Good morning and welcome to Thursday.A government health care program in Florida that covers 4.2 million vulnerable people is facing the prospect of an overhaul under the House’s plans for implementing President DONALD TRUMP’s agenda.The budget resolutionHouse Republicans passed Tuesday night directs the Energy and Commerce Committee to cut $880 billion over a decade from Medicaid and other similar programs. The bill is intended to focus on paying for tax cuts, energy and border policy.Florida doesn’t have as many residents on Medicaid as it could because it hasn’t implemented an Obamacare provision that would allow more low-income people to enroll in the program. Even so, Floridians could be affected by cuts to Medicaid, which is funded jointly by the state and federal government.Florida’s Medicaid programcovers 40 percent of Florida kids, 290,000 adults with disabilities, roughly 40 percent of new births and 60 percent of care in nursing homes. In Miami-Dade County, which Trump won by 11 points, more than one-quarter of residents are on Medicaid.One option the House considered — but that House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON said on Wednesday night was off the table — would have limited how much Medicaid could spend on each person enrolled, instead of leaving it open-ended like it is now. Johnson also said the federal government wouldn’t cut its share to states’ Medicaid programs.Both would have created the most painful cuts for states. They would have obligated Florida to find a way to make up the difference, including by shifting from other spending priorities, cutting benefits or paying providers less.ALISON YAGER, executive director of the Florida Health Justice Project, predicted during a press conference this week that cuts would have “absolutely devastating effects on Floridians.” LEO CUELLO, a Medicaid expert at Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families, said people should be “very, very worried.”Other proposals being considered would have states check people’s eligibility for Medicaid more regularly, would curb waste and fraud or limit how much states can tax hospitals so that the federal government could then kick in less to match.Various proposals have drawbacks. Less federal money to states makes it harder to pay for health care. Under an eligibility check in Florida that started in 2023, some residents said they were incorrectly kicked off the program. And while the Government Accountability Office has said Medicaid improperly spent $31 billion nationwide last year, Congress would still need to come up with another $57 billion a year in spending cuts to hit their targets, POLITICO’s Robert King reports.The House’s eventual decision isn’t the end of the matter. The Senate wants to avoid deep cuts to Medicaid and Trump also has expressed reservations. GOP members of the Florida delegation on the Energy and Commerce Committee include Reps. GUS BILIRAKIS, NEAL DUNN, KAT CAMMACK and LAUREL LEE. Lee told Playbook in a statement that she wanted to eliminate abuse and fraud, make sure taxpayer dollars were spent wisely while ensuring Congress protects “the most vulnerable in our state.”“We will get to work to review these programs and ensure they are working as intended,” she said. “This is what the American people elected us to do.”One thing’s certain: The threat to Medicaid is likely to feature in Democratic messaging for the 2026 midterms, similar to Trump’s attempted Obamacare repeal in 2017.Rep. SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK has a town hall about Medicaid tonight, following others from Reps.LOIS FRANKEL and DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ . Wasserman Schultz created a portal for residents to talk about how the cuts would hurt them and framed them as an extension of the “slash and burn” of Trump’s DOGE operation on federal agencies.— Arek Sarkissian contributed.WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis has a 10 a.m. press conference in Starke.Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at:.
IMMIGRATION LATEST — Sheriffs from all 67 counties in Florida have implemented their task forces to have local law enforcement help Homeland Security with immigration enforcement, Gov. RON DESANTIS announced at the Homestead Air Reserve Base on Wednesday. The move means training will kick off, DeSantis said, urging other states to follow Florida’s actions.“We’re the only state in the country where all of the counties have done this,” the governor said. “This is a task force model which will lead to street-level enforcement operations.”DeSantis vowed to “be there every step of the way” to help the federal government with the issue of illegal immigration, saying it was a driving factor for Trump’s win in November.“President Trump promised to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history,” he said. “The fact is, if the state and locals are not fully participating in those efforts, it’s going to be very difficult to achieve that.”Florida held its first hunt in 20 years in 2015, when 304 bears were killed in one weekend. The hunt was held despite a lawsuit seeking to stop it and protests in cities across Florida. The commission has not authorized another hunt since then, but the commission back in December asked its staff to propose options for implementing a new one.DEMAND FOR OYSTER HARVEST — “Franklin County residents and elected officials pleaded with state wildlife officials Wednesday to reopen Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout.“The bay was closed in 2020 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Since then, there have been efforts to restore the oyster beds that once produced one-tenth of all oysters harvested in the United States.”HEMP MOVES IN HOUSE — “State House Speaker Daniel Perez on Wednesday announced a new work group to further study hemp before the House reconsiders tougher regulations vetoed by DeSantis last year,” reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. “Florida’s hemp industry grew rapidly after federal lawmakers legalized hemp use in 2018, and state lawmakers have since been scrambling to regulate hemp products, many of which are advertised as providing euphoric effects.”— “Florida’s elderly guardians operate with little oversight, ‘shocking’ state audit finds,”by Carol Marbin Miller of the Miami Herald.LEGISLATION ROUNDUP — State Rep. MICHELLE SALZMAN (R-Pensacola) introduced a bill that would give parents more access to their kids’ social media accounts and ban encrypted messages for minors,reports Jim Little of the Pensacola News Journal. … Two bills would require all employers to check their employees’ immigration status, one of which would come with fines for violations,reports Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix. …State Sen. CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH (D-Orlando) introduced a package that would redirect Orange County’s tourist development tax towards public safety, transit and affordable housing, reports Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics. … State Sen. JASON BRODEUR (R-Sanford) filed legislation that would create a Joint Legislative Committee on Medicaid Oversight, reports Andrew Powell of Florida Politics.
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK INTO GUANTANAMO — “Biking on the wrong side of the road. Crossing the Rio Grande on foot. Shoplifting at Target. These are the arrest records for some of the 178 Venezuelan migrants who were detained this month in Guantanamo Bay — the U.S. Navy base in Cuba notorious for imprisoning terrorism suspects in connection to the 9/11 attacks. Others appear to have no record at all,” reports the Miami Herald’s Claire Healy and Syra Ortiz Blanes.The Miami Herald reviewed 18 cases and discovered six of the 178 migrants “appear to have no previous record, and an additional five were only charged with illegal entry into the U.S. and sentenced to time served.”TRUMP REVOKES MADURO’S OIL LICENSE — “Trump said Wednesday the United States will end the Biden administration’s concessions aimed at promoting free elections in Venezuela, canceling a license that allowed U.S. oil company Chevron to produce and export oil in the country,” reports POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre.— “After Trump ends protections, Haitians in Florida brace for what’s next,”reports Juan Carlos Chavez of the Tampa Bay Times.
A PARTY OF ONE — Florida trial attorney and Democratic fundraiser JOHN MORGANwrote on X that he’ll be “forming a new political party for those of us stuck in the middle.” Morgan shared how he was thinking about the party in an interview with Playbook in December.FUNDRAISING BEGINS — Rep. BYRON DONALDS officially opened his campaign account for the governor’s race and filed paperwork for his political committee, Friends of Byron Donalds, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. The chair listed is RYAN SMITH, a former business partner of White House deputy chief of staff JAMES BLAIR. Federal campaign records showed that Donalds had more than $1.7 million in his congressional campaign account at the end of the year. Donalds could decide to transfer that money to a state political committee.WHO WILL FILL DONALDS’ SEAT — A few potential candidates include former Rep. MADISON CAWTHORN, who represented North Carolina and moved to Lee County after losing a 2022 primary; former state Rep. BOB ROMMEL, who is currently running for a Florida Senate seat but could decide to run for Congress instead; former Rep. CHRIS COLLINS, who was pardoned by Trump after getting embroiled in an insider trading scandal; and JACK LOMBARDI and former state Rep. SPENCER ROACH, reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles.DESANTIS DODGES — DeSantis toned down his rhetoric against Donalds on Wednesday evening. Asked about Donalds’ entering the race, DeSantis replied: “I want to focus today, not on the ‘26 election, but on vindicating the ‘24 election by showing that we’re going to get this job done here.” DeSantis was referring to his announcement on illegal immigration. “You have these elections, and then people start talking about new elections,” he continued. “Why don’t we actually get something done based on the previous election? I think President Trump deserves all Republicans in particular to be supporting those efforts.”COSTS CONCERN FLORIDA VOTERS — A new poll from the Associated Industries of Florida Center for Political Strategy found that property insurance costs rank No. 1 on issues of importance for Florida voters, with one-third choosing it as their top issue. Inflation was next, at 21 percent, followed by housing costs at 11 percent.Why Dems have a problem: The poll also found voters prefer a generic Republican candidate to a Democratic one, by a seven-point margin.
— Donalds has added another Trump 2024 campaign alum to his political team. Former Trump senior adviser DANIELLE ALVAREZ has joined the gubernatorial campaign as senior adviser. Also on the team: adviser CHRISTOPHER HUDSON, vice president of political strategy at Presstige Printing and Ace Political.
AN AG REBRANDING — A little more than a week after JAMES UTHMEIER became Florida’s attorney general, he announced on X the creation of a new seal for the office. Notable features of the seal include an eagle in the center and two gators on the left and rightmost borders.BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Angie Nixon … Ryan Duffy, director of corporate communications at U.S. Sugar ... Kathleen Haughney, assistant director of research communications at Florida State University.
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IMMIGRATION LATEST — Sheriffs from all 67 counties in Florida have implemented their task forces to have local law enforcement help Homeland Security with immigration enforcement, Gov. RON DESANTIS announced at the Homestead Air Reserve Base on Wednesday. The move means training will kick off, DeSantis said, urging other states to follow Florida’s actions.“We’re the only state in the country where all of the counties have done this,” the governor said. “This is a task force model which will lead to street-level enforcement operations.”DeSantis vowed to “be there every step of the way” to help the federal government with the issue of illegal immigration, saying it was a driving factor for Trump’s win in November.“President Trump promised to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history,” he said. “The fact is, if the state and locals are not fully participating in those efforts, it’s going to be very difficult to achieve that.”Florida held its first hunt in 20 years in 2015, when 304 bears were killed in one weekend. The hunt was held despite a lawsuit seeking to stop it and protests in cities across Florida. The commission has not authorized another hunt since then, but the commission back in December asked its staff to propose options for implementing a new one.DEMAND FOR OYSTER HARVEST — “Franklin County residents and elected officials pleaded with state wildlife officials Wednesday to reopen Apalachicola Bay to oyster harvesting,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout.“The bay was closed in 2020 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Since then, there have been efforts to restore the oyster beds that once produced one-tenth of all oysters harvested in the United States.”HEMP MOVES IN HOUSE — “State House Speaker Daniel Perez on Wednesday announced a new work group to further study hemp before the House reconsiders tougher regulations vetoed by DeSantis last year,” reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. “Florida’s hemp industry grew rapidly after federal lawmakers legalized hemp use in 2018, and state lawmakers have since been scrambling to regulate hemp products, many of which are advertised as providing euphoric effects.”— “Florida’s elderly guardians operate with little oversight, ‘shocking’ state audit finds,”by Carol Marbin Miller of the Miami Herald.LEGISLATION ROUNDUP — State Rep. MICHELLE SALZMAN (R-Pensacola) introduced a bill that would give parents more access to their kids’ social media accounts and ban encrypted messages for minors,reports Jim Little of the Pensacola News Journal. … Two bills would require all employers to check their employees’ immigration status, one of which would come with fines for violations,reports Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix. …State Sen. CARLOS GUILLERMO SMITH (D-Orlando) introduced a package that would redirect Orange County’s tourist development tax towards public safety, transit and affordable housing, reports Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics. … State Sen. JASON BRODEUR (R-Sanford) filed legislation that would create a Joint Legislative Committee on Medicaid Oversight, reports Andrew Powell of Florida Politics.
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK INTO GUANTANAMO — “Biking on the wrong side of the road. Crossing the Rio Grande on foot. Shoplifting at Target. These are the arrest records for some of the 178 Venezuelan migrants who were detained this month in Guantanamo Bay — the U.S. Navy base in Cuba notorious for imprisoning terrorism suspects in connection to the 9/11 attacks. Others appear to have no record at all,” reports the Miami Herald’s Claire Healy and Syra Ortiz Blanes.The Miami Herald reviewed 18 cases and discovered six of the 178 migrants “appear to have no previous record, and an additional five were only charged with illegal entry into the U.S. and sentenced to time served.”TRUMP REVOKES MADURO’S OIL LICENSE — “Trump said Wednesday the United States will end the Biden administration’s concessions aimed at promoting free elections in Venezuela, canceling a license that allowed U.S. oil company Chevron to produce and export oil in the country,” reports POLITICO’s Ben Lefebvre.— “After Trump ends protections, Haitians in Florida brace for what’s next,”reports Juan Carlos Chavez of the Tampa Bay Times.
A PARTY OF ONE — Florida trial attorney and Democratic fundraiser JOHN MORGANwrote on X that he’ll be “forming a new political party for those of us stuck in the middle.” Morgan shared how he was thinking about the party in an interview with Playbook in December.FUNDRAISING BEGINS — Rep. BYRON DONALDS officially opened his campaign account for the governor’s race and filed paperwork for his political committee, Friends of Byron Donalds, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. The chair listed is RYAN SMITH, a former business partner of White House deputy chief of staff JAMES BLAIR. Federal campaign records showed that Donalds had more than $1.7 million in his congressional campaign account at the end of the year. Donalds could decide to transfer that money to a state political committee.WHO WILL FILL DONALDS’ SEAT — A few potential candidates include former Rep. MADISON CAWTHORN, who represented North Carolina and moved to Lee County after losing a 2022 primary; former state Rep. BOB ROMMEL, who is currently running for a Florida Senate seat but could decide to run for Congress instead; former Rep. CHRIS COLLINS, who was pardoned by Trump after getting embroiled in an insider trading scandal; and JACK LOMBARDI and former state Rep. SPENCER ROACH, reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles.DESANTIS DODGES — DeSantis toned down his rhetoric against Donalds on Wednesday evening. Asked about Donalds’ entering the race, DeSantis replied: “I want to focus today, not on the ‘26 election, but on vindicating the ‘24 election by showing that we’re going to get this job done here.” DeSantis was referring to his announcement on illegal immigration. “You have these elections, and then people start talking about new elections,” he continued. “Why don’t we actually get something done based on the previous election? I think President Trump deserves all Republicans in particular to be supporting those efforts.”COSTS CONCERN FLORIDA VOTERS — A new poll from the Associated Industries of Florida Center for Political Strategy found that property insurance costs rank No. 1 on issues of importance for Florida voters, with one-third choosing it as their top issue. Inflation was next, at 21 percent, followed by housing costs at 11 percent.Why Dems have a problem: The poll also found voters prefer a generic Republican candidate to a Democratic one, by a seven-point margin.
— Donalds has added another Trump 2024 campaign alum to his political team. Former Trump senior adviser DANIELLE ALVAREZ has joined the gubernatorial campaign as senior adviser. Also on the team: adviser CHRISTOPHER HUDSON, vice president of political strategy at Presstige Printing and Ace Political.
AN AG REBRANDING — A little more than a week after JAMES UTHMEIER became Florida’s attorney general, he announced on X the creation of a new seal for the office. Notable features of the seal include an eagle in the center and two gators on the left and rightmost borders.BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Angie Nixon … Ryan Duffy, director of corporate communications at U.S. Sugar ... Kathleen Haughney, assistant director of research communications at Florida State University.
