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This week, Senator Rick Scott and his colleagues worked to pass the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, which provides $8.3 billion to combat the threat of the Chinese Coronavirus. The bill includes funding for laboratory testing to detect positive cases, an expansion of telehealth services in Florida, vaccine research and development, medical supplies for states and localities for emergency health response, and mitigation of shortages of medical products in the supply chain.
Senator Rick Scott said, “The threat of the Chinese Coronavirus is not going away. In the face of a public health crisis, I’m proud my colleagues joined together to give the Administration the resources it needs to protect Americans. This funding is critical to help federal, state and local governments continue to do everything possible to prepare for and prevent the spread of the Chinese Coronavirus in the United States.”
Also this week, Senator Rick Scott introduced:
See more of what Senator Scott has been up to this week below.
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Senator Rick Scott released the following statement calling for increased screening at all of Florida’s international airports following reports of two individuals testing positive for the Chinese Coronavirus in Florida, as well as the increased number of cases in Latin America to include two cases in Mexico, two cases in Brazil, one case in the Dominican Republic and one case in Ecuador.
Senator Rick Scott said, “My top priority is the health of Floridians. I’m calling on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to immediately increase screening procedures at every one of Florida’s international airports. We must also work with the newly-infected countries to make sure they are conducting proper screenings of outgoing passengers. With new cases reported in Florida, as well as the increased threat of the Chinese Coronavirus from Latin America, we have to do everything we can to prevent the virus from spreading in our state – and that starts with the thorough screening of travelers. I've been in constant contact with federal, state and local officials, and am confident they have the resources to keep families safe, but everyone must stay vigilant.” Read more HERE.
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Senator Rick Scott wrote a letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Attorney General Barr calling for an investigation of the lobbying firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP after the firm took over a contract to work on behalf of Nicolas Maduro’s brutal regime in Venezuela. Senator Scott wants the agencies to look into the services to be performed and the source of the money paid to Amsterdam & Partners to determine if it violates the sanctions imposed against the Maduro regime and whether there is any effort to circumvent FARA regulations. Read more, including the full letter, HERE.
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As cases of the Chinese Coronavirus continue to climb in the United States, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement calling for free tests for anyone experiencing symptoms.
Senator Rick Scott said, “We are facing a public health crisis. Nothing should get in the way of Americans’ ability to protect themselves and get tested for the Chinese Coronavirus – especially cost. Anyone experiencing symptoms should be able to get a test for free, and I’m calling for Congress to include funding for the tests in the emergency supplemental appropriations bill and pass this funding now.” Read more HERE.
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Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Bob Menendez in a letter to Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States and Mexico, Rolandas Kriščiūnas, urging the Lithuanian parliament to reject the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) treaty between the European Union (EU) and Cuba. Read more, including the full letter, from Senator Rubio’s office HERE.
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Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Ben Sasse, Senator Chuck Schumer and a bipartisan group of colleagues in a letter urging the United Kingdom’s Parliament to reconsider the decision to allow Huawei to supply some of the U.K.’s 5G telecommunications structure. In case you missed it, Senator Scott wrote an wrote an op-ed for the Washington Examiner warning the U.K. about the extreme risks associated with this decision. Read more, including the full letter, from Senator Sasse’s office HERE.
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Senators Rick Scott and Ed Markey introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to move the 2022 Winter Olympics out of China and rebid it to another country unless Beijing addresses its violation of human rights. This resolution was also sponsored by Senators Jim Inhofe, Dick Durbin, Martha McSally, Doug Jones, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Todd Young, Marsha Blackburn and Mike Braun.
This resolution follows Senator Scott’s continued calls on the IOC to stand for freedom and urge Communist China to stop violating human rights, or find a new home for the 2022 Olympic Games. Senator Rick Scott said, “Communist China should not be allowed to host the 2022 Olympic Games while simultaneously running concentration camps, violating human rights and oppressing the people of Hong Kong. The Olympic Games are an incredible opportunity to allow the world’s best athletes to represent their countries and unite our nations, and should not be hosted by one of the world’s worst human rights abusers. Today, the Senate is sending a clear message to the IOC: stand up for freedom and urge Communist China to do the right thing, or find a new home for the 2022 Olympic Games. It’s not about politics, it’s about human rights.” Read more HERE.
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Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after reports that Bernie Sanders told a political prisoner in Cuba that he didn't understand why others criticized Cuba.
Senator Rick Scott said, “This is just another disgusting example of Bernie Sanders’ ignorance and undying support for the Castro regime. His continued refusal to stand up for freedom and for the people of Cuba who have endured six decades of atrocities, oppression and misery at the hands of the regime is shameful. This is not what America stands for, and every Democrat needs to do what is right – stand for freedom and condemn Sanders.” Read more HERE.
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During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Senator Rick Scott questioned U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf on the agency’s plan to increase protection at Florida’s airports and seaports in response to the Chinese Coronavirus. On Monday, Senator Scott called on DHS to immediately increase screening procedures at every one of Florida’s international airports, as well as work with the newly-infected countries to make sure they are conducting proper screenings of outgoing passengers.See video from the hearing HERE or below.
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Senator Rick Scott and Senator Joni Ernst introduced the Secure U.S. Bases Act to reform and improve foreign military student training programs following the terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola on December 6th, 2019. After the attack, Senator Scott called for a hard reset of the program and for all Saudi nationals training in the U.S. to be sent home until the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) completed a thorough review of the program. The Secure U.S. Bases Act requires a thorough vetting process before a foreign student enters the U.S.; creates a special, limited visa for foreign students; and establishes a review process so that DOD is not operating training programs in the U.S. that would be better operated abroad.
Senator Rick Scott said, “The safety and security of American men and women in uniform is always a priority for me, and it should be a priority of our entire government. The tragic terrorist attack in Pensacola last year revealed an unnecessary risk. This terrorist should never have been allowed in our country, let alone on an American military base with easy access to American military men and women. The Secure U.S. Bases Act will make sure foreign military students training at U.S. bases are thoroughly vetted and monitored, and that our troops are protected and never have to experience a tragedy like this again.” Read more HERE.
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Senator Rick Scott spoke on the Senate floor about his Secure U.S. Bases Act, cosponsored by Senator Joni Ernst, to reform and improve foreign military student training programs following the terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola on December 6th, 2019. Watch Senator Scott’s speech HERE or below.
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Ahead of International Women’s Day, Senator Rick Scott joined Senators Marco Rubio, Bob Menendez, Ted Cruz and Ben Cardin to introduce a resolution honoring Las Damas de Blanco, a women-led peaceful nonviolent movement in support of freedom and human rights in Cuba, and calling for the release of all political prisoners in Cuba.
Senator Rick Scott said, “The Ladies in White have stood up against the oppressive Cuban regime for almost two decades and serve as a bastion for human rights in the face of communist tyrants. Their example inspires countless Cuban-Americans living in Florida, and they deserve our unyielding support as we continue to fight for freedom and democracy around the world.” Read more from Senator Rubio's office HERE.
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Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to World Bank Group President David Malpass asking for information on the steps the World Bank is taking to reduce lending to Communist China. There is no reason the World Bank should be lending to Communist China, a developed and wealthy nation that oppresses its people and denies their human rights. Read more, including the full letter, HERE.
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Senator Rick Scott wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times in response to a recent op-ed by China’s foreign affairs commissioner in Hong Kong praising Communist China as a world leader in combatting the Chinese Coronavirus.
In the letter to the editor, Senator Rick Scott wrote, “Communist China cannot be trusted, and has not been honest about the coronavirus. Mr. Xie claims that China responded to the coronavirus outbreak in record time. Yet he conveniently doesn’t mention that when the virus first began to spread, the Chinese government did what it does best: silence critics and detain people accused of spreading rumors. It was his Communist Party that reprimanded and threatened a doctor in Wuhan for warning others about the initial outbreak; the same doctor later died from the disease.… No amount of propaganda can distract from the truth: China is willing to sacrifice the health of its citizens if it means that it can maintain its global image.” Read the full letter to the editor in the New York Times HERE.
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Pensacola News Journal: Sen. Rick Scott proposes changes for foreign military students after NAS Pensacola attack
Washington Free Beacon: In Wake of Terror Attack, New Legislation Would Tighten Security Screening for Foreign Military Students
Stars and Stripes: Two senators want more vetting of foreign military students in wake of Pensacola attack
One America News: Wall To Wall: Sen. Rick Scott Discusses Huawei Bill And Coronavirus
Tampa Bay Times: Marco Rubio and Rick Scott want 10-year ban on drilling off Florida coast in Senate energy bill
Florida Politics: Rick Scott blasts China human rights violations in bipartisan effort to move the 2022 Olympics
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Senator Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio joined Florida Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez and community leaders in West Palm Beach to discuss local, state and federal efforts to protect Americans from the Chinese Coronavirus.
Senator Rick Scott said, “Just as we saw with Zika, local communities are the first to respond, and I was proud to join Senator Rubio, Lt. Governor Nuñez and local leaders in West Palm Beach to hear firsthand what resources and information they need from the federal government to prevent the spread of the Chinese Coronavirus. I was glad to see the President approve $8.3 billion in critical funding to help continue to prepare for and combat the Chinese Coronavirus in the United States. However, the threat of the Chinese Coronavirus is not going away, and we must keep working to protect Americans.”
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Come Visit Us at Mobile Office Hours!
The staff of Senator Rick Scott will be holding Mobile Office Hours to assist Floridians with federal services, including help with federal agencies and veterans' resources. See a full list of federal services HERE. Next week's Mobile Office Hours will be held at:
Miami-Dade County
Wednesday, March 11, 2020 10:00AM - 1:00PMMilander Center for Arts & Entertainment, Garden Plaza Hall 4800 Palm Avenue Hialeah, FL 33012
AND
Pasco County
Friday, March 13, 2020 10:00AM - 1:00PM Hugh Embry Library 14215 4th Street Dade City, FL 33523 | |||||||||
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