opinion

Thumbs down: Florida House punishes Delta, Enterprise for severing ties with NRA

A move by the Florida House just made it more difficult for Republicans to allege they aren't controlled by the National Rifle Association.

Lawmakers this week inserted language in the proposed state budget to punish Delta Airlines and Enterprise Rent-A-Car for severing ties with the NRA, POLITICO reported. They targeted an aviation fuel tax reduction that benefits Delta and proposed language to rebid a state rental car contract held by Enterprise.

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Even more outrageous is POLITICO's reporting that "one Republican familiar with the budget maneuvers described them as a minor gift to the NRA," which opposes the bill the Legislature passed this week to impose some gun control measures to address the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The NRA said it's not behind the proposal but supports it.

Not only are Republicans feeding into the notion that they take directions from the NRA but that they will use their power to retaliate against companies. However you feel about the move by Delta and Enterprise, your elected officials go to Tallahassee to defend your interests and not those of organizations that lobby them.

FLORIDA TODAY’s "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" are decided collectively by its Editorial Board. To respond in a letter to the editor, email up to 250 words to letters@floridatoday.com. Include your name, place of residence and phone number.