FLORIDA - SENATOR RICK SCOTT'S WEEK IN REVIEW 03/05/2021

 

This week, Senator Rick Scott led his colleagues in introducing a bill which will require that members of Congress have enough time to read bills before voting on them and certify that they have read every bill they cast a vote on. This comes as Senate Democrats push forward with President Biden’s wasteful, untargeted 600-page, $2 trillion “COVID” spending bill – even though less than 10 percent of the bill actually deals with COVID. On Thursday, Senator Scott also released a statement supporting the full reading of Democrats’ spending bill on the Senate floor. Senator Rick Scott said, “Too often, lawmakers in Washington pass bills without having time to read them before they vote. These are new laws that impact American families and businesses and sometimes even authorize billions or trillions in tax dollar spending. Scary, right? It’s ridiculous Washington dysfunction, and it has to end. I’m proud to lead my colleagues in making sure members of Congress get to work for the American people and actually read bills before casting their votes." See more in the video HERE or below.  — See more of what Senator Scott has been up to this week below.

Sen. Rick Scott: Democrats Don’t Want Americans to Know What’s In Massive “COVID” Spending Bill As Senate Democrats pushed forward with President Biden’s wasteful, untargeted 600-page, $2 trillion “COVID” spending bill, Senator Rick Scott released the below statement supporting its full reading on the Senate floor. Senator Rick Scott said, “Of course Democrats are complaining that Republicans want to read the bill. They don’t want anyone to know what’s actually in it. Democrats even blocked my resolution which simply requested information from the Biden Administration on the nearly $1 trillion in unspent COVID money from previous packages. They don’t support transparency at all. I suppose it makes sense – I would be ashamed too if I was trying to mislead the American people and rush a bill that devotes less than 10 percent of its funding to actually fighting COVID-19. For them, the more Americans are kept in the dark, the better.   “I fully support the reading of this bill in its entirety on the Senate floor, and I thank Senator Ron Johnson for his efforts. Members of Congress have an obligation to read every bill they vote on. That’s why I introduced legislation this week requiring members to do just that. I will keep fighting to make sure we are providing targeted relief to American families and businesses that are hurting, but a $2 trillion wasteful spending package that will rack up our already unthinkable national debt isn’t the answer. We can and must do better." Read more HERE. — Sens. Rick Scott and Mike Braun Re-Introduce Legislation to Make Washington Work for Americans Senators Rick Scott and Mike Braun re-introduced the End Pensions In Congress (EPIC) Act to end taxpayer-funded pensions for members of the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Currently, members of Congress are eligible for their federal pension after just five years of service, providing a financial incentive to would-be career politicians. Senators Scott and Braun also re-introduced their legislation, the Banning Lobbying and Safeguarding Trust (BLAST) Act, to implement a permanent lobbying ban for former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Senator Rick Scott said, “Washington is broken, and that’s due in part to self-interested politicians who are more focused on getting high-paying lobbying gigs and generous taxpayer-funded pensions than serving the taxpayers who elected them. We need to end the concept of career politicians if we ever want to change Washington and make government work for American families. That means we need term limits for all members of Congress, a permanent lobbying bans for former members, and an end to lucrative taxpayer-funded pensions. Members of Congress shouldn’t be using their elected position to get rich – period. I’m proud to join Senator Braun on common sense solutions to make Washington work for families across the nation." Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott to National Economic Council: What’s Biden’s Plan to Stop Inflation? As the Biden Administration continues to ignore America’s $28 trillion federal debt, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement calling on Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council, to explain the Administration’s plan to mitigate and prevent growing inflation, which has negative and disproportionate impacts on low and fixed-income families.  Senator Rick Scott said, “America is in a $28 trillion debt crisis and it seems that the Biden Administration couldn’t care less. With our nation moving toward a dangerous future of increased inflation, President Biden and Democrats in Congress insist on pushing a wasteful $1.9 trillion ‘COVID’ spending bill that funds liberal priorities while hiking our federal debt to nearly $30 trillion. The partisan actions of Congressional Democrats and the Biden Administration have real life consequences for Americans. “As the federal debt continues to rise, so will inflation. For American families that means rising costs on everyday necessities, like groceries and gas. I completely agree that relief is needed, but it has to consider our debt and fund only what is necessary for those in need. I grew up in public housing and watched my parents struggle to find work and make ends meet. I never want a family to go through what mine did growing up and I know that the last thing hurting families need is to worry about higher prices on our most essential goods. "That’s why today, I am calling on National Economic Council Director Brian Deese to immediately present to Congress the Biden Administration’s plan to mitigate and prevent runaway inflation. American families cannot afford for business as usual to continue in Washington. The $28 trillion federal debt and rising inflation is a real crisis that hurts real Americans and warrants the immediate attention of the Biden Administration. I look forward to Director Deese’s prompt response and working with the White House and my colleagues in Congress to properly address America’s debt crisis." Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott to FDA: American Families Need Answers on Terrible Reports of Toxins in Baby Food Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock requesting information following recent news reports detailing the high levels of toxic chemicals within pre-packaged baby food. Any actions that endangered the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable children are absolutely unacceptable and must be answered for. In his letter, Senator Scott stressed that exposure to these toxins threatens the neurological development of infants and that products approved by the FDA must be safe for consumption. Read more HERE. —  Sen. Rick Scott: Americans Deserve Better Than Democrats’ $2 Trillion Spending Disaster Senator Rick Scott released the below statement as the Senate begins consideration of the Democrats’ massive $1.9 trillion partisan spending package – which received bipartisan opposition in the House and didn’t get a single Republican vote. Senator Scott wants targeted relief to those individuals and small businesses impacted by the pandemic, but President Biden’s proposal is filled with progressive pipe dreams and wasteful spending that will ultimately hurt American families.  Senator Rick Scott said, “For nearly a year, my focus has been on finding bipartisan solutions that provide targeted relief and deal directly with the economic and health impact of COVID-19. I talk to Floridians every day whose families or businesses have been hurt by this pandemic. They need and deserve relief and that’s what we should be doing – but that’s not what the Democrats want. They can’t help themselves but try to use this crisis to pass their liberal priorities that would have no chance standing on their own. "The waste in the Democrats’ bill is blatant and obvious. Think about this – less than 10 percent of the Democrats’ massive spending bill actually goes toward fighting COVID-19 and just one percent is dedicated to vaccine programs and initiatives. That is crazy. Even more shameful is that the rest is full of wasteful, unrelated nonsense that falls woefully short of the targeted relief American families need. Let’s not forget that Congress just approved a $900 billion COVID relief bill – much of which remains unspent. As Democrats prioritize their progressive pipe dreams over the needs of American families, I’ll keep working to make sure we are helping those truly in need, while remaining accountable to the hardworking taxpayers whose money and financial stability is on the table."  Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott Urges President Biden to Prioritize Florida Everglades Restoration Projects in Budget Requests to Congress Senator Rick Scott urged President Joe Biden to include full and robust funding in his upcoming FY 2022 budget request to Congress for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration (SFER) program. This funding would build upon the $250 million for Everglades restoration that Senator Scott fought for and secured from the Trump Administration last year and ensure continued support for federal and state efforts to preserve and protect Florida’s environment for future generations. Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott Leads Colleagues in Resolution Calling on Biden to Provide Information on Unspent COVID Relief Funds As Congress considered House Democrats’ massive $1.9 trillion spending package filled with liberal priorities, Senator Rick Scott introduced a resolution on the Senate floor calling on President Biden to inform the Senate of how much unspent funds are leftover from the previous COVID spending bills. Before Congress approves any additional funding, members need all available information to make the best decision about how to get targeted relief to American families and businesses in need. The resolution was co-sponsored by Senators Joni Ernst, James Lankford, Todd Young, Bill Hagerty, Kevin Cramer, Ted Cruz, Mike Braun, Mike Rounds and John Hoeven. See more in Senator Scott’s speech on the Senate floor HERE or below. — Senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and Colleagues Introduce Legislation Banning Harmful Chinese Companies From Exploiting U.S. Capital Markets Senator Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, Mike Braun, Tom Cotton, Ben Sasse and John Kennedy introduced the American Financial Markets Integrity and Security Act, legislation that would prohibit malign Chinese companies — including the parent, subsidiary, affiliate, or a controlling entity — 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. Senator Rick Scott said, “The Chinese Communist Party, led by General Secretary Xi, is committing a genocide against the Uyghurs, taking away the basic rights of Hong Kongers and threatening Taiwan. Everything a business does in Communist China is shared directly with a government that is jailing its people for their religious beliefs, refuses to respect human rights and is building up their industrial and military strength in an effort to dominate the world. I’m proud to join the American Financial Markets Integrity and Security Act to make sure entities with ties to the Chinese Communist Party don’t have access to American capital.” Read more from Senator Rubio’s office HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott Leads Colleagues in Introducing Entity List Verification Act to Protect National Security Senators Rick Scott, Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio and Josh Hawley introduced the Entity List Verification Act to protect America’s national security by requiring the Secretary of Commerce to provide certification to Congress before an entity on the Department of Commerce’s Entity List is removed. The Entity List is a tool used to restrict the export, re-export, and transfer of items to individuals, organizations and companies reasonably believed to be involved, or to pose a significant risk of becoming involved in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. Senator Rick Scott said, “Companies like Huawei are on the Entity List for a reason – they have proven to be a threat to our national security, our intellectual property and the private information of our citizens. Yet the Biden Administration refuses to commit to keeping Huawei, backed by the Communist Party of China, on the list. We know Communist China and our adversaries across the globe will use every resource available to steal American technology, jobs and intellectual property in an effort to dominate the world. We have to get serious about protecting our national security, privacy, and American research and technology. I’m proud to lead my colleagues to introduce the Entity List Verification Act, which would guarantee that individuals, organizations and companies blacklisted to protect national security remain cut off until they’re deemed safe.” Read more HERE. — Senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and Colleagues Introduce Resolution Honoring Las Damas de Blanco Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Marco Rubio and colleagues to introduce a resolution honoring Las Damas de Blanco, a women-led peaceful nonviolent movement that supports freedom and human rights in Cuba and actively urges the release of all political prisoners in Cuba. Senator Rick Scott said, “I’m honored to join my colleagues today to re-introduce the Damas de Blanco Resolution to recognize the courageous women who have stood up against the oppressive Castro regime for almost two decades. These women are an inspiration to everyone fighting for human rights, freedom and democracy. The U.S. will continue to support them and all who oppose communist tyrants in Cuba, Venezuela and around the world.” Read more from Senator Rubio’s office HERE. — Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio Request Information on FEMA & HHS Plans for Vaccine Distribution During Hurricane Season   Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio sent a letter to the leadership at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requesting information on the agencies’ plans to continue quick and efficient COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Florida throughout the upcoming 2021 Hurricane Season. Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott Calls for Explanation on Drastic Changes to Unemployment Rates Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner William Beach requesting information on why current and historic unemployment statistics, dating back to 1976, were recently recalculated with no explanation. This critical data may be used in a formula to determine how much federal funding goes to state and local governments in the next COVID-19 spending package currently before Congress. In his letter, Senator Scott makes clear that the Bureau must immediately explain this decision and be transparent and accountable to the American people. Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott Outlines Priorities in Letter to DOT Secretary Buttigieg Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging the department to prioritize projects that keep Americans safe, while boosting the return on investment for every taxpayer dollar. In his letter, Senator Scott highlights the need for the department to address the insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund without raising taxes on the American people. Read more HERE. — Sen. Rick Scott, Sen. Kevin Cramer and Colleagues to Introduce Fair Access to Banking Act Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Kevin Cramer and colleagues to introduce the Fair Access to Banking Act to prevent discrimination by banks and financial service providers against constitutionally-protected industries and law-abiding businesses. Senator Rick Scott said, “The United States is a nation founded on free market principles of fair and equal access to opportunity. We cannot allow financial service providers to unfairly tip the scales and arbitrarily discriminate against American companies. Our bill, the Fair Access to Banking Act protects free market values and makes it clear that discrimination by banks and financial institutions against legal, law-abiding businesses will not be tolerated.” Read more from Senator Cramer’s office HERE.

Sen. Rick Scott, Colleagues Call Out Wasteful Blue State Bailouts in “COVID” Spending Bill Senator Rick Scott and colleagues are calling out the hundreds of billions of dollars in House Democrats’ massive $1.9 trillion “COVID” spending bill to bailout failed politicians in states like New York and California for their decades of mismanaged pensions and state budgets. See more from Senator Scott HERE or in the New York Post article, “Republicans refocus on state ‘bailouts’ in Biden stimulus bill after ‘Pelosi subway’ cut,” below: "Senate Republicans on Wednesday blasted $350 billion in state and local aid in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill — singling out those funds as ‘wasteful’ after a California rail project was cut from the bill amid withering GOP criticism. The Republican focus on state and local aid comes ahead of a protracted struggle over amendments to the bill, which is expected to pass the Senate this week with few if any Republican votes. … But Republicans said the $1.9 trillion bill is far from the pandemic-focused necessity that Biden claims. The less-flashy state and local aid is largely unnecessary, Republican senators said, arguing that the funds would bail out big-spending Democratic local governments or allow them to increase spending. …Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said that the bill would contribute to inflation, causing unintended consequences for poor families when household items and groceries increase in price. 'It’s not about COVID — less than 2 percent of the bill is going to deal with COVID. Less 1 percent is going to deal with vaccines,’ Scott said. …Scott also cited aid for California despite increasing revenue and said some states and cities have unspent funds from $400 billion in prior federal pandemic aid. 'I mean $350 billion, we can’t waste the money. We have $27 trillion worth of debt. If the Democrats pass this bill, it’ll be $30 trillion worth of debt,’ Scott said.…" Read the full article in the New York Post HERE. — Politico: Critics question China’s right to host Winter Olympics WFSU: Sen. Rick Scott Wants To Require Temperature Checks At TSA Screenings For Air Travelers WFLA: Sen. Scott urges transparency on vaccine distribution in response to Florida pop-up site criticism WCTV: Sen. Rick Scott urges President Biden to relocate 2021 Olympics WOKV: Florida Senator Rick Scott part of group introducing new ‘Read the Bill’ legislation Florida Daily: Florida Congressmen Bring Back the American Space Commerce Act Florida Daily: Florida Republicans on Capitol Hill Take Aim at Huawei Florida Daily: Rick Scott Urges Joe Biden Fund Everglades Restoration Efforts in Upcoming Budget Proposal Florida Daily: Florida’s Senators Back Proposal Keeping Companies Tied to Chinese Regime From Accessing U.S. Markets Florida Daily: Florida’s Senators Back Tom Cotton’s Visa Security Act Targeting Chinese Regime Florida Daily: Rick Scott Announces Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee Assignments Florida Daily: Rick Scott Champions Electoral Reform With Save Democracy Act Florida Daily: Rick Scott Wants FDA to Provide Information on Reports of Toxins in Baby Food The Floridian: Scott Suggests Secretary Blinken Join Him In Demanding Olympics Get Moved From China The Floridian: Scott Urges Biden to Prioritize Everglades Restoration The Floridian: Rick Scott Continues His Opposition To Beijing Hosting The 2022 Winter Olympics—But Supports Athletes Attending Diario Las Americas: Senador Scott habla de validez de elecciones y el papel de Donald Trump

Last week, Senator Scott met with Puerto Rican community leaders in Central Florida to discuss ongoing efforts to assist small business and the community from impact of the COVID pandemic. Senator Scott also discussed his plan to continue supporting the economic recovery of the island after Hurricane Maria and be the voice of Puerto Rico in the United States Senate. — U.S. Military Academy nomination applications are now open!  As Florida’s U.S. Senator, Senator Rick Scott has the great honor of nominating candidates for appointment to four U.S. Military Academies. We are grateful for every student eager to serve our great nation. Find more information on our website HERE.

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