This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio
On Tuesday, I spoke on the Senate floor regarding the shocking and unjust death of Mr. George Floyd, and how the American family can begin confronting systemic and unaddressed racial disparities in our nation. Read a transcript of my remarks here and watch the full speech here.
On Wednesday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I convened a hearing titled “Implementation of Title I of the CARES Act.” Read a transcript of my opening statement here and watch the full remarks here.
On Friday, I joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Susan Collins (R-ME) in releasing a statement after the Senate unanimously approved our resolution calling for the immediate release of Cuban democracy activist José Daniel Ferrer. Mr. Ferrer was imprisoned on October 1, 2019 and arbitrarily convicted on April 3, 2020 to a sentence of four and a half years. The bipartisan resolution also commends and highlights Mr. Ferrer’s efforts to promote human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba. Read more here.
On Tuesday, I joined Senators Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) in requesting that the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) take a fresh look at Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and clearly define the criteria for which companies can receive protections under the statute. This request was made in light of recent troubling activities by social media companies, including partisan attempts to silence political speech and efforts to silence critics of the Chinese Communist Party. Read more here.
On Friday, I joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Ed Markey (D-MA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Pat Toomey (R-PA), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) in demanding information from Zoom’s CEO after the company admitted it deactivated the accounts of U.S-based, pro-democracy Chinese activists — at the request of the Chinese government — after they held a Zoom meeting on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Read more here.
On Tuesday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I named Pinecrest Bakery of Pinecrest, FL as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Read more here.
Legislation Introduced
- On Thursday, I joined Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) in introducing a resolution recognizing the anniversary of the terror attack on Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016, and honoring the 49 innocent lives lost in this senseless tragedy. This resolution passed the Senate by unanimous consent. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...
“Rubio went all-in on small-business program that has become the centerpiece of an economic-revival push” (Washington Post, 06/10/20)
“The economy remains extremely weak, with a high unemployment rate and a surge in Americans seeking assistance. But [economists] also say things would be even worse without the giant loan forgiveness program, which Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) shepherded through Congress and then helped defend during chaotic weeks of implementation.” (Following messy start, enormous Paycheck Protection Program shows signs of buttressing economy, Washington Post, 06/09/20)
“On Thursday, [U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott] teamed up on a resolution honoring the 49 people killed at the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016.” (Florida’s Senators Offer Resolution Honoring the Lives Lost at the Pulse Nightclub Shooting, Florida Daily, 06/11/20)
“Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, sponsor of a Senate companion measure, said the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys will be part of Senate Republicans’ response to Floyd’s death.” (House eyes commission to study societal issues impacting blacks, Roll Call, 06/10/20)
“ Marco Rubio: ‘The Foundations of Our Country Are Not Irredeemably Racist,’ Defunding the Police ‘Stupid’” (The Floridian, 06/10/20)
“‘The single most successful thing the federal government has done to respond to COVID-19 has been the PPP program,’ said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), chairman of the Small Business Committee in an interview with Spectrum News. (Lawmakers Examine More Ways to Help Small Businesses Reeling from COVID-19 Impact, Bay News 9, 06/10/20)
“Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., Kevin Cramer, R.-ND, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., accused social media companies of attempting to silence political speech and critics of the Chinese Communist Party in a letter to FCC Chair Ajit Pai.” (4 Republican senators push FCC to act on Trump's social media 'censorship' order, Fox Business, 06/10/20)
“The Uighur legislation, proposed by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, singles out Xinjiang’s Communist Party secretary, Chen Quanguo, a member of China’s powerful Politburo, as responsible for ‘gross human rights violations’ against them.” (Reuters, 06/08/20)
“Florida U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have introduced legislation to bolster the American commercial space industry.” (Bipartisan Bill Bolsters U.S. Commercial Space Industry, WMFE, 06/08/20)
“‘Like many small businesses throughout our state of Florida, Ideal Aluminum stepped up to support its community during the time of this terrible pandemic,’ Rubio said in a release.” (Ideal Aluminum of St. Augustine honored by Senate, St. Augustine Record, 06/06/20)
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