This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio
On Friday, I applauded President Donald Trump for signing the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act into law. The new law establishes the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys within the United States Commission on Civil Rights’ Office and is tasked with recommending policies to improve current government programs. I partnered with Representative Frederica Wilson (D-FL) to usher the bill through the House and Senate earlier this year. Read more here.
On Thursday, I delivered testimony during a virtual hearing on seasonal and perishable produce organized by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. The virtual hearing is the first of two to discuss foreign trade practices that are harming American growers, especially Florida farmers, of seasonal and perishable produce. These hearings are being convened after I led the Florida delegation in securing a promise from the Administration to further examine this issue and formulate a plan that addresses the severe harm that Florida growers continue to experience at the hands of Mexico. Read more here.
On Wednesday, I issued the following statement regarding the nomination of Kathyrn Kimball Mizelle to serve as a federal district court judge for the Middle District of Florida. Read more here.
On Monday, I issued the following statement as Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar visited Taiwan on an official visit. During Secretary Azar’s trip to Taiwan, the U.S. announced it will sign a memorandum of understanding to expand collaboration between HHS and the Taiwanese Ministry of Health and Welfare. Read more here.
On Thursday, I joined Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH), along with 22 Senators and 79 Representatives, in sending a letter to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin calling for new regulations to end tax breaks for abortion under the guise of healthcare. Read more here.
Last Friday, as Acting Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I joined with Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) to release the following statement in response to National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) Director Bill Evanina’s statement on election security. Read more here.
On Friday, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and I sent a letter to the President of the European Commission, Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles, offering to partner with the European Union and its member states on coordinated responses to the passage of Beijing’s draconian National Security Law and crushing of Hong Kong’s autonomy. In our letter, we welcomed the call for a U.S.-EU dialogue on China and urged the EU to impose sanctions against officials responsible for the egregious human rights abuses in Hong Kong, Tibet, and Xinjiang. Read more here.
On Saturday, I joined Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY) in leading a group of legislators in urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to require Qatari-owned media company Al Jazeera to register as a foreign agent. In our letter to the DOJ, we noted examples of Al Jazeera’s activities that align closely with the priorities of the Qatari government. The letter also notes that other foreign state-owned media organizations with similar fact patterns and reach into the United States have recently been required to register as foreign agents. Read more here.
Legislation Introduced
- On Thursday, I joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member and Chairman, respectively, of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, along with Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Rob Portman (R-OH) in introducing a Senate Resolution regarding the massive explosion in the Port of Beirut, Lebanon on August 4, 2020. The bipartisan resolution extends heartfelt condolences to the people of Lebanon on behalf of the U.S. Senate and reiterates support for ongoing U.S. government efforts to provide emergency humanitarian relief in concert with other international partners to those impacted. Read more here.
- On Friday, I joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in introducing the Advancing Competitiveness, Transparency, and Security in the Americas Act (ACTSA). This groundbreaking bipartisan legislation would strengthen economic competitiveness, expand safeguards for physical and digital infrastructure, and address human rights abuses from digital surveillance technologies in Latin America and the Caribbean. The bill is the first comprehensive effort to improve U.S. economic engagement and diplomatic presence, and address the Government of China’s economic, political, security, and intelligence activities in the region. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...
“Marco Rubio: Joe Biden Represents Failed Consensus” (Newsweek, 08/12/20)
“‘We need you to make good.’ Rubio, Florida officials urge Trump to help growers.” (Miami Herald, 08/13/20)
“China Sanctions Florida Senator Marco Rubio, 5 Other Lawmakers” (CBS4 Miami, 08/10/20)
“The election will take place, as scheduled by federal law, on November 3. To deal with the circumstances under which it will be conducted, Senator Marco Rubio has smartly introduced legislation that would adjust two key but now obsolete dates in federal law which govern the Electoral College process.” (How Congress could diminish the risks with Electoral College count, The Hill, 08/13/20)
“The institutes have long been a target of China hawks, with lawmakers including Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, urging schools in his state to terminate their agreements with them. He called them ‘Chinese government-run programs that use the teaching of Chinese language and culture as a tool to expand the political influence’ of the government.” (China’s State-Funded Confucius Institutes Draw U.S. Scrutiny, Bloomberg, 08/12//20)
“Marco Rubio Calls on Democrats to Compromise With GOP on Another Coronavirus Relief Package” (Florida Daily, 08/13/20)
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