This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio
On Thursday, I led every U.S. Representative from Florida in urging President Biden to include $725 million for Everglades restoration efforts in his forthcoming Fiscal Year 2022 budget to Congress. Read more here.
On Wednesday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and I sent a letter to officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting answers as to whether they have contingency plans in place to prevent potential weather disruptions to Florida’s vaccine administration effort. Read more here.
On Monday, I announced my opposition to the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion spending plan in a Medium post titled “ Biden’s COVID Bill Fails America.” Specifically, I criticize the bill for failing to reopen schools, using small business programs as liberal slush funds, turning the middle-class child tax credit into welfare, destroying important connections to work, and funding ridiculous pet projects. Read the full post here.
On Friday, Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Steve Daines (R-MT), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and I filed an amendment to the Democrats’ partisan $1.9 trillion spending proposal to ensure that school reopening dollars are going to support in-person learning. Read more here.
On Tuesday, I joined Hannity to discuss the Biden Administration’s immigration policies. Watch the full interview here.
On Wednesday, I joined Fox and Friends to discuss the Democrats’ COVID relief bill and the crisis at the border. Watch the video here.
On Sunday, I joined Jim DeFede on Facing South Florida to discuss former President Trump and the events of January 6th, immigration reform, and the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more here and watch Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the interview.
On Monday, as Vice-Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I joined Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Ranking Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Ranking Member of the Committee on Armed Services, Pat Toomey (R-PA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Rob Portman (R-OH), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, in sending a letter to President Joe Biden outlining Republican policy on effectively addressing the challenge posed by Iran as the administration seeks to re-engage with the Iranian regime. Read more here.
On Tuesday, I released a statement after Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) stated he would introduce a bill for Puerto Rico’s statehood. Read more here.
On Wednesday, during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Nominations Hearing, I questioned Wendy Sherman, nominee to be the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, on former Secretary of State John Kerry’s role on non-climate related issues, Sherman’s meetings with Iranian regime officials while not in government service, and comments she made regarding the Trump Administration’s policy toward Cuba and Venezuela. Read the transcript of my remarks here and watch the video here.
On Tuesday, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I released a statement after the Committee favorably reported out the nomination of Ambassador William Burns to be Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Read more here.
Legislation Introduced
- On Monday, I joined Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and colleagues in introducing the Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act of 2021, legislation that would enable Congress to approve—or block—any Administration effort to suspend or terminate U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime. Read more here.
- On Monday, I joined Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) and eight other senators in introducing legislation that would permanently ban earmarks. Read more here.
- On Tuesday, I reintroduced the Sand Acquisition, Nourishment, and Development (SAND) Act, which could make it more cost-effective to replenish Southeast Florida’s economically valuable beaches. Read more here.
- On Tuesday, I joined Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) in introducing the PROTECT Electoral College Act, a bill that would protect the Electoral College process and the authority it commits to state legislatures to set election laws by prohibiting federal election security grants from being awarded to states that are unconstitutionally disregarding state election laws. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Ben Sasse (R-NE), John Kennedy (R-LA), Rick Scott (R-FL), and I introduced the American Financial Markets Integrity and Security Act , legislation that would prohibit malign Chinese companies that are listed on the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List or the U.S. Department of Defense list of Communist Chinese military companies from accessing U.S. capital markets. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and I introduced the Ensuring Timely Access to Generics Act of 2021, which would tackle exorbitant prescription costs by increasing competition for generic drugs through better oversight of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) citizen petition process. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) and I reintroduced the Foreign Influence Transparency Act, which would require organizations, such as the Chinese government-run Confucius Institutes, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Read more here.
- On Thursday, I joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, in introducing a bipartisan resolution honoring Las Damas de Blanco, a nonviolent women-led movement that supports freedom and human rights in Cuba and actively urges the release of all political prisoners in Cuba. Read more here.
- On Thursday, I joined Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Tim Kaine (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) in re-introducing the Inter-American Development Bank General Capital Increase Act , bipartisan legislation that authorizes the tenth general capital increase for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the hemisphere’s leading international financial institution. Read more here.
- On Thursday, Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and I introduced the Entity List Verification Act to protect America’s national security by requiring the Secretary of Commerce to provide certification to Congress before removing an entity from the Department of Commerce’s Entity List. Read more here.
- On Friday, Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Todd Young (R-IN), and I introduced the Democracy Technology Partnership Act, legislation to develop a partnership and strategy among democratic countries to compete against growing technological strength and influence by the Chinese Communist Party and other authoritarian regimes. Read more here.
- On Friday, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Burr (R-NC), and I, along with U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN), reintroduced the Stop Underrides Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill to help prevent deadly truck underride crashes. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...
“Idea Man Rubio Envisions a 'Common Good' GOP” (RealClearPolitics, 03/04/21)
“Florida's congressional delegation Thursday urged President Biden to include $725 million for Everglades restoration in his upcoming budget request, a 'commonsense' ask to help complete a number of water projects in the thirsty ecosystem… Sen. Marco Rubio and all 27 U.S. House members from Florida signed the letter to Biden. ” (Florida congressional delegation asks Biden for $725 million for Everglades restoration, TC Palm, 03/05/21)
“In response, Rubio said HHS’ decision was ‘ridiculous’ and said the agency’s suggestion that Florida should try to take vaccines away from other states to account for snowbirds is ‘stupid.’” (HHS tells Florida it won’t change vaccine allocation to account for snowbirds, Miami Herald, 03/01/21)
“EDITORIAL: Rubio deserves praise for media diversity stance” (Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 03/03/21)
“Rubio slams $1.9T COVID relief bill: Bailout for 'predator' Cuomo, 'irresponsible' Newsom” (Fox News, 03/04/21)
“Rubio: Biden Immigration Policy ‘Complete, Utter Ridiculousness’” (Breitbart, 03/03/21)
“The issue began receiving attention from U.S. lawmakers in recent years, starting when U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in 2018 asked state colleges to end their relationships with Chinese government-backed Confucius Institutes, which taught government-approved Chinese history and culture.” (DeSantis wants crackdown on China stealing trade secrets at Florida universities, Orlando Sentinel, 03/01/21)
“Senator Rubio recently put out a press release urging senators to keep an 'open mind' on statehood.” (Puerto Rico Statehood Legislation Introduced in Congress, The Floridian, 03/03/21)
“Democrat Bob Menendez and Republican Marco Rubio plan to reintroduce a bill that would send $600 million to the Inter-American Development Bank over the next five years and authorize $23.4 billion in backup capital, according to a draft seen by Bloomberg News.” (Latin America Bank $80 Billion Capital Boost Gets Senate Backers, Bloomberg, 03/04/21)
“Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., eviscerated cancel culture in a tweet, saying that ‘history’ would not look back too favorably at this time period.” (Republicans blast Biden, progressives for 'trying to cancel Dr. Seuss', Fox News, 03/03/21)
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