FLORIDA - SENATOR MARCO RUBIO eNEWSLETTER 02/26/2021

 

This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio  On Tuesday, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held an open hearing to examine the SolarWinds hack. Watch the video of my opening remarks here and read the transcript here.    On Tuesday, I published an op-ed in The Stream discussing the Chinese Community Party’s efforts to overturn religious freedom in mainland China and Hong Kong. Read the full article here.    On Wednesday, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held an open hearing to examine the nomination of Ambassador William Burns to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Watch the video of my opening remarks here and read the transcript here.    On Wednesday, I joined Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), and Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) in issuing a joint statement commemorating 25 years since the brutal murder of the Brothers to the Rescue humanitarian mission. Read more here.    On Monday, I released a statement following reports the Biden Administration will make numerous changes to the Paycheck Protection Program. Read more here.    On Tuesday, I joined Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Rob Portman (R-OH) in urging the Biden Administration to implement a proposed rule requiring U.S. academic institutions to disclose their relationships with Confucius Institutes, which are funded by the Chinese Communist Party. Read more here.    On Tuesday, I released a statement ahead of the Senate’s vote on the confirmation of Thomas Vilsack to be Secretary of Agriculture. Read more here.     On Wednesday, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and I sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting that he invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA) to increase America’s capacity to produce semiconductors in the immediate term. Read more here.    On Wednesday, I released a statement on President Biden’s executive order aimed at securing America’s critical supply chains. Read more here.    On Wednesday, I released a statement after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen confirmed the Biden Administration plans to raise the corporate tax rate by 33 percent — from 21 percent to 28 percent. Read more here.    On Wednesday, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Braun (R-IN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and I sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos after the company removed the book When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by conservative scholar, Ryan Anderson, from the Amazon website, Kindle, and Audible platforms. Read more here.    On Thursday, Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN),  Rick Scott (R-FL), and I sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks requesting that the department assert its commitment to the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding requirements to ensure America stands ready to deter Chinese provocations and to safeguard the future of freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. Read more here.    On Thursday, as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively, of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and I filed legislation to extend Section 3610 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act from its current expiration of March 31, 2021 to September 30, 2021. The provision allows a critical lifeline for federal agencies to maintain contractors who would otherwise be at risk for layoff or furlough due to the pandemic. We also sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) requesting that Section 3610 be extended “as freestanding legislation, as we have introduced, or as a provision on the next appropriate legislative vehicle.” Read more here.    Legislation Introduced On Tuesday, I joined Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) in reintroducing the Libya Stabilization Act , which seeks to strengthen U.S. policy in support of a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Libya. Read more here.  On Wednesday, I joined Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and John Cornyn (R-TX) in introducing legislation to monitor and address the impacts of China’s censorship and intimidation strategies. Read more here. On Wednesday, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and I reintroduced the Health Savings Act to simplify and expand Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts, which provide Americans opportunities to save for medical costs through tax-deductible contributions. Read more here. On Wednesday, I joined Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers of Congress in reintroducing the EAGLES Act, legislation that would reauthorize and expand the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center to help communities proactively mitigate threats of violence at schools. Read more here. On Wednesday, I reintroduced the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act, which seeks to exempt premium cigars from excessive and overly burdensome U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and fees. Read more here. On Thursday, I joined Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Rick Scott (R-FL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) in introducing the Visa Security Act to end China’s access to 10-year multi-entry visas. Read more here.  On Thursday, I reintroduced the Educational Opportunities Act to expand school choice to more families through a new federal tax credit. Read more here. On Thursday, I joined Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) in introducing the Inspector General Access Act , bipartisan legislation to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct. Read more here. On Thursday, Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and I reintroduced our bipartisan resolution calling for increased diversity in American media. Read more here. In Case You Missed It... “Sen. Marco Rubio: China’s War on Christians Spreads to Hong Kong” (The Stream, 02/23/21)  “Sen. Marco Rubio reintroduces legislation to exempt premium cigars from some regulations, fees” (WCTV Tallahassee, 02/25/21)  “Lee-Rubio Child Tax Credit change takes aim at penalties for families” (Deseret News, 02/25/21) “Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also weighed in on the Biden administration’s strike on Twitter, with Rubio calling the attack ‘targeted, proportional and necessary.’” (Biden's Syria airstrike earns applause from prominent Republicans, Fox News, 02/26/21)  “‘Our prayers are with the families and friends of these four martyrs who were taken from them by this cowardly and barbaric act of terrorism,’ U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said in a statement Wednesday. ‘The Castro regime must be held accountable for its crimes – specifically, Raúl Castro, who ordered this attack.’” (Miami-area events commemorate 25th anniversary of Brothers to the Rescue massacre, Local 10 News, 02/24/21) “Some Republicans, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, have accused Democrats of hypocrisy for reopening facilities housing immigrant children that were magnets for anti-Trump protests.” (Miami Republicans want answers from Biden administration on Homestead detention center, Miami Herald, 02/25/21)  “Marco Rubio Leads GOP Senators In Going After CEO Jeff Bezos For Amazon’s Digital Book Burning” (The Federalist, 02/25/21)  “In a letter to Mr. Biden Wednesday, Sens. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Chris Coons (D., Del.) recommended he invoke the Defense Production Act to ‘incentivize or, if necessary, require American companies to retain their domestic capacities during this time.’” (Biden Orders Broad Supply-Chain Review Amid Chip Shortages, Wall Street Journal, 02/24/21)  “On issues facing the Central Intelligence Agency, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, the committee’s top Republican, said the agency must explore new ways to counter China, whose goal he said ‘is to replace the United States as the world’s most powerful and influential nation.’” (CIA Pick Burns Says Biden Wants ‘Straight’ Talk From Agency, Bloomberg, 02/24/21)  “During a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee this week, senators—including Mark Warner, the Democratic chairman of the committee, and Marco Rubio, the Republican vice chairman—expressed irritation that Amazon declined to attend and said its insight into the hacking activity could prove valuable to lawmakers and the public.” (Amazon’s Lack of Public Disclosure on SolarWinds Hack Angers Lawmakers, Wall Street Journal, 02/25/21)  Keep up with me on Facebook and Twitter.