REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
COVID Update
- On the campaign trail, Joe Biden promised to shut down COVID-19 and not the economy. Over eight months into his presidency, it’s clear he has failed on both fronts:
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Tragically, more Americans have died with COVID-19 in 2021 than in all of 2020.
- September’s jobs report was a massive disappointment.
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Just 194,000 jobs were added, far below expectations of 500,000, while 183,000 Americans left the workforce altogether.
- Biden inherited a roaring economic recovery and a successful vaccine rollout from President Trump.
- In a desperate attempt to divert public attention away from his incompetent leadership, Biden is trying to scapegoat unvaccinated Americans, and announced vaccine mandates which could impact millions of American workers.
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Biden lied and broke his promise on not forcing vaccine mandates:
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In December, Biden said he “wouldn’t demand” the vaccine be “mandatory.”
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In July, the White House said it is “not the role of the federal government” to force Americans to get vaccinated.
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Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate could worsen labor shortages and harshly burden employers in an already struggling economy – it’s also a masterclass in hypocrisy.
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One poll found that 7 in 10 unvaccinated workers would likely quit their jobs rather than adhere to the vaccine requirement.
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Businesses who defy Biden’s vaccine mandate could face penalties up to $14,000 for each violation.
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While Biden demands a vaccine mandate for American citizens, he left out mandating the vaccine for illegal migrants.
- It is possible to be pro vaccine and anti-vaccine mandate.
- We shouldn’t be surprised: Joe Biden has a long record of confusing and politically motivated public health messaging. Biden has:
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Spread disinformation about the vaccine when its development didn’t suit him politically.
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Lied about how and when the vaccine was developed and distributed, all to try and steal the credit for successful accomplishments of the Trump administration.
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Failed to give clear, consistent messaging while threatening to censor Americans on social media.
- Joe Biden ran for president as a unifier, but his authoritarian approach to vaccine mandates will only further divide our country and stoke fear in the American people.
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When Biden insults the unvaccinated he is talking to Americans who are disproportionately lower-income and minorities.
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The RNC has vowed to take legal action against Biden’s unconstitutional mandate to protect Americans and their liberties.
RPOF CHAIRMAN JOE GRUTER'S MESSAGE
Trump Touts Florida Elections
When it comes to elections, Florida is the model to follow, and President Trump agrees!
During the Evander Holyfield-Vitor Belfort promotional fight, President Trump praised Florida’s 2020 elections, saying "Florida has been great. And they ran the election clean and that’s very important.” Watch Video
Earlier this week, Governor DeSantis was asked about an election audit in Florida and our Governor made it clear that Florida is the gold standard of elections with results that were quickly and efficiently tabulated. Florida has already audited the election, in fact, Florida law requires an automatic audit in all 67 counties, and the results are open to the public. There will be no further election reviews.
“What we do in Florida is, there’s a pre- and post-election audit that happens automatically,” DeSantis said, in an article published by News Service of Florida. “So, that has happened. It passed with flying colors.”
Florida law requires that after every election, an audit is automatically conducted in every county. This audit is open to the public.
Amongst the election reforms Governor DeSantis and the Republican legislature put in the books is ensuring voter ID not only for in-person voting but when requesting a VBM too, making sure there is no ballot-harvesting and going forward, VBM drop boxes must be staffed at all times to ensure the integrity of the ballots deposited.
Assuring voters that election integrity will be upheld has been of significant concern for Governor DeSantis who replaced two disgraced supervisors of elections in Broward and Palm Beach counties in the first month of his administration. Other states should follow Florida’s lead.
President Trump put out the following statement this week regarding the country’s 2020 election.
Florida is the model to follow when it comes to election integrity. We are very proud of the great work that Republicans in Florida are doing to ensure that this remains so. We would hope that the numerous states that showed election irregularities would follow Florida’s lead.
While running a clean election is key, our enormous victory in November 2020 was made possible by the efforts of Florida Republicans and our grassroots organization--we surpassed expectations from the “experts”, pollsters and punditry class.
The impressive results reflected a great Republican team effort in the Sunshine state which saw record numbers of volunteers knocking on doors, making phone calls, putting up signs and donating-- showing patriotic support in numerous ways. Headlines reluctantly had to reflect that Florida is no longer a swing state and Florida sees Red everywhere.
A few key decisions helped pave the way toward victory: investing in on-the-ground field staff to enhance GOTV, and a robust voter registration effort that was propelled by Governor DeSantis which narrowed the gap between registered Republicans to Democrats to a historic low. Additionally, under Governor DeSantis’ leadership and commitment by the Florida Republican legislature this past Legislative Session, Florida further strengthened statutes related to election integrity helping ensure that our laws continue to be a model for the country.
For example, the Legislature amended the law to allow for more time for pre-canvassing of vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots prior to the election—codifying the extended time Governor DeSantis provided to supervisors of elections in 2020 through Executive Order. Without this extra time to count VBM ballots, Florida would have been like other states where VBM ballots were still being counted weeks after the election.
As a result of our great efforts, President Trump duly won the state of Florida and all 29 electoral votes. We flipped two congressional seats in Miami Dade county, picked up five state House seats and two open seats that had been held by Democrats. Republicans also defeated Amendment 3 that would have turned our primary system into California’s and would have caused Florida irreparable harm.
We are proud of all we've accomplished and our momentum continues--we are 23,000 Republican voters away from taking the advantage and flipping Florida's voter registration RED.
Thanks to your hard work the Sunshine State is the model to follow for the rest of the nation!
Governor Ron DeSantis
Thanks to Joe Biden, America is plunging towards an economic crisis. In 10 short months, Joe Biden has turned America from being a net exporter of energy to having the highest gas prices in 7 years. Due to Biden’s failed policies, inflation is rising to match 13-year high AND consumer prices are on track to surge over 5 percent year-over-year. It doesn’t end there.
With 70 days until Christmas, Joe Biden is going to be the Grinch that stole Christmas due to the ongoing supply chain crisis robbing our loved ones of gifts under the tree.
In Florida, Governor DeSantis is doing what he can to combat Joe Biden’s incompetence and weak leadership. Since this summer, Florida has:
➡️ Created Tens of Thousands of Jobs and Announced Hundreds of Millions in Investments in Vocational Education and Apprenticeship Programs
➡️ Ended Federal Unemployment Benefits to Get Floridians Back to Work
➡️ Invested in Our Sea Ports to Increase Our Ability to Ease the Supply Chain Crisis
And we're just getting started.
Florida REMAINS the economic powerhouse for both workers and businesses nationwide. Florida will continue to take necessary steps to keep our economy thriving, regardless of the hurdles created by the buffoonery going on in the White House.
Real Infrastructure Done Right in Florida
Florida is continuing to invest in real infrastructure around the state, unlike the fake infrastructure bill in Congress that is actually a giant, leftist giveaway program to establish yet more entitlements to earn Democrats’ votes with taxpayer dollars.
Governor DeSantis is traveling the state this week to highlight many of those investments.
In St. Pete Beach, he announced that the state is awarding $2 million in Florida Job Growth Grant Funds to the City of St. Pete Beach that will be used to finalize the overhaul of the City’s wastewater system to restore capacity for hotel and lodging expansion. The project is expected to create 1,316 permanent jobs and generate nearly $13 million annually for the local economy.
“This infrastructure will serve a vital role in protecting the incredible environment here while allowing the area to expand accommodations and welcome more visitors, which will bolster all parts of the local economy,” Governor DeSantis said. “By investing in projects like this one, we continue to make Florida the top destination in the country for job growth and economic activity.”
The Governor announced more than $9 million in awards to the City of Winter Haven for road improvements at the Intermodal Logistics Center. The Florida Job Growth Grant Fund is providing $6.4 million, with the Florida Department of Transportation providing an additional $3 million, for road construction to improve access to more than 1,200 acres of industrial land, attract new businesses and generate nearly 5,000 jobs over the next several years.
“Winter Haven is a great and fast-growing community, and we understand to keep this area growing, it needs strong infrastructure,” Governor DeSantis said. “Today’s announcement builds upon the $60 million in investments we have already made in Polk County in 2021, because we know this area will help drive our state now and into the future. While there are worrying trends on the national level, we are going to keep doing our job in Florida and we will continue to capitalize on Florida’s strong economic momentum.”
Governor DeSantis announced more than $3.1 million for 12 projects through the Rebuild Florida Hazard Mitigation Grant Match Program at the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Michael’s landfall.
These awards mark more than $228 million in total funding to date from the state to hurricane-impacted communities for long-term disaster recovery funding, rebuilding all of the required infrastructure for the area to thrive into the future.
Read more here:
Fines for Those Breaking Florida’s Vaccine Law
The Florida Department of Health is fining Leon County more than $3.5 million for its blatant violation of Florida statutes outlawing vaccine passports in our state.
In July, Leon County Administrator Vincent Long announced that all employees of Leon County would be required to be fully vaccinated and had to provide documentation by October 1. By October 2, 700 county employees had complied, but 14 employees had not and were fired on October 4. The fine covers all 714 violations at $5,000 per transgression.
"It is unacceptable that Leon County violated Florida law, infringed on current and former employees' medical privacy, and fired loyal public servants because of their personal health decisions,” Governor DeSantis said. "We will continue fighting for Floridians' rights and the Florida Department of Health will continue to enforce the law. We're going to stand up for Floridians' jobs, stand up for Floridians' livelihoods, and stand up for freedom.”
"Firing hard working employees over vaccine passports has real and lasting consequences,” Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo said. “It leads to resentment in the workplace, and loss of employment impacts individual and public health. Individuals have every right to choose how to best protect themselves and their families, and the Department will continue to enforce this law.”
It’s worth noting that while Leon County has flagrantly broken the law and received notice of their fine, other local Florida governments have reversed course. Last week, after alerting the City of Gainesville of their possible violation of the vaccination passport ban, the Florida Department of Health received a response indicating the City of Gainesville rescinded its employee vaccine mandate. This reversal also follows an Eighth Judicial Circuit Court temporary injunction preventing vaccine mandates for city employees.
Read more here:
ICYMI
The Florida School Boards Association opposes the national organization’s call for the FBI to be used as an intimidation tool to silence parents speaking out at school board meetings.
The infamous September 29 letter from the National School Boards Association, reportedly sent at the urging of the White House, caused U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to launch the FBI into local school board meetings. That spurred Governor DeSantis to respond that the U.S. Justice Department was being weaponized to intimidate concerned parents.
And the Florida School Boards Association is siding with Governor DeSantis against its national organization. The FSBA wrote:
“Several elements of your [NSBA] letter run counter to the tenets embraced by the FSBA, and this communication has caused serious concerns, conflict, and consternation for many of our members within the FSBA,” FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina wrote to the national organization. “It has strained important local and state collaborative relationships our members have worked hard to build and maintain for years. This includes our Governor, Legislature, local law enforcement, communities and our members questioning our commitment to First Amendment rights of citizens.”
A Biden administration proposal to snoop on your bank account is an invasion of privacy that could cause severe disruptions and result in few local community banks, adding to the already outsized too-big-too-fail national banks.
Under the plan being pushed by the White House, banks would be required to share your account information including what went in, what came out, and where it went. The original plan was to regularly track and report transactions of $600 or more, although that specific number now is being negotiated.
“You’ll encourage more underground economy,” said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, one of nearly two dozen state financial officers who have written to Congress to oppose the plan. “At the end of the day, I don’t think having Uncle Sam sitting in my bedroom, finding out what I’ve purchased over the last thirty days is any of their business.”
Florida Bankers Association President Alex Sanchez called the plan expensive and disruptive.
“It’s just wrong,” said Sanchez. “It’s an incredible invasion of privacy by the Biden Administration, by the Internal Revenue Service.”
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASHLEY MOODY
This week, I launched our brand-new nationwide law enforcement recruitment initiative, Be A Florida Hero. Our goal—encourage job seekers from across the country and within our own state to pursue law enforcement careers here in Florida.
According to the National Police Foundation, a majority of police departments across our country experienced staffing shortages in 2020. Reports attribute these shortages to budget cuts, low officer morale due to the nationwide protests against the profession and increasing retirement rates.
Florida is the most pro-law enforcement state in the nation. We want officers from areas that do not value their service to know that here in the Sunshine State, we back our blue. Our state enjoys a long tradition of supporting law enforcement, and we have leadership that understands and appreciates what it takes to protect and serve.
As the wife of a law enforcement officer and as Attorney General, I see the struggles that many leaders in this profession are facing while trying to do their jobs with fewer officers.
That is why, I created a first-of-its-kind, one-stop shop for anyone seeking to protect and serve in the Sunshine State. Our new recruitment website includes an interactive map of Florida where users can click on different areas of the state and see exactly where open law enforcement jobs are located. To learn more, click here.
I am encouraging anyone looking to begin a law enforcement career or relocate to our state, to join one of our great agencies—where you will always have the tools and support you need to do your job and help us build a Stronger, Safer Florida
Unity- We Can't Win Without It
As we approach the 2022 mid-term elections and the 2024 presidential election, and in light of the abject failure of the Biden administration, we know that the very survival of our republic depends on the outcome of those elections. Therefore, we must stay unified. Never lose sight of who our political opponents are… the progressive left Democrats who are taking our country off a cliff with the active help of Big Tech and the old-line national news media. Our fellow Republicans are not the enemy!
HAPPENINGS
