Saturday, February 29, 2020

FLORIDA - SENATOR RICK SCOTT'S WEEK IN REVIEW 02/28/2020

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As the threat of the Chinese Coronavirus intensifies, Senator Rick Scott is working to make sure the federal government is prepared and providing all the information needed to states. This week, Senator Scott:
  • Urged the Trump Administration to appoint leadership to oversee and coordinate the federal government’s efforts to combat the Chinese Coronavirus, which the President did by appointing Vice President Pence;
  • Sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf requesting information on the agency’s plan to address the Chinese Coronavirus and calling for increased screenings at airports for foreign nationals coming from any region that is a growing concern for transmission of the virus;
  • Called on the CDC Director to immediately launch a 24/7, fully staffed phone hotline to address questions from the American public about the Chinese Coronavirus. Senator Scott also urged the agency to hold regular conference calls with state and local health officials to provide up-to-date information and resources available to combat the Chinese Coronavirus; and
  • Requested information from DHS and CDC about security protocol and resources at Florida’s airports and seaports in response to new cases of the Chinese Coronavirus being reported in South and Central America.
 See more of what Senator Scott has been up to this week below.
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Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to the lobbying firm of Amsterdam & Partners after the firm took over a contract to work on behalf of Nicolas Maduro’s brutal regime in Venezuela. Recently, Senator Scott called on another lobbying firm to stop working for Maduro, and they heeded that call. Read more, including the full letter, HERE.
Senator Rick Scott issued the following statement denouncing Sen. Bernie Sanders for his recent actions

Senator Rick Scott said, “Bernie Sanders has made it clear that he is shamefully ignorant and has no respect for those fighting for freedom. His comments in support of the brutal Castro regime, and now his accusations against AIPAC for 'bigotry,' are disgusting, but not surprising from a far-left socialist pushing an anti-Israel agenda. The United States must reject this behavior and rhetoric, and stand with those fighting for freedom, democracy and human rights.” Read more HERE.
Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf requesting information on the agency’s plan to address the Chinese Coronavirus and calling for increased screenings at airports for foreign nationals coming from any region that is a growing concern for transmission of the virus. Read more, including the full letter, HERE.
 
Senator Rick Scott issued the below statement following Senate Democrats’ decision to block consideration of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Act.
 
Senator Rick Scott said, “These votes should have been common sense – the unborn and newly-born infants are the most vulnerable among us and deserve to be welcomed with open arms. By voting against these two bills, Democrats showed how far they have shifted in their stance on abortion. The Democrats stood for radical, late-term abortion and infanticide, rather than to preserve the right to life for defenseless children. Their decision is horrific and shameful. I will always stand for the unborn and oppose the radical abortion agenda of today’s Democrat Party.” Read more HERE.
Senators Rick Scott and Jacky Rosen introduced the No Congressionally-Obligated Recurring Revenue Used as Pensions to Incarcerated Officials Now (No CORRUPTION) Act, which would prevent former members of Congress convicted of crimes involving public corruption from receiving taxpayer-funded pension payments. This legislation has also been introduced in the House of Representatives, led by Representatives Ralph Norman and Brad Schneider.

Senator Rick Scott said, “It is unthinkable that a former member of Congress could be convicted of a crime involving public corruption and still benefit off the taxpayer dollars of hardworking families. I came to the U.S. Senate to fight for the best interests of Floridians, not career politicians, and I’m proud to sponsor common sense legislation to prevent criminals from getting taxpayer-funded retirement benefits.” Read more HERE.
Senator Rick Scott wrote a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director urging the agency to immediately launch a 24/7, fully staffed phone hotline to address questions from the American public about the Chinese Coronavirus. Senator Scott also urged the agency to hold regular conference calls with state and local health officials to provide up-to-date information and resources available to combat the Chinese Coronavirus. Read more, including the full letter, HERE.
Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requesting information on security protocol and resources at Florida’s airports and seaports in response to new cases of the Chinese Coronavirus being reported in South and Central America. Read more, including the full letter, HERE.
Senator Rick Scott spoke at the Hudson Institute on Communist China’s threat to the United States’ national security and economic stability, and how the international community must stand united against Communist China and fight for human rights. 
 
Read excerpts of Senator Scott’s remarks as prepared for delivery below, or in full HERE.

“…We cannot continue to pretend that General Secretary Xi is a world leader intent on pursuing policies of freedom, economic cooperation and peace. He pursues policies that are good for the Chinese Communist Party. Period. 

He is a despot in disguise. He’s Mao Zedong with a makeover. 

Unfortunately, the last few decades of policies coming out of Washington have not solved the problem of Communist China. We’ve merely altered the battlefield.

Our posture towards Communist China has simply strengthened a determined adversary, and one that views this conflict as a zero-sum game. They win, we lose.

The result, whether we want to admit it or not, is a new Cold War.

Our commitment to peace, democracy and human rights around the globe MUST be paired with an equally global strategy to deal with the growing threat of Communist China. 

What I’ve tried to focus on throughout my first year in the U.S. Senate is finding every opportunity possible to reveal Communist China’s true intentions and their fundamentally anti-democratic worldview. 

Our goal must be to untangle some of the missteps our government has made to protect the citizens of the United States and the long-term security of our economy....

We can no longer pretend that Communist China is an ally with good intentions – merely a partner with customs and a political system that we don’t fully understand. 

We know what Communist China is. We know who they are. Communist China is a totalitarian regime bent on world domination – one that quashes dissent, often violently, and destroys anyone or anything that stands in its way.

We stand with the freedom-loving people of Hong Kong and Taiwan, the historically persecuted people of Tibet, the peaceful community of Uyghur Muslims and Falun Gong, and the journalists and political dissidents in Communist China. 

We stand for human rights and we stand against political neutrality in the face of evil.

The challenge posed by Communist China is great. We must face this challenge head-on. 

It will be the conflict that determines whether the world community will embrace the values of democracy and human rights or cower to the whims of dictators. 

I’ll fight every day to make sure we come down on the right side of history.”
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The Florida Strawberry Festival is underway in Hillsborough County! Read more about this year's festival and attractions HERE.
Florida is home to the best beaches in the nation. This week, TripAdvisor ranked several Florida beaches in the United States' top 25 beaches, with Siesta Beach topping the list!  
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WASHINGTON, D.C.716 Hart Senate Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5274
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