Congressman Jimmy Patronis: Sewing Box Update, USS Lincoln, South Korea, VA Advocacy and More

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Northwest Florida Congressman Jimmy Patronis joined Pensacola's Morning News today with an update on several issues — covering the latest on the Sewing Box Blue Angels contract fight, weighing in on the USS Abraham Lincoln extended deployment, and sharing a personal story about advocating for a wheelchair-bound veteran stuck in a VA dispute.

Sewing Box Blue Angels Contract

Patronis says his office sent a formal letter to the Navy asking for a full accounting of the procurement process — including public notice periods, deadlines, and timelines. He says the letter also asked about options to bring The Sewing Box in as a subcontractor on the existing contract and requested the expiration date of the current award so the shop can be positioned for the next procurement cycle. Patronis says if the Navy followed the letter of the law the most viable path for owner Candy White-Hirsch may be a bid protest — a formal legal challenge to the procurement. He says he would be shocked if a response doesn't come within 48 hours to a week.

USS Abraham Lincoln

Patronis — who served aboard the USS Harry S. Truman — says the situation aboard the Abraham Lincoln needs to be understood in context. He says working ships run around the clock and that 200-plus days at sea without seeing loved ones creates genuine psychological pressure — particularly for the very young men and women who make up most of the crew. He noted that fresh fruit and produce have to be flown in and that basic comforts are harder to come by than people on shore realize. He also pointed out that the Lincoln's sailors are flying combat missions in an aggressor role that this generation of naval aviators has not experienced before — a genuinely new set of emotions and pressures on top of an already demanding deployment. He noted that reenlistment rates aboard the Lincoln are reportedly higher than most other vessels — a data point he says complicates the narrative around morale.

South Korea and Allied Support

Patronis said he has been blown away by how few American allies have stepped up to support operations against Iran — and said President Trump has largely been going it alone. He acknowledged South Korea has a new government still trying to establish stability at home but said the U.S. has a massive human investment in that country and that some reciprocity in shared security burdens would be reasonable to expect.

Democratic Socialists

Patronis warned listeners not to dismiss the Democratic Socialists of America as a fringe movement — saying their charismatic leaders are resonating with younger voters and that they are already showing up at school boards, county commissions, and city councils across the country. He says the Democrat Party welcomed them into a big tent and is now being eaten from the inside out — with DSA-aligned candidates taking out incumbent Democrats in primaries across the nation. He says the answer is governance that uses policy and rules to push back — not dismissal.

VA Benefits Advocacy

Patronis shared a personal story about a veteran he is actively working to help — a young man who is wheelchair-bound after a 30-foot fall but is rated at only 30 percent disability because the VA is characterizing some of his injuries as preexisting. Patronis says he has been making calls personally in the last 24 hours to move the case forward. He says his office handles hundreds of VA cases every month and says navigating the system on behalf of veterans who cannot do it alone is one of the most meaningful parts of the job. Anyone who needs help with a VA claim can contact Congressman Patronis's office directly.