FLORIDA - SENATOR MARCO RUBIO eNEWSLETTER 03/26/2021

 

This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio  On Thursday, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and I introduced the bipartisan and bicameral Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act , which would provide presumptive U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to servicemembers who have deployed and have illnesses due to exposure to burn pits and other toxins. Read more here.     On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and I sent a letter to Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker asking that the Navy’s budget request include sufficient additional funding to construct a replacement air traffic control tower on Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field’s North Air Field. Read more here.    On Wednesday, I sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas following concerns from Florida constituents who inquired about their family members, Cuban nationals, who remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Read more here.    On Wednesday, I joined Maria Bartiromo on Mornings with Maria to discuss the crisis at the southern border, North Korea’s recent missile test, and the need to investigate unidentified aerial phenomena. Watch the full interview here.    On Thursday, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and I published an op-ed in USA Today explaining why Congress must make Daylight Saving Time permanent by passing my bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act of 2021. Read the full article here.     On Thursday, I welcomed the Senate’s extension of  the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to May 31, 2021, but warned the Biden Administration from further restricting eligible small businesses from applying to the program. Read more here.    On Thursday, Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and I sent a letter to Jeffrey Zients, the White House COVID Response Coordinator, urging the Biden Administration to immediately issue clear guidance to the cruise industry as they attempt to prepare for the resumption of cruise operations. Read more here.    On Wednesday, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and I applauded the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ unanimous approval of bipartisan resolutions honoring Las Damas de Blanco and expressing the Senate’s solidarity with Cuba’s San Isidro Movement . Read more here.    On Wednesday Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and I welcomed the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ unanimous approval of a resolution, led by Senator Menendez and me, which condemns last year’s fraudulent legislative elections by the Maduro regime. Read more here.    On Monday, Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and I released a statement after the arrest of former Bolivian Interim President Jeanine Áñez and other former government officials in Bolivia. Read more here.    On Tuesday, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and I, co-authors of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act , sent a letter to the President and CEO of Solar Energy Industries Association “to inquire about the integrity of the U.S. solar panel supply chain as it pertains to forced labor in Xinjiang.” Read more here.    On Wednesday, I released a statement after the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reportedly discussed issuing up to $650 billion in new Special Drawing Rights (SDRs). Read more here.    On Friday, I was joined by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Mitt Romney (R-UT), John Cornyn (R-TX), and James Inhofe (R-OK), as well as colleagues in the House of Representatives, Representatives Jim Banks (R-IN), Ed Case (D-HI), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), in sending a letter to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) expressing our support for establishing a CBP preclearance facility in Taiwan. Read more here.    On Tuesday, I joined U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and a bicameral group of Republican colleagues in a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) expressing our outrage with her brazen efforts to overturn the state-certified election results in Iowa's Second Congressional District to unseat Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Read more here.     Last Friday, I joined Mario Vallejo on Univisión 23 to discuss the extradition of Maduro financier Alex Saab, the United States’ policy toward Cuba, and my support for unionization efforts at Amazon. Read more here and watch the interview here.    Legislation Introduced On Tuesday, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) and I introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for its treatment of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and calling for an international investigation into the abuses and crimes being committed. Read more here.  On Wednesday, I reintroduced the Housing Accountability Act, legislation that would hold property owners of low-income housing accountable for poor living conditions. Read more here. On Wednesday, Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) and I, along with our Senate colleagues, reintroduced the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) Act , bipartisan legislation to help to improve the quality of life for veterans suffering from PTSD by providing them with access to service dogs. Read more here. On Thursday, I reintroduced the Preventing SBA Assistance from Going to China Act , which would block all assistance offered by the Small Business Administration (SBA) from going to citizens of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Read more here. On Thursday, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) and I introduced the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act . The bill would create a new facility in the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program to provide preferential and patient capital to America’s small manufacturers. The new facility would provide long-term debt with equity features to SBICs that invest in small manufacturing firms. Read more here. On Thursday, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and I, along with Senate colleagues, reintroduced the bipartisan WWII Veterans Hospital and Medical Eligibility Act to ensure all WWII veterans have access to health care services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Read more here.  On Thursday, I introduced the Federal Acquisitions and Contracting Transparency (FACT) Act to require federal contractors to disclose any existing contracts with the Chinese Government and Communist Party, military, or Chinese state-controlled or -directed entity. Contractors would also be required to disclose any new contracts with entities of concern throughout the duration of their contract with the federal government. Read more here. On Thursday, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and I reintroduced the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act , which seeks to update U.S. policy toward Taiwan to better reflect U.S. values and the realities on the ground. Read more here. On Thursday, I joined Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and colleagues in introducing the  Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform (RENACER) Act , bipartisan legislation to strategically align the United States’ diplomatic tools, including targeted sanctions, to advance democratic elections in Nicaragua in November 2021. Read more here.  In Case You Missed It... “Make Daylight Saving Time permanent: Sens. Patty Murray and Marco Rubio” (USA Today, 03/25/21) “Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., reintroduced the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act, which would do away with most of the burden of proof on veterans to show they got sick from breathing in burning garbage for up to a year at a time while deployed.” (Sweeping Measure Would Provide Care, Disability to Thousands of Vets Sickened by Burn Pits, Military.com, 03/26/21)  “‘Flood insurance is a necessity in Florida, and as the private insurance market responds to increased flooding we must make sure the federal backstop remains an accessible and sustainable option for Floridians,’ Rubio said in a statement.” (Majority of Floridians will get temporary reprieve on expected flood insurance rate hike, Miami Herald, 03/25/21)  “‘The men and women in uniform who fought valiantly in World War II deserve the highest standard of care and should receive VA benefits to the fullest extent,’ Sen. Rubio said.” (Bill would give more veterans access to healthcare, WTSP Tampa Bay, 03/26/21) “Rubio bill aims to block SBA funds from going to Chinese companies” (Washington Examiner,  03/25/21)  “Manufacturers Would Gain SBA-Backed Capital under Rubio Proposal” (Bloomberg, 03/25/21)  “EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Rubio Introduces Bill Cracking Down On Federal Contractors’ Silent Ties To Communist China” (The Federalist, 03/25/21)  “Rubio on Pentagon's UFO report: 'There's stuff flying over military installations'” (The Hill, 03/25/21)  “Rubio: ‘Hypocrisy and Incompetence Both on Full Display’ with Biden Handling of Border Crisis” (Breitbart, 03/24/21)  “‘There is no doubt that America can and must do more to restrict the flow of U.S. dollars into China. Wall Street and the genocidal regime in Beijing are the chief beneficiaries of the status quo,’” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a prominent critic of the Chinese government. (Wall Street’s march into China increasingly at odds with Biden’s tough stance, Washington Post, 03/23/21)  Keep up with me on Facebook and Twitter.