The House is so far withholding funding in its budget for cancer research through a program championed by First Lady Casey DeSantis, a reminder that the relationship between the House and Gov. Ron DeSantis is fraught.
The Senate has included in its budget $15 million in nonrecurring funds for targeted cancer research through the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program, which previously was the Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program. It was renamed in 2022 after Casey DeSantis was diagnosed with and overcame breast cancer. The Senate budget also includes another $15 million from other state sources.
The House hasn’t included a dime.
Sources tell Florida Politics the funding is a sticking point in the House, though specific details are sparse.
But in late February, Republican Rep. Alex Andrade pushed back against the DeSantis administration’s request to eliminate a dedicated funding source for four National Cancer Institute facilities to open that money for other providers, including the First Lady’s research fund.
Andrade told the Florida Phoenix at the time that he instead supported maintaining funding to cancer research facilities, including Moffitt Cancer Center, the University of Florida Health Care Center, the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.
It’s no secret that Andrade and the DeSantises are not on great terms.
Andrade led a House panel this Legislative Session looking into the Hope Florida scandal, which launched after reporting uncovered $10 million from a larger $67 million Medicaid contractor settlement that went to the Hope Florida Foundation. The money eventually moved to a campaign opposing the statewide amendment in 2024 seeking to legalize cannabis for adult recreational use. The Governor’s then-Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier, led the committee.
“In the real world, if someone defrauded the state or a charity out of $10 million, they’d go to prison,” Andrade previously told Florida Politics. “Certain bad actors within the DeSantis administration lied about the use of these funds and conspired to funnel this money to a PC. Those people deserve to go to prison.”
Now, there’s a criminal investigation into the scandal and Andrade has doubled down.
“I’m not in a position to comment on what law enforcement is or isn’t doing,” he said last month when the investigation was revealed. “I’m convinced that crimes occurred and I believe those engaged in public corruption should face justice. Whether they ever face justice is up to law enforcement.”
Hope Florida is a priority project of Casey DeSantis, which seeks to get individuals away from government assistance and into self-sufficiency.
And it’s not the only time the House has snubbed the Governor. House Speaker Daniel Perez in late January — as the Governor had called for a Special Session cracking down on immigration — blasted DeSantis over his previous veto of 30% of the Legislature’s operating budget. He vowed to use the Legislature’s veto override authority to restore that funding, and to look at other vetoes that could possibly be overridden.
It was a remarkable departure from years prior when the Legislature had served largely as a rubber stamp on DeSantis’ agenda.
A spat in April led Perez to claim DeSantis was having “a temper tantrum” and accused DeSantis of lying.
The cancer funding line items are not finalized, meaning funding offers could change as lawmakers continue the budget negotiation process. Conferences will continue Wednesday and Thursday.
But considering the House’s recent track record of feuding with the DeSantises, it’s clear funding for the First Lady’s cancer initiative may be in continued peril.
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