Ryan Terrell

Your Turn

Summertime has arrived in Florida. Hot temperatures in our region, sometimes called the Forgotten Coast, have reached 100 degrees. Yet here we are, seven months after Hurricane Michael, and residents are still suffering without shelter.

With a 10-day recess on the horizon, GOP Congressman Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, moved to delay a vote on a $19-billion disaster relief package that included long-delayed funds for Hurricane Michael survivors.

But the relief package doesn’t just cover our needs; it also helps those ravaged by wildfires in California, tornadoes in Kansas, flooding across the Midwest and relief for the ravaged U.S. Virgin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands, who are our fellow American citizens.

What makes this stunt especially outrageous is that a little over 40% of Kentucky’s budget is provided by federal funds — taxes that come from Florida and those other states where they’ve patiently waited for this assistance.

Earlier last week, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, also delayed the disaster relief package. His own constituents recently faced serious flooding, but in a political stunt, he is objecting to the relief package out of his desire to fund the “humanitarian crisis” at the border. Congressman, there is a humanitarian crisis right here in Mexico Beach — a town decimated by Hurricane Michael — and they need relief now.

The latest Republican nihilist to pull this stunt is Congressman John Rose from eastern Tennessee. Rather than reinforce American infrastructure, shelter countless residents, and prepare for the next storm, these politicians are baiting human life for a border wall. After the hurricane, we felt forgotten, but with these men holding our the key to our fate, we feel outright abandoned.

Helping those in need should never be a partisan issue. It sickens me to see my potential constituents continue to suffer while the “swamp” fails to act. In my region, spanning from Port St. Joe to Mayo, suicide rates and Baker Act incidences are up, especially among children and veterans.

While representatives in D.C. have time to wait — 10 days to spend at beach homes and barbecues — Americans are suffering. Ten days may seem like a short time for them, but 10 days can feel like forever in the 100-degree heat.

We have spent months in homeless shelters, leaky trailers, vans and tents. Ten days for us means 10 more days glued to the fan, 10 more days that hospitals will have to somehow scrape together enough resources to stay open, 10 more days living in a hotel with bills unpaid, and 10 more days of uncertainty. For vulnerable and frankly tired people, barely living day-to-day, 10 days is too long.

End the suffering and stop playing these political games. Pass disaster relief now!

Ryan Terrell is the Democratic candidate for Florida State Representative in House District 7. He is a communications and governmental affairs consultant who resides in the Ft. Braden area of Leon County. Contact him at Ryan@bigbend4ryan.org.