Florida Republicans fiercely backed Donald Trump’s presidential campaign as he was essentially promising to give the oil industry anything it wanted, yet now they seem taken aback that the president is following through on his vow.
Florida Democrats in the state are broadly opposed to the Trump administration’s plans to drill in an area off the state’s coast. And Florida Republicans – perhaps backed by a growing belief that they can oppose the president without jeopardizing their careers – are speaking out as well.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida’s two senators, Republicans Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, are among the loyal Trump allies who have joined a bipartisan coalition of Florida officials in decrying the administration’s plan to reverse decades of precedent by allowing offshore drilling in coveted regions off the coasts of Florida and California.
During a news conference late last week, DeSantis publicly opposed the move, saying it would “weaken protections” for environmental preservation and military usage.
Early last month, Scott and Moody backed a bill that would ban drilling off the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast. Both senators have since expressed dismay over the Interior Department’s announcement.
In addition, eight House Republicans from Florida sent the president a letter, saying they are a champion of his “America First” agenda but are opposed to the drilling plans. The list includes Rep. Byron Donalds, a Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate, and Rep. Jimmy Patronis, whom the president endorsed in the race for former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seat.
The fact that MAGA loyalists are chirping about Trump’s oil agenda is both a sign of the president’s disturbing deference to his benefactors in the industry — and, arguably, a victory for the president’s climate-conscious critics who warned about the potentially devastating effect of his cozy relationship with Big Oil.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.