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This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio
Today, I spoke with the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Pensacola. All key federal agencies are involved in the investigation of the shooting, which has all the markings of an act motivated by international terrorism. I remain in close contact with relevant officials and am closely monitoring the situation. My prayers are with all those impacted by this horrible attack.
Last Wednesday, Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and I issued the following statements after President Trump signed our Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (S. 1838) into law. The Senate unanimously passed the bill on November 19th, with the House following on November 20th by a vote of 417 to 1, sending the bill directly to President Trump. Read more here.
On Thursday, I published an op-ed in Fox News urging the U.S. to be a leader in defending Hong Kong’s autonomy against the Chinese Communist Party. Read the full article here.
On Tuesday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I named Tomato Express of Kissimmee, Florida as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Read more here.
On Thursday, as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues, I convened a hearing titled “ Illicit Mining: Threats to U.S. National Security and International Human Rights.” Watch video of the hearing here or read the transcript of my opening remarks here.
On Thursday, I joined Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Rick Scott (R-FL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Todd Young (R-IN), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) in urging the International Olympic Committee to implement Olympic Agenda 2020 and the corresponding Host City Contract in time for the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing instead of the current timeline of 2024. The new guidelines, among other requirements, hold host cities to international human rights norms and standards. Read more here.
Last Friday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and I sent a letter to President Trump asking him to replace members of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board after their short-sighted decision to steer federal retirement savings to Chinese firms engaged in human rights abuses and a wide range of military-related activities. Read more here.
Last Friday, I issued the following statement after the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed new sanctions against Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, “for his role in the Iranian regime’s wide scale internet censorship.” Read more here.
Last Monday, I joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Cornyn (R-TX), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and John Barrasso (R-WY), in sending a letter to President Trump urging his administration to swiftly impose mandated sanctions on those Iranian officials responsible for shutting down the Internet in Iran, and work to restore Internet access in that country. Read more here.
Last Tuesday, I issued a statement after the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions against Corporación Panamericana S.A. “for being owned or controlled by, or having acted for or on behalf of, Cubametales.” Read more here.
Last Tuesday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) and I thanked President Trump for signing our bipartisan Rebuilding Small Businesses After Disasters Act (S. 862) into law. The bill extends provisions that will help homeowners and small businesses access certain U.S. Small Business Administration loans. Read more here.
Last Saturday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I encouraged Floridians to shop locally in celebration of Small Business Saturday. Read more here.
On Monday, I joined Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Rob Portman (R-OH), Chris Coons (D-DE), and 21 of our Senate colleagues in sending United States Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Lighthizer a letter outlining our concerns with the Chinese government’s efforts to develop and deploy its Corporate Social Credit System. The Corporate SCS represents China formalizing a system to punish American companies and workers for speaking out against the Chinese government. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...
“Marco Rubio lauds Donald Trump signage of Hong Kong human rights act” (Florida Politics, 11/29/2019)
"Illegal gold flowing through Miami is a ‘direct threat’ to U.S. national security, Rubio says” (Miami Herald, 12/05/ 2019)
"Rubio puts hold on Interior Department nominee amid offshore drilling concerns” (Miami Herald, 12/05/2019)
“Florida Sen. Marco Rubio reintroduced a bill to Congress that would move the U.S. to permanent DST in March 2020…We approve of the change and urge Congress to follow through on the move.” (U.S. should permanently switch to daylight savings time, Citrus County Chronicle, 11/26/2019)
“Sen. Marco Rubio, in particular, has long been a champion of international religious freedom, especially in countries like Cuba. The USCIRF’s arduous past reauthorizations simply might not have occurred had it not been for his efforts.” (‘Congress Must Act Soon to Save the USCIRF,’ WSJ, 12/05/2019)
“’Rubio: “I didn’t write the Bible, just putting it out there.’” (Floridian Press, 12/04/2019)
“Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently called on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review the acquisition of social media app Musical.ly by TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology Co. over claims that TikTok is used by the Chinese government to censor certain political content.” (Lawsuit: TikTok Sent User Data of Americans to China, Breitbart, 12/03/2019)
“Rubio applauds Executive Order to sanction Cuban oil company” (Floridian Press, 11/26/2019)
Legislation Introduced…
- I joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in introducing the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Extension Act of 2019 to reauthorize a 2014 law that imposed mandatory targeted sanctions on Maduro regime officials involved in serious human rights violations and the curtailing of Venezuelans’ fundamental freedoms. Read more here.
- I joined Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) in introducing a resolution expressing grave concern over irregularities following Bolivia’s general elections held on October 20, 2019, and encouraging the State Department and Organization of American States to provide support to facilitate fair, democratic elections in Bolivia. Read more here.
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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