Podcast 183: Rep. Dave Joyce on Budget and Homeland Security Negotiations

Episode Introduction

Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio joins Breaking Battlegrounds in the middle of the March 2024 fight to fund the federal government. As chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security at the time, Joyce was one of the lawmakers responsible for writing the Department of Homeland Security’s budget, and he walks listeners through that bill and the negotiations around it. The episode then turns to Florida. Evan Power, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, recaps the state’s March 19 presidential preference primary. Politico’s Kimberly Leonard, author of Florida Playbook, follows with analysis of Florida politics, including Gov. Ron DeSantis’ response to the crisis in Haiti. Kiley’s Corner closes the show with squatters’ rights and the future of retail subscriptions.

Quick Answer

In Breaking Battlegrounds Podcast 183, Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), then chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, discusses the FY2024 Homeland Security funding bill and budget negotiations. Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power recaps Florida’s March 19, 2024 primary, and Politico’s Kimberly Leonard analyzes Florida politics and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ response to Haiti.

Episode Overview

This episode was recorded in March 2024 as Congress worked through the final stage of fiscal year 2024 appropriations, nearly six months into the fiscal year.

Joyce, who represents Ohio’s 14th District, explains the Homeland Security appropriations bill, how negotiations between the House and Senate were unfolding, and his concerns about the federal budget. As subcommittee chairman, he was the House’s lead author on DHS funding.

The second half of the show focuses on Florida. Evan Power, who had become chairman of the Republican Party of Florida earlier that year, breaks down the state’s presidential preference primary and what it showed about the state’s politics. Kimberly Leonard of Politico then covers the wider Florida landscape, including how DeSantis responded to the unrest in Haiti and its potential effect on Florida.

About the Guests

Rep. Dave Joyce

Dave Joyce is a Republican who has represented Ohio’s 14th Congressional District since 2013. He earned his law degree from the University of Dayton, worked as a public defender, and was elected Geauga County Prosecutor in 1988, a post he held for nearly 25 years.

Joyce sits on the House Appropriations Committee. He chaired its Homeland Security Subcommittee during the 118th Congress, and in that role he steered the House’s FY2024 Homeland Security appropriations bill to passage. He now chairs the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee, a role he first took in April 2024, and in April 2026 he joined the House Committee on Homeland Security.

He co-founded the Bipartisan Task Force to End Sexual Violence and serves as vice chair of the Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus. In 2022 he was elected chairman of the Republican Governance Group.

Evan Power

Evan Power is chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. He began his career working for then-state House member Marco Rubio, then led the Leon County Republican Party before becoming state chairman. He took over the party’s duties on December 17, 2023 and became chairman in January 2024, succeeding Christian Ziegler. Under his chairmanship, Trump carried Florida by 13 points in 2024. Power ran for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District in 2026 and finished third in the August Republican primary.

Power is a Chattanooga, Tennessee native and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University. He served as a delegate to the 2016 and 2020 Republican National Conventions.

Kimberly Leonard

Kimberly Leonard is a Politico reporter and author of the Florida Playbook newsletter, based in Miami. She covers Gov. Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump and conservative politics in Florida. She previously covered Florida politics for Insider and spent a decade covering health care policy in Washington for outlets including the Washington Examiner and U.S. News & World Report.

Key Topics Discussed

The FY2024 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill
House and Senate appropriations negotiations in March 2024
Federal budget and spending concerns
Florida’s March 19, 2024 presidential preference primary
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ response to the crisis in Haiti
Squatters’ rights and retail subscriptions (Kiley’s Corner)

Inside the Homeland Security Funding Fight

Joyce came on the show from Capitol Hill at a critical point. The House had passed its own version of the FY2024 Homeland Security bill under his leadership. Final funding for DHS, though, depended on a bipartisan agreement with the Democratic-controlled Senate and the Biden administration. In the episode, he explains what was in the bill, where the negotiations stood and his broader concerns about federal spending.

His background matters for listeners. As subcommittee chairman, Joyce was not an outside commentator on border and security funding; he was writing the House’s version of it.

What happened next: Days after this episode, Congress passed the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, a six-bill, $1.2 trillion package covering Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor and Health and Human Services, Legislative Branch, and State and Foreign Operations. President Biden signed it on March 23, 2024. DHS’s annual funding was enacted as Division C of Public Law 118-47.

Florida’s March 2024 Primary With Evan Power

Florida held its Republican presidential preference primary on March 19, 2024. Trump had already become the presumptive nominee after the March 12 primaries in Georgia, Mississippi and Washington, and he went on to win Florida with more than 80% of the vote. Florida’s own governor, Ron DeSantis, had withdrawn from the race in January 2024. Democrats did not hold a primary because Joe Biden was the only candidate on the ballot.

Power joins the show to recap those results as the newly installed state party chairman, a few months into a tenure that later included Trump’s 13-point win in Florida in November 2024.

Florida Politics and Haiti With Kimberly Leonard

Leonard rounds out the Florida segment with analysis of the state’s political landscape. A central focus is how DeSantis responded to the crisis in Haiti, an issue with direct consequences for Florida because of its large Haitian community and proximity to the Caribbean. For more on Haiti from that same period, listen to the show’s conversation with Mark Krikorian and Jacqueline Charles.

Key Takeaways From the Conversation

The episode features the House’s lead author of FY2024 Homeland Security funding, recorded days before that funding became law.
Florida’s March 2024 primary confirmed Trump’s dominance in the state after DeSantis left the race.
Florida coverage combines a party leader’s perspective (Power) with a reporter’s analysis (Leonard), including Florida’s exposure to the crisis in Haiti.

Related Breaking Battlegrounds Episodes

Haiti was also the focus of the show’s interview with Mark Krikorian and Jacqueline Charles. For a look at how Florida became so reliably Republican, go back to the show’s 2021 conversation, Podcast 21: Ryan Tyson on Florida’s Red Wave, with the pollster who later led polling for DeSantis’ presidential campaign. You can also browse more Breaking Battlegrounds politics episodes or meet the hosts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Rep. Dave Joyce?

Dave Joyce is a Republican congressman who has represented Ohio’s 14th District since 2013. A former Geauga County prosecutor, he sits on the House Appropriations Committee. He chaired its Homeland Security Subcommittee in the 118th Congress and now chairs its Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.

What did Dave Joyce discuss on Breaking Battlegrounds?

In Podcast 183, recorded in March 2024, Joyce discussed the FY2024 Homeland Security appropriations bill, the status of House and Senate negotiations, and his concerns about the federal budget. Congress enacted that funding a few days later, on March 23, 2024.

Who is Evan Power?

Evan Power is chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, a role he has held since January 2024. He previously chaired the Leon County Republican Party and began his career working for Marco Rubio in the Florida House. In 2026, he ran in the Republican primary for Florida’s 2nd Congressional District and finished third.

When was Florida’s 2024 presidential primary?

Florida held its Republican presidential preference primary on March 19, 2024. Donald Trump won with more than 80% of the vote. Democrats canceled their primary because Joe Biden was the only candidate on the ballot.

Who is Kimberly Leonard?

Kimberly Leonard is a Politico reporter and author of the Florida Playbook newsletter, based in Miami. She covers Gov. Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump and conservative politics in Florida. She previously reported for Insider and covered health policy in Washington for a decade.

Conclusion

Podcast 183 captures two moments from March 2024: the final days of the FY2024 funding fight in Washington and the aftermath of Florida’s presidential primary. Joyce offers a lawmaker’s view of how Homeland Security funding is negotiated, from someone who was writing the bill. Power and Leonard explain Florida’s politics from two angles, a party chairman and a reporter, at a point when the state’s Republican advantage was about to grow even larger.

Sources

Editorial Note: This article is intended for informational and analytical purposes. Political developments, policies, polling, and public statements can change over time. Readers should consult primary sources and official government information for the latest details.