FLORIDA - SENATOR MARCO RUBIO - THIS WEEK IN HIS OFFICE 10/18/2019

This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio  On Friday, I joined Bay News 9 to discuss an array of issues, including my thoughts on the recent Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held Syria. Watch the full interview here.    On Thursday, my op-ed titled, “America is Coming Apart — Here’s How We Start The Revival” was published in Daily Caller. In it I discuss the way today’s pressing issues represent a cultural crisis unique to younger generations. Read more here. On Wednesday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I named Mother Kombucha of St. Petersburg, Florida as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. I visited Mother Kombucha in St. Petersburg last week. Read more here. On Tuesday, I penned an op-ed for Fox News titled, “China wants to completely supplant the US – We can't allow it to hold the world hostage.” Read more here. On Thursday, I delivered a floor speech on U.S. policy toward Syria and the long-term challenges to U.S. national security in the region following Turkey’s incursion in Northern Syria. Watch the full video here. On Thursday, I was joined by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL) to introduce the Contracts and Obligations Modernization for Efficient Terms of Service (COMETS) Act. This legislation would allow NASA to use its procurement contracts to acquire supplies and services to meet not only NASA requirements, but also the requirements of its commercial partners. Read more here. On Thursday, I Co-Chaired a Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), hearing to evaluate the on-going forced labor, mass internment, and social control of the Chinese Government and Communist Party in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Read more here. On Thursday, I was joined by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rick Scott (R-FL) in introducing the Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act (S. 2621). The legislation would allow beneficiaries of Holocaust-era insurance policies to bring civil action in U.S. district courts against the insurer for the covered policy to recover proceeds due or otherwise enforce any rights under the policy.  Read more here.     In Case You Missed It... “Sen. Rubio: America is Coming Apart — Here’s How We Start The Revival” (Daily Caller, 10/17/2019) “Sen. Marco Rubio: China wants to completely supplant the US – We can't allow it to hold the world hostage” (Fox News, 10/15/2019) “The grant comes the same day U.S. Marco Rubio announced $5.4 million in repayments to the city of Tampa and $4.8 million to Hillsborough County for debris removal costs incurred during Hurricane Irma in 2017. Gov. Ron DeSantis has also announced $633 million in federal funding for future disaster mitigation programs in Florida.” (FEMA to fund $3.9 million traffic signal hardening project in Pinellas County, Florida Politics, 10/17/2019) “Senator Rubio concerned with status of Marianna prison”        (Mypanhandle.com, 10/18/2019) “Rubio seeks answers on re-opening prison” (Panama City News Herald, 10/16/2019) “Lately, TikTok has been gobbling up news headlines to mixed reviews as well: NMPA Calls on Congress to Investigate TikTok for Copyright Theft by Billboard That last headline is what set off Sen. Rubio. Spectrum Bay News 9 even reported about a record-setting fine against TikTok back in February.” (Getting Answers: Is China Collecting Children's Data Through TikTok?, Bay News 9, 10/17/2019) “After speaking with McAleenan Friday morning, Senator Marco Rubio – who has worked all year to help the shipyard recover from Hurricane Michael – hailed the announcement. “This is a positive outcome for Eastern, and they recognize it could have been much worse,” Rubio said. “Hurricane Michael had a devastating impact on our local economy, including impeding the Coast Guard’s Offshore Patrol Cutter project and subsequently jeopardizing thousands of local jobs.” (Eastern Shipbuilding gets ‘relief’ on USCG contract, Panama City News Herald, 10/18/2019) “Marco Rubio Warns Parents About Chinese-Owned TikTok App” (Breitbart, 10/17/2019) Legislation Introduced… On Thursday, I joined Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL) to introduce the Contracts and Obligations Modernization for Efficient Terms of Service (COMETS) Act . This legislation would allow NASA to use its procurement contracts to acquire supplies and services to meet not only NASA requirements, but also the requirements of its commercial partners. On Thursday, I joined Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act (S. 2621). The legislation would allow beneficiaries of Holocaust-era insurance policies to bring civil action in U.S. district courts against the insurer for the covered policy to recover proceeds due or otherwise enforce any rights under the policy.  On Wednesday, I cosponsored Senator Gary Peters’ (D-MI) National Criminal Justice Commission Act, bipartisan legislation that would task a National Criminal Justice Commission to assess the nation’s criminal justice system and propose reforms to address the most pressing issues facing it. 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. Keep up with me on  Facebook  and  Twitter