's growing pressure to pass a bonding bill, because the 2016 bill faltered in the closing minutes of last session.

Daudt said the bonding bill will be capped at $800 million, including $200 million in target road construction projects.

Democrats argue that road construction should be in a transportation bill, using dedicated funds. But Republicans say they're trying to get money to needed projects more quickly.

Raising the gas tax to boost highway spending, and idea supported by Dayton, is off the table for the foreseeablefuture in the Republican controlled legislature.

2017 KARE-TV

Excerpt from:
Republicans prepare for showdown with Gov. Dayton - KARE

MoveOn.org will fly planes with banners over nine Republicans' district offices on Sunday as it pushes lawmakers to vote against new healthcare legislation.

Republicans are scrambling to resurrect their train wreck of a health care bill and push it through Congressand now its even worse,Jo Comerford, MoveOn.orgs campaign director, said in a statement.

Not only are they again trying to kick 24 million Americans off of their health care, theyre also trying to end protections for pre-existing conditions. This plan would be a disaster. The American people spoke out and stopped the Republican health care law before, and we can do it again.

The banners will have variations of the message: Rep. Blum: Dont take health care from 24M in capital letters.

MoveOn members are getting the word out that health care is under attack againand now is the time to call your member of Congress and demand they protect our health care, Comerford addd.

The push comes as the Republicans mull a vote on new legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare. The first attempt at healthcare legislation failed in March after it became clear Republicans did not have the votes to pass the measures.

But the legislation gained support from conservatives with the addition of a new amendment last week that would allow states to opt out of the provision that prevents insurers from charging individuals more based on their health.

Read more here:
MoveOn flying banners over Republicans' offices in healthcare push - The Hill

New York Times

Republicans' Fiscal Discipline Wilts in Face of Trump's Tax Plan New York Times But when Republicans take charge, their fiscal rectitude sometimes starts to waver. The broad Republican support this week for President Trump's plan to sharply reduce taxes suggests that those who hang on to austere concerns about debt will now be ... and more »

Read more here:
Republicans' Fiscal Discipline Wilts in Face of Trump's Tax Plan - New York Times

New York Times

Republicans Are Now the 'America First' Party New York Times For most of my career, the Republican Party was pretty easy to define. It stood for small government, an internationalist foreign policy, free trade, and moral and religious conservatism. Ronald Reagan was the party's North Star. Of course, there have ... and more »

The rest is here:
Republicans Are Now the 'America First' Party - New York Times