Lapdog: a servile dependent or follower. – Merriam-Webster.

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The co-chairs of Florida’s congressional delegation are Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan, and Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings. Rep. Buchanan, as co-chair has great influence over the other members of the delegation when it comes time to voting on key policy issues such as government spending bills.

We weren’t shocked when we learned that eight members of the Florida delegation, including Buchanan, voted for the $1.5 trillion Omnibus Spending Bill.

Those Republicans from Florida who helped pass the $1.5 trillion bill were Representatives: Neal Dunn (FL-02), John Rutherford (FL-04), Scott Franklin (FL-15), Florida Congressional Delegation co-chair Vern Buchanan (FL-16),  Greg Steube (FL-17), Brian Mast (FL-18), Carlos Gimenez (FL-26) and Marla Salaquez (FL-27).

If Buchanan had held the line on this massive government spending bill it would have sent a clear message. However, he didn’t!

Why weren’t we shocked?

On October 18, 2013 we wrote a column titled “FL Rep. Buchanan votes to fund government by defunding America.” In our column we stated:

Floridians woke up on October 17th to learn the government shutdown had ended and the debt ceiling had been raised. One of the key votes cast to pass the US Senate Budget Agreement was from Rep. Vern Buchanan (R – FL District 16).

[ … ]

Buchanan is one of eighty-seven Republicans who voted to fund the government, raise the debt ceiling and allow the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to move forward. Buchanan is the only representative from Florida on the powerful House Committee on Ways & Means. He also co-Chairs the twenty-seven member Florida Congressional delegation with Rep. Alcee Hastings (D – FL District 20).

And if this isn’t enough John Binder, from Breitbart News, on March 11, 2022 reported this about the Omnibus Spending bill that Buchanan voted for:

A Democrat spending bill, negotiated with Republicans, uses American taxpayer money to fund “border security” measures in eight foreign countries while including no new funds to construct a border wall along the United States-Mexico border.

The government funding package spends about $370 million in taxpayer money to fund “enhanced border security” in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, and Oman. At least $150 million of that funding is allocated for Jordan’s borders.

Likewise, the package includes taxpayer money to fund border security in Libya, “border security activities” in Nepal, and “border security programs” in Pakistan.

Vern Buchanan a RINO or GOPe?

We’re wondering if Buchanan is now either a Republican In Name Only ( RINO) or a member of the Grand Old Party elite (GOPe) or both.

Buchanan has a history of siding with anti-American and anti-Florida causes, in addition to voting for Democrat policies.

Here is a list that we covered since his election to the Congress:

1. Buchanan has been endorsed by radical Environmentalists. Buchanan at on time listed on his Congressional website receiving the Ocean Champions Congressional Champion award. Under the Obama administration Ocean Champions supported the implementation of the National Ocean Policy on July 19, 2010, known as “Ocean Zoning.” This Obama era policy was fully supported by Ocean Champions and twelve other environment groups.
2. Buchanan has voted consistently to increase spending. See our comments on Buchanan’s latest vote to increase government spending.
3. Buchanan has refused efforts to explore off of Florida’s shore lines for oil and natural gas. At the start of March, 2017 U.S. Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke announced that 73 million acres in the Gulf would be open to drilling for five years starting in August. Up for reelection Republican Representative Vern Buchanan (FL – District 16) sent out a poorly phrased email asking about offshore drilling on Sunday,  January 7, 2018. We found Buchanan’s email survey seriously flawed in four ways. First, the survey is unscientific. Second, respondents have no way of knowing who got the email and their level of knowledge on the topic of drilling for oil and natural gas in the Gulf Coast. Third, an individual on our staff answered the survey multiple times without being told that he had already voted. Fourth, the second possible answer to the question invokes the “precautionary principle.”
4. Buchanan at times says one thing to get elected then abandons those who elected him to do the opposite. His consistency on supporting liberal policies has been noted many times. He and his staff tend to ignore those who want him to hold the line on government spending.
5. Buchanan has sent constituents misleading and fake information as well as Al Gore like talking points about sea levels rising. In 2017 Buchanan sent out the following in an email with an accompanying ABC Channel 7 video: “Climate change is a serious issue for a state like Florida that has two coastlines vulnerable to rising waters. That’s why I am again calling on President Trump to reconsider his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the landmark Paris Climate Accord. Take a look at the video below and let me know what you think by replying to this email.” – Vern. Vern must’ve smiled when Biden, on the day of his inauguration, reentered the Paris Climate Agreement.
6. Buchanan even voted in favor of a “slush fund” to protect members of Congress against sexual abuse and harassment charges. Buchanan says he’s a Christian. If so where’s his morals? Why did he vote to provide money to protect possible sexual predators? Is this the kind of action you should or would expect from a moral man?

The Bottom Line

Vern Buchanan needs to be on the side of lower taxes, less government spending, pro-fossil fuels and against the Biden-Schumer-Pelosi cabal.

We wrote in 2020 that Florida must become energy independent because the Sunshine State imports 99% all of our oil, natural gas and refined petroleum products from other states.

Buchanan siding with the greens and Democrats has led to higher gasoline and diesel prices, higher costs for consumer goods and inflation due to higher government spending.

Buchanan and his fellow Florida delegation members who voted for higher spending are part of the problem.

American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the complexity of stabilization policy, Milton Friedman said,

“Inflation is an old, old disease. We’ve had thousands of years of experience of it. There is nothing simpler than stopping an inflation—from the technical point of view.

The only cure for inflation is to reduce the rate at which total spending is growing. There is no way of slowing down inflation that will not involve a transitory increase in unemployment, and a transitory reduction in the rate of growth of output. But these costs will be far less than the costs that will be incurred by permitting the disease of inflation to rage unchecked.”

The inflation that Floridians are experiencing isn’t just Biden’s but it’s also Buchanan’s. Biden and Buchanan did this. Make no mistake about it!

Dear Vern, get it? Got it? Good.

©Dr. Rich Swier. All rights reserved.