This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio Last Friday, I published an op-ed in the Sun Sentinel discussing the major accomplishments that Congress has achieved in the fight to restore the Everglades as well as the need to continue this momentum in order to fully restore, preserve and protect south Florida’s singular ecosystem. Read the full article here.  I secured a provision in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act , passed by the Senate last Friday, that will help the U.S. Coast Guard to reduce and better manage the maintenance backlog for its vast and aging shore infrastructure assets. Read more here.  On Friday, I applauded the House passage of S. 979, which I introduced in April 2019 with Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Thom Tillis (R-NC). The Federal Advance Contracts Enhancement (FACE) Act passed the Senate unanimously on November 7, 2019. With Friday’s action by the House of Representatives, where the bill passed 386-1, the legislation now heads to the President for signature. Read more here.  On Thursday, I joined The Ingraham Angle to discuss Chinese espionage, Chinese interference in the presidential election, and the recent cyber attacks against the U.S. government. Watch the full interview here.  On Wednesday, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and I applauded the Senate passage of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2019 , a bipartisan and bicameral bill that would enhance the State Department’s role in combating and monitoring anti-Semitism around the world. The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration. Read more here.  On Wednesday, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and I, along with Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Shelley Moore Capito (D-WV), applauded the Senate’s passage of our bipartisan bill to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to J. Christopher Stevens, Glen A. Doherty, Tyrone Woods and Sean Smith in recognition of their service and defense of the United States of America. Stevens, Doherty, Woods, and Smith were killed in the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in September 2012. Read more here.  Last week, I published an op-ed in The Ripon Forum explaining why Republicans have reasons for optimism and how a patriotic, pro-worker party is emerging. Read the full article here.  On Wednesday, I released a statement following MSCI, Inc.’s (MSCI) announcement that it would remove seven Chinese companies connected to the People’s Liberation Army from its indexes. Read more here.  On Wednesday, I joined Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Ted Cruz (R-TX) and eight of our Senate colleagues in urging U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Kevin K. Sullivan to leverage all diplomatic tools to ensure the safety of journalists, civil society, and political leaders in Nicaragua. Read more here.  On Thursday, I sent a letter to U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross requesting information concerning Huawei’s orders of semiconductors from American companies. Read more here.  On Friday, as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I named Aunt Catfish’s On the River of Port Orange, Florida as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Week. Read more here. 
Legislation Introduced- On Wednesday, Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and I introduced bipartisan legislation that would help fix an error that caused individuals receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) to forcibly repay, while potentially unemployed, overpayments they received unknowingly. The Relief for Working Families Act would provide states discretion to waive PUA overpayments for individuals who acted in good faith and played no role in securing surplus benefits. Read more here.
- This week, I joined Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and Senate colleagues on a resolution defending the right to freely exercise one’s religion, as protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...“After 20 years, progress on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is starting to yield results | Marco Rubio” (Sun Sentinel, 12/11/20) “Sen. Marco Rubio: A Patriotic, Pro-Worker Republican Party Is Emerging” (The Ripon Forum, 12/10/20) “While largely considered a success for getting businesses through the toughest times, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has called for a second round of aid.” (Paycheck Protection Program provided lifeline, Lehigh Acres Citizen, 12/16/20) “Marco Rubio Gets Bill Empowering State Department Do More to Fight Anti-Semitism Through Senate” (Florida Daily, 12/17/20) “Marco Rubio intends to hold Senate Intel hearing on Fang Fang, Chinese espionage” (Fox News, 12/15/20) “Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R), the acting-Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has taken China to task regarding the technological threat it poses to the United States’ national security, and the espionage or spying it is involved in.” (The Floridian, 12/15/20) “Last week two key U.S. senators, Democrat Bob Menendez and Republican Marco Rubio, introduced a bill aimed at helping increase the bank’s lending to $20 billion a year from about $13 billion currently to fight Covid-19.” (Latin America Gets $1 Billion From IDB for Vaccine Efforts, Bloomberg, 12/16/20) “MSCI’s decision on subsidiaries and affiliates drew fire from U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who proposed legislation in October that would harden Trump’s executive order.” (MSCI says investors do not expect Biden to change China share restrictions quickly, Reuters, 12/16/20) “Marco Rubio, Ted Deutch Get United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act Included in NDAA” (Florida Daily, 12/15/20) “Marco Rubio Calls for More Respect for Nicaraguan Civil Society and Press Freedoms” (Florida Daily, 12/17/20) | 
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