FLORIDA - SENATOR RICK SCOTT'S WEEK IN REVIEW 01/22/2021

 

This week, Senator Rick Scott spoke on the Senate floor about his concerns with the Biden Administration’s plans for excessive government spending, higher taxes, and increased regulation. Senator Scott will keep fighting every day for policies that truly serve and support hardworking American families and ensure a strong economic future for our nation.  Watch his speech HERE or below.  — See more of what Senator Scott has been up to this week below.

Sen. Rick Applauds State Department’s Decision to Classify Communist China’s Atrocities Against Uyghurs as Genocide Senator Rick Scott applauded the U.S. State Department’s decision to classify as genocide the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) oppression and atrocities against the Uyghurs, a religious and ethnic minority living in the northwestern province of Xinjiang. This decision comes after Senator Scott called on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to take this action last month.  Senator Rick Scott said, “We know what’s happening in Communist China is a genocide. The CCP has established hundreds of concentration camps in order to imprison, torture and enslave Uyghurs living in Xinjiang. Through torture, the CCP threatens Uyghurs to forsake their language, their faith and their culture. I’ve been calling for strong action for months, and I’m glad the Administration listened and took a stand today against murderous dictators and let the world know this won’t be tolerated. The United States is the greatest supporter of freedom and democracy in the world, and we will never stop fighting to end human rights abuses. I urge every freedom-loving nation to do the same." Read more HERE. — Senator Rick Scott: The Paris Climate Agreement is a Bad Deal for Americans Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after President Biden signed an executive order expressing the United States’ intent to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement. Senator Rick Scott said, “We all want to take care of our environment and protect it for generations to come, but we have to stop joining deals that are bad for America. President Biden is throwing the U.S. back into the Paris Agreement just to appease his liberal friends. This deal does nothing to hold real polluters, like Communist China and India, accountable and it unfairly puts American taxpayers on the hook. It was bad for America when Obama signed it and it’s still bad now.” Read more HERE. — Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio Highlight Florida Wins in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FY 2021 Work Plan Senator Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio applauded the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for supporting Florida’s priorities in their Fiscal Year 2021 work plan, which includes funding for water resource projects and builds on the progress towards the restoration of Florida’s Everglades through projects like the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP). This announcement follows Senator Scott and Senator Rubio’s letter to R.D. James, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, outlining their priorities for the work plan.  Senator Rick Scott said, “I’m glad to see the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prioritize many Florida projects in their upcoming work plan, including funding for Everglades restoration projects. These important projects will build on our efforts to protect our environment and ensure future generations can enjoy all our state has to offer."  Read more from Senator Rubio’s office HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott: Biden’s Amnesty Plan is Irresponsible and Does Nothing To Secure the Border Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after President Biden released portions of his proposed immigration plan. Senator Rick Scott said, “No more than a day after being sworn in, President Biden and Chuck Schumer’s Senate Democrats are already pushing a radical immigration agenda of amnesty and open borders. They have paused deportations of illegal immigrants and implemented policies that will create a humanitarian crisis at the border once again, threatening American safety and depleting Border Patrol resources. He plans to change our immigration system without any mention of border security. Providing full amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants with no efforts whatsoever to secure the border and ensure this doesn’t happen again makes no sense. Surely substantial changes to our immigration system are needed, but blanket amnesty is not the answer. I’ve long called for reforms to fix the broken immigration system and believe we must take swift action to address this critical issue, including providing real, long-term solutions for TPS and DACA. If Congress ever wants to find genuine consensus and permanent solutions, we have to start with securing the border and implementing safeguards against bad actors and those seeking to break our laws." Read more HERE. — Senador Rick Scott: El plan de inmigración de Biden no hace nada para proteger la frontera El Senador Rick Scott hizo la siguiente declaración luego de que el presidente Biden publicara parte de su propuesta de reforma migratoria. El Senador Rick Scott dijo: “Menos de un día desde su inauguración, el presidente Biden y los demócratas del Senado de Chuck Schumer ya están impulsando una agenda migratoria radical de amnistía y fronteras abiertas. Han detenido las deportaciones de inmigrantes ilegales e implementado políticas que crearán una crisis humanitaria en la frontera una vez más, amenazando la seguridad de los americanos y agotando los recursos de la patrulla fronteriza. El presidente Biden tiene como plan reformar nuestro sistema de inmigración sin mencionar la seguridad en nuestra frontera. No tiene sentido otorgar amnistía total a millones de inmigrantes sin ningún esfuerzo para asegurar la frontera y garantizar que esto no vuelva a suceder. Es evidente que se necesitan cambios en nuestro sistema de inmigración, pero amnistía total no es la respuesta. Durante mucho tiempo he pedido reformas para arreglar nuestro sistema de inmigración que no funciona y creo que debemos tomar medidas rápidas, incluyendo provisiones permanentes para solucionar TPS y DACA. Pero si el Congreso quiere encontrar un consenso genuino y soluciones permanentes, tenemos que comenzar por asegurar la frontera e implementar salvaguardas contra los malos actores y aquellos que buscan violar nuestras leyes”. Lea más AQUÍ.   — Sen. Rick Scott Votes to Confirm General Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense Senator Rick Scott released the below statement following his vote to confirm retried General Lloyd Austin as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense. Senator Rick Scott said, “I voted to confirm General Lloyd Austin as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense. I worked with General Austin at MacDill Air Force Base when I was Governor of Florida, and I respect his decades of military service to our nation. Although I did not vote in favor of a waiver because Congress has clear laws in place to safeguard civilian control over the military, I do believe General Austin is qualified and ready to lead the Department of Defense. I look forward to working with General Austin to make sure America remains the strongest military force in the world and that our troops have every resource they need to protect our nation and its allies." Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott to Biden Administration: Stop Sending Taxpayer Dollars to Communist China Senator Rick Scott released the below statement calling on the Biden Administration to address the millions in taxpayer money the United States government provides annually to China and Chinese-affiliated enterprises. In 2019, Senator Scott requested detailed information on exactly how much funding the United States government provides annually to China and Chinese-affiliated enterprises, and this information was just made publicly available by the Trump Administration. Senator Scott also successfully fought for the Peace Corps to leave Communist China, a developed nation and an adversary to the U.S., to protect taxpayer dollars and Peace Corps resources.  Senator Rick Scott said, “While great progress was made under the Trump Administration to hold Communist China accountable and stop sending American taxpayer dollars to an adversarial nation, more must be done. The Chinese Communist Party steals our technology, abuses human rights, builds up their military to compete with us, and is committing a genocide against the Uyghurs. But in 2020, the U.S. government spent $30 million to provide foreign aid to Communist China. This has to stop. We should not send another dime to prop up a developed country that is in turn threatening the safety and security of our nation. We should instead spend this money to take care of our nation that was ravaged by COVID-19, thanks to the recklessness of Communist China." Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott to FEMA: Taxpayers Need Answers on Biden-Schumer Scheme to Use Disaster Funding to Bailout New York Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following reports that President Biden is working with Senator Chuck Schumer to give New York City and the State of New York $2 billion in additional FEMA emergency funding. Senator Scott is requesting that FEMA address these reports and provide American taxpayers with an explanation on how this plan to bailout New York’s budget shortfalls and pension plans using the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) and other FEMA funds would affect the agency’s ability to provide critical aid following hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other natural disasters. Read more, including the full letter, HERE. — Senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio Introduce Legislation to Protect the Eastern Gulf of Mexico From Drilling Senator Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio re-introduced the Florida Shores Protection and Fairness Act, which would extend the moratorium on oil and gas drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico from 2022 to 2032. This bill would help solidify the progress made by President Trump’s September 2020 executive actions to protect Florida’s shores. Senator Rick Scott said, “As Governor of Florida, I fought for and secured a commitment from the Trump Administration to keep oil drilling off Florida’s coasts, and I’m glad they extended the moratorium on oil drilling for another 10 years. I’m proud to join Senator Rubio today to put this ban into law. We will never stop fighting to preserve and protect Florida’s natural resources so the state can remain a top destination for families, visitors and businesses.” Read more from Senator Rubio’s office HERE.

Sen. Rick Scott in the Miami Herald: Biden Should Stand Strong for A Free Cuba and Not Restore Failed Appeasement Policies Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for the Miami Herald urging President-elect Joe Biden to stand up for a free Cuba and Latin America by rejecting the appeasement policies of the Obama administration, which did nothing to advance freedom in Cuba. In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, “Cuban Americans in Florida and across the United States want to know: What is Joe Biden’s Cuba plan? Over the past four years, the United States has taken an unprecedented stand against murderous dictators and held oppressive regimes in Latin America and Cuba accountable for their threats to regional security and human-rights abuses. This month, the State Department took an important step by reinstating Cuba to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list — a step I have urged for years. Now, President-elect Biden must make clear that the United States will not return to appeasement policies that embolden the regime and hurt the Cuban people. … If the Biden administration were to go backward and again remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list, it would give a permission slip to the regime to continue supporting terrorists and murderous dictators in Latin America. We can’t allow this to happen. We already tried appeasement, and it did not work. It exacerbated the instability and the rise of dictatorships in Latin America. We must clearly show that the United States will not tolerate rogue nations that oppress their people and serve only to destabilize the region. If we want a fighting chance at eradicating terrorism in our hemisphere, Biden must stand strong and see the Cuba for what it is — a state that harbors terrorists. … Returning to the policies that did nothing to advance democracy for the people of Cuba would be a mistake and an insult to the Cuban Americans who risked their lives and left their families fleeing from the regime. Biden must choose freedom over oppression, learn from the failures of past appeasement policies and stand strong for democracy in Latin America. Weakness toward Cuba now will cost precious lives and critical ground in this important fight." Read the full op-ed in the Miami Herald HERE. —  El Senador Rick Scott en El Nuevo Herald: Biden no debe regresar a las políticas de acercamiento con Cuba En caso de que se lo haya perdido, el Senador Rick Scott escribió un artículo de opinión para El Nuevo Herald donde insta al Presidente-electo Joe Biden a continuar la lucha por la libertad y democracia en Cuba y América Latina rechazando las políticas de apaciguamiento de la administración Obama que no hicieron nada para promover la libertad en Cuba. En elartículo de opinión el Senador Rick Scott escribió, “Cubanoamericanos en la Florida y alrededor de Estados Unidos están prestando atención y quieren saber: ¿Cuál es el plan de Joe Biden para Cuba? Durante los últimos cuatro años, los Estados Unidos han adoptado una posición sin precedentes contra dictadores asesinos y responsabilizado a los regímenes opresivos de América Latina y Cuba por sus amenazas a la seguridad regional y sus abusos en contra los derechos humanos. … Ahora, más que nunca, el presidente Biden debe dejarle saber al mundo que los Estados Unidos no volverán a las políticas de apaciguamiento que solo empoderan al régimen y lastiman al pueblo cubano. … La posible decisión de la Administración Biden de retroceder y sacar nuevamente a Cuba de la Lista de Estados Patrocinadores del Terrorismo le daría permiso al régimen cubano de seguir apoyando a terroristas y dictadores asesinos. … Volver a políticas que no hicieron nada para promover la democracia en Cuba sería un error y un insulto para los cubanoamericanos que arriesgaron sus vidas y dejaron a sus familias huyendo del régimen. El presidente Biden debe elegir la libertad sobre la opresión, aprender de los fracasos de las políticas de apaciguamiento del pasado y defender firmemente la democracia en América Latina. Una posición débil contra Cuba en este momento costará vidas y terreno crítico en esta importante lucha”. Lea el artículo completo en El Nuevo Herald AQUÍ. — Fox Business: Sen. Rick Scott: ‘We should not have Florida taxpayers bailing out New York’ Following President Biden’s announcement of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 spending package, Senator Rick Scott called out the numerous wasteful and unnecessary spending provisions, like billions to bailout liberal states.   Read more from the Fox Business article, Sen. Rick Scott: ‘We should not have Florida taxpayers bailing out New York’, below: “Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., argued on Sunday that President-elect Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief plan, which calls for a $350 billion ’bailout’ for state and local governments, ‘makes no sense.' 'We shouldn’t have Florida taxpayers bailing out New York’ and other blue states for their prior problems, he stressed. … Scott called the funding to state and local governments, specifically New York, ‘liberal payback.' He made the comments after Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., reportedly said the state could get as much as $2 billion more in FEMA emergency money for the coronavirus pandemic through Biden’s massive relief plan. … Scott noted the money, which has been allocated by Congress, is ‘supposed to go for hurricanes and floods and wildfires and other natural disasters.” But instead, Scott said, Biden wants to give it to de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo "and say, ‘Here … I know you can’t live within your means, I know other states have paid for this, but we’re just going to give you some money just because we like you.' 'This is wrong,’ Scott said. “We shouldn’t have Florida taxpayers bailing out New York. New York cannot live within its means. 'We cannot be bailing out these states for their prior problems,’ he added, noting that billions of dollars have already been allocated to states and local governments for COVID-19 relief. 'We should help on COVID relief, I want targeted help for people, but to bail out these blue states makes no sense,’ Scott stressed…" Read the full article in Fox Business HERE. —  Fox News: Sen. Rick Scott: ‘We cannot be bailing out’ states for prior problems Bloomberg: Biden’s Immigration Plan May Hit Delays Amid GOP Opposition The Hill: Senators vet Buttigieg to run Transportation Department Breitbart: Sen. Rick Scott: ‘We Should Not Have Florida Taxpayers Bailing Out New York’ Bay News 9: Florida Politicians React to Biden Inauguration WFOR: Florida’s Republican Senators Make Their Biden Administration Critiques Known On Day 1 WCTV: Sen. Rick Scott: ‘Biden Administration’s economic plans will hurt hardworking American families’ WCTV: Florida Senator Rick Scott on Paris Climate Agreement: ‘a bad deal for Americans’ WCTV: Sen. Rick Scott on Pres.-Elect Biden’s $1.9T coronavirus plan: ‘It makes no sense’ Florida Daily: Florida Republicans: Army Corps of Engineers Supporting the State’s Priorities in Work Plan Maduradas: ¡DURO! Rick Scott denunció ataques de Maduro a la prensa y lanzó una ruda advertencia: “Los venezolanos están siendo silenciados" Univision: El senador de Florida Rick Scott espera política de “mano dura” de Joe Biden hacia Cuba

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