This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio
On Thursday, in my role as a Senate Appropriator, I secured key funding for Florida in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The bill includes critical funding for continued progress on Everglades restoration projects, coral disease research and response, Harmful Algal Blooms, water quality, and wildlife. Read more here.
On Monday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I named Melao Bakery of Kissimmee, Florida as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Watch the video message here.
On Thursday, I secured critical funding for Florida and to protect U.S. national security in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill; the Homeland Security Appropriations bill; and the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill. Read more here.
On Tuesday, I joined Martha MacCallum on Fox News to discuss my Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which unanimously passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. Watch the interview here.
On Saturday, my op-ed titled “China is targeting America’s biomed industry” was published in Modern Healthcare, which discussed the threat China poses to the U.S. healthcare industry. Read more here.
On Monday, I spoke on the Senate floor to outline the threat posed by the Chinese government and Communist Party, and the future of the U.S.-China relationship. Watch the speech here.
On Tuesday, I penned an op-ed for the Detroit Free Press titled, “What lawmakers can learn from the GM-UAW strike,” where I discussed the need to recognize our national obligations to one another and to the country as Americans. Read more here.
On Thursday, I commended the State Department’s designation of former Cuban dictator and current First Secretary of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, Raúl Castro and his immediate family members, for their “involvement in corruption and gross violation of human rights” against Cuban nationals. Read more here.
On Thursday, I released a statement after President Donald Trump issued a proclamation suspending the entry of senior illegitimate Venezuelan officials and their families to the United States. Read more here.
On Wednesday, I joined U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID), and Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in praising the committee’s unanimous passage of my Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act at a time when Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms are under assault by interference from the Chinese government and Communist Party. Read more here.
On Friday, I issued a statement after the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a Management Advisory report identifying material deficiencies with Women’s Business Center, Inc., a recipient of the SBA’s Women’s Business Center (WBC) grant program. Read more here.
On Friday, I issued a statement after the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed new sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran, the sovereign wealth National Development Fund of Iran (NDF), and front company Etemad Tejarate Pars for providing financial support to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the IRGC Qods Force (IRGC-QF), and Hizballah. Read more here.
On Tuesday, I applauded the U.S. Senate’s passage of my resolution, cosponsored by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), designating September 2019 as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. The resolution highlights the prevalence of spinal cord injuries and paralysis in the United States and applauds the work of those living with spinal cord injuries. Read more here.
On Tuesday, I applauded the sanctions imposed by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) against four entities that operate in the Venezuelan oil sector and four vessels that transport oil from Venezuela to Cuba. Read more here.
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and I praised the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approval our bipartisan resolution in remembrance of the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Read more here.
On Thursday, I urged U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to consider my consumer data privacy legislation, the American Data Dissemination (ADD). Read more here.
On Thursday, I denounced the negligent oversight of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which resulted in nearly $600 million of unverified loans. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...
“Marco Rubio Pushes More Tax Relief for Americans Hurt by Hurricane Michael” ( Florida Daily, 9/27/2019)
“Sen. Marco Rubio: What lawmakers can learn from the GM-UAW strike” (Detroit Free Press, 9/24/2019)
“Senator Rubio said in a statement, “Hurricanes Irma, Michael, and Matthew have caused catastrophic destruction throughout Florida in the past three years and disrupted the lives of millions of Americans.” He added, “The current disaster assistance process is unsynchronized and burdensome for victims of natural disasters. As Floridians, and thousands of Americans across our nation, continue to rebuild and recover from recent natural disasters, removing bureaucratic hurdles is imperative to ensuring that no victim is penalized for weighing their hurricane recovery options.” (The Disaster Assistance Simplification Act introduced by both Florida U.S. Senators, Mypanhandle.com, 9/27/19)
“Marco Rubio, GOP Congressmen Call on Air Force to Base F-35s at Florida’s 125th Fighter Wing” (Florida Daily, 9/26/2019)
“The bill, introduced by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, would allow Canadians to spend two months longer in the U.S. without paying income taxes. Currently Canadians who spend more than six months are considered U.S. residents and are subject to income tax. New bill might entice Canadians to stay longer in Florida, benefiting Brevard economy” (Florida Today, New bill might entice Canadians to stay longer in Florida, benefiting Brevard economy, 9/25/2019)
“And support is needed from beyond Southwest Florida to make it happen. A win for Florida natural resources came Thursday when Sen. Marco Rubio announced the approval of a bill that includes $650,000 to enhance water quality and seagrass monitoring in the Caloosahatchee estuary and Indian River Lagoon.” (SWFL leaders advocate for Florida natural resources in D.C., WINK, 9/27/2019)
“U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-FL, and U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist, D-FL, recently announced that St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) had been awarded a total $19.75 million in Federal Aviation Administration grant funds. The money includes $11.58 million in Discretionary Funds and $8.16 million in Entitlement Funds to be used for the rehabilitation of the airport’s primary runway 18-36.” (St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport awarded $19.75 million grant, Tampa Bay Newspapers, 9/24/ 2019)
“A similar bill introduced by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in his chamber is expected to be considered by the Senate Commerce Committee before the end of the year. "I urge my colleagues to act quickly and pass this bill in the Senate to help solve these challenges faced in Florida once and for all,” Rubio said in a prepared statement after the House action.” (Blue-green algae update: U.S. House OKs bill requiring feds to study South Florida blooms, TCPalm, 9/27/2019)
"Florida Senator Marco Rubio said in a statement: “As we approach the one year anniversary of Hurricane Michael, it is critical that our Panhandle communities do not feel forgotten by the federal government. I am encouraged that FEMA continues to assist Northwest Florida communities in their long road to recovery from Hurricane Michael’s destruction, and remain committed to supporting Northwest Florida in its recovery.” (FEMA sends more reimbursements to Bay County, Mypanhandle.com, 9/26/2019)
“Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., applauded the Federal Energy Regulatory Committees (FERC) for approving Eagle LNG exporting LNG out of Jacksonville. LNG Exports Continue to Expand on the First Coast” (Sunshine State News, 9/27/2019)
Legislation Introduced…
- On Wednesday, I joined U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kamala Harria (D-CA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to introduce the Hurricanes Florence and Michael and California Wildfire Tax Relief Act to aid victims of recent natural disasters. The bipartisan legislation would allow taxpayers to use earned income from the preceding year when claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
- On Thursday, U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Kennedy (R-LA), Rick Scott (R-FL) and I reintroduced the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act , legislation that would prohibit the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from penalizing victims of qualified natural disasters who apply for, but decline, Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans.
Coming up...
- My staff will host Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their communities. More information and locations near you here.
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