This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio
On Wednesday, I joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and James Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member and Chairman, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Ed Markey (D-MA), Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, and Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) in applauding the House passage of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (S.3744). This bipartisan bill is an important step in countering the totalitarian Chinese government’s widespread and horrific human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including the mass internment of over one million Uyghurs and other predominantly ethnic Turkic Muslims, as well as Beijing’s intimidation and threats against U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents on American soil. The bill now goes to President Trump’s desk for signature. Read more here.
On Wednesday, I penned an essay discussing the history of deindustrialization and racial discrimination in our nation and the need for structural changes in order to provide further opportunity for minority communities. Read the full essay here.
On Friday, I published an op-ed in Nikkei Asian Review discussing the threat of the Chinese Communist Party’s imposition of proposed security laws in Hong Kong and the threat it poses to foreign residents and international business. Read the full article here.
On Friday, as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee that oversees human rights and democracy and author of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (P.L. 116–76), I issued the following statement after President Trump announced that the United States would begin the process of ending the special relationship with Hong Kong and impose sanctions on certain Chinese and Hong Kong officials as Beijing continues its authoritarian grip against Hong Kong’s autonomy. Read more here.
On Tuesday, I joined Fox & Friends to discuss states reopening, continued support for small businesses, the threat posed by China, and oversight of the intelligence community. Watch the full interview here.
On Thursday, I released a statement after Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida has signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to administer $380.7 million in grant funding for Florida’s timber industry following the impact of Hurricane Michael. Read more here.
Last Friday, Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and I — both sons of naturalized U.S. citizens — sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Acting Director Kenneth Cuccinelli requesting that the agency increase small in-person ceremonies and seek out alternative methods for eligible immigrants with approved naturalization applications to safely participate in U.S. Citizenship Oath of Allegiance Ceremonies. On Thursday, we issued a statement after the USCIS resumed naturalization ceremonies under the guidance and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Read more here.
On Wednesday, as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee that oversees human rights and democracy and author of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act , I issued the following statement after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified that Hong Kong was no longer autonomous. Read more here.
On Thursday, I joined Senators Jim Risch (R-ID) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Ed Markey (D-MA), Chairman and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in sending a letter to the United Nations permanent representatives for Estonia and France, the current and incoming president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in support of the United States Mission to the United Nations’ (USUN) call for an immediate UNSC meeting on recent actions taken by the Chinese government to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy. Read more here.
On Thursday, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and I, Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, released statements after the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Treasury Department announced a $10 billion set-aside of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). Read more here.
On Wednesday, I joined Fox News’s America’s Newsroom to discuss the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Watch the full interview here.
On Wednesday, I issued the following statement after the Trump administration announced it will terminate sanctions waivers on Iran's civil nuclear program and sanctioned Majid Agha’i and Amjad Sazgar, the Managing Director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, pursuant to Executive Order 13382. Read more here.
On Thursday, I joined Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Chris Murphy (D-CT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), David Perdue (R-GA), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and James Lankford (R-OK), in sending a letter to Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin encouraging the administration to hold members of the Ortega regime in Nicaragua accountable for human rights violations. Read more here.
Last Friday, I welcomed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue’s announcement providing details of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which will provide up to $16 billion to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Read more and learn how to apply for aid here.
Last Friday, I joined Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Michael Bennett (D-CO) along with 127 bipartisan Members of Congress in a letter to President Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter Gaynor calling on the Administration to ensure National Guard personnel who are serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 response efforts across the nation receive the federal benefits they have earned. Read more here.
Last Friday, I joined Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, in releasing the following statement after the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13851, designated two senior members of the Nicaraguan regime. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...
“Marco Rubio warns of instability without structural changes to help minorities in coronavirus recovery” (Washington Post, 05/27/20)
“Marco Rubio: Deindustrialization, racial discrimination, and the case for common good capitalism.” (Medium, 05/27/20)
“Marco Rubio: Hong Kong security law puts foreign residents and businesses in danger” (Nikkei Asian Review, 05/29/20)
“Rubio Argues For Industrialization As Solution To The ‘White-Black Earnings Gap’” (The Federalist, 05/29/20)
“Rubio warns of foreign actors amplifying virus conspiracies” (Associated Press, 05/27/20)
“Marco Rubio zeroes in on Russia — not Obama” (POLITICO, 05/27/20)
“More than 50 senators co-sponsored the bill, which was introduced by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen. Bob Menendez...” House sends Uyghur human rights bill to Trump's desk, CNN, 05/27/2020)
“Asked about the Trump administration’s move to cancel the visas of some Chinese students studying in the United States, Mr. Rubio said he supported ‘a targeted approach’ to make it more difficult for the Chinese Communist Party to exploit the openness of American schools to advance their own military and intelligence abilities.” (U.S. to Expel Chinese Graduate Students With Ties to China’s Military Schools, New York Times, 05/28/20)
“When asked about whether TikTok’s recent moves could assuage U.S. regulatory concerns, [Rubio] told Reuters: ‘As long as TikTok or any other application operates in a way that gives the Chinese government and Communist Party leverage, it is impossible to separate the dangers of using such an application from the reality that users’ information could be at risk.’” (Exclusive: TikTok owner ByteDance moves to shift power out of China - sources, Reuters, 05/28/20)
“Marco Rubio insiste en que no hay ambiente en el Senado federal para otorgarle la estadidad a Puerto Rico” (El Nuevo Día, 05/27/20)
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