FLORIDA - SENATOR MARCO RUBIO eNEWSLETTER 04/16/2021

 

This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio  On Tuesday, I delivered bilingual remarks at a press conference to announce landmark bipartisan legislation, the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act . I was joined by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), veterans advocate Jon Stewart, U.S. Congressmen Raul Ruiz M.D. (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), 9/11 responder and advocate John Feal, and an array of veterans groups who also spoke about the legislation. The bill would streamline the process for veterans to obtain Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits for burn pits and other toxic exposures by removing the burden of proof required by the VA to prove a servicemember’s exposure. Watch video of my remarks here and read more here.     On Wednesday, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I co-chaired a hearing on worldwide threats to U.S. national security. During the hearing, I questioned Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Central Intelligence Agency Director William J. Burns, and National Security Agency Director General Paul Nakasone on the origins and true source of the COVID-19 virus. Watch video of my opening remarks here and read more here.     On Thursday, I joined Fox & Friends to discuss the Democrats’ plan to pack the Supreme Court, President Joe Biden’s classification of Russia as a national security threat, and the President’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Watch the full interview here.    On Monday, I published an op-ed in Fox News explaining how President Joe Biden’s proposed climate plan would hurt the United States while benefiting China. Read the full article here.    On Thursday, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I issued a statement after the Biden Administration announced multiple actions against the Russian Government. Read more here.     On Wednesday, I joined Greg Kelly Reports on Newsmax to discuss my bipartisan legislation to help veterans suffering from exposure to burn pits and President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Watch the full interview here.    On Wednesday, Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Rick Scott (R-FL), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Kennedy (R-LA), and I issued a joint statement on “green” products purchased as a part of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. Read more here.    On Tuesday, Senator  John Cornyn (R-TX) and I, along with a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues, sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting that he fund the initiatives to restore semiconductor manufacturing to American soil from the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act signed into law as part of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act. Read more here.    On Thursday, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and I, along with more than 100 of our colleagues in the Senate and House of Representatives, sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra opposing the Biden Administration’s proposed new rule that reverses the ban on federal funding to programs that provide abortion referrals to pregnant mothers. Read more here.     Legislation Introduced On Tuesday, Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Rick Scott (R-FL), and I introduced the Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements (CRUISE) Act, which would revoke the CDC’s current Conditional Sail Order on cruises and require the CDC to provide COVID-19 mitigation guidance for cruise lines to resume safe domestic operations by July 4, 2021. Read more here. On Tuesday, I joined Chris Coons (D-DE) in introducing the Uyghur Humans Rights Protection Act , a bipartisan bill that would allow Uyghurs who have been persecuted and targeted with genocide by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to be eligible for priority refugee processing in the United States. Read more here.  On Tuesday, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and I introduced the Holocaust Insurance Accountability Act . The legislation would allow beneficiaries of Holocaust-era insurance policies to bring civil action in U.S. district courts against the insurer for the covered policy to recover proceeds due or otherwise enforce any rights under the policy. Read more here.  On Tuesday, Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA), John Cornyn (R-TX), and I reintroduced the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, bicameral, bipartisan legislation that would provide much-needed relief for domestic abuse survivors and other individuals who previously consolidated their student loan debt with their spouse. Read more here.  On Wednesday, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and I were joined by Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Mike Waltz (R-FL) in introducing legislation to assess and accelerate progress in Haiti after the catastrophic January 2010 earthquake. Read more here.  On Wednesday, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and I reintroduced the bipartisan Veterans’ Education, Transition, and Opportunity Prioritization Plan (VET OPP) Act to prioritize veterans’ employment, transition, and education benefits at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Read more here. On Wednesday, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and I reintroduced legislation to enhance accountability for Chinese officials involved in coercively banning American citizens from leaving China. Read more here.  On Wednesday, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN),  and I introduced legislation to remove the antitrust exemption from which Major League Baseball (MLB) has long benefited and instead subject professional baseball to standard law. Read more here.  On Thursday, I joined Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Rick Scott (R-FL) in introducing legislation that would ban all federal employees from using TikTok on government devices. Read more here.  On Thursday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and I reintroduced the Fishing Equipment Tax Relief Act, which would create fairness in federal excise taxes by equalizing the tax rates for portable, electronically aerated bait containers and the parts used to assemble it. Read more here.  On Thursday, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and I reintroduced a bipartisan joint resolution to prohibit any President of the United States from withdrawing from NATO without Senate approval. Read more here. On Thursday, Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and I, along with 15 bipartisan colleagues, reintroduced the Cultivating Opportunity and Response to the Pandemic through Service (CORPS) Act, legislation that would expand national service programs significantly to help the country recover and rebuild from COVID-19. Read more here. On Thursday, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and I, along with several other Republican senators, introduced the Protecting Funding for Women’s Healthcare Act, which would prevent any taxpayer dollars from going to the nation’s single largest provider of abortions, as the Biden Administration looks to reverse a rule that prevents Title X funds from going to abortion providers. Read more here. On Thursday, Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rick Scott (R-FL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and I reintroduced the Ensuring Linguistic Excellence and Vocational Aptitude by Teaching English (ELEVATE) Act , a bicameral and bipartisan bill that would ensure states receive the federal funding necessary to provide high-quality instruction to students learning English. Read more here.  In Case You Missed It... “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has been quietly carving out an unusual role in the Republican Party as a supporter of organized labor and advocate for what he's described as more equitable capitalism for the past several years. ” (Power Up: This GOP senator wants to overhaul unions in America, Washington Post, 04/16/21)  “Rubio, Scott file bill to overturn cruise industry shutdown, resume sailings” (WESH 2 Orlando, 04/14/21) “"For those that have fought and defended and served this country, for them to come home and have to fight against the very government that they volunteered to defend is immoral," Stewart said, with Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa. standing nearby with a group of advocates, some of them veterans.” (Jon Stewart, lawmakers announce legislation to help veterans impacted by burn pits, ABC News, 04/13/21)  “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the committee’s vice chairman, said he was especially concerned that the United States had not developed an effective strategy of deterrence that makes clear to hostile countries what kinds of malicious cyber actions cross a line and are more analogous to armed conflict than espionage.” (Top intelligence officials testify on China, pandemic and other global threats, Washington Post, 04/14/21)  “‘The bottom line is that we’ve had now consistent reports of objects flying over military installations and military training areas,’ Rubio told Meyer. ‘And it’s not the US government. And so anytime I see things flying over installations that are not ours, we need to know who they are.’” (Senators questioned about Mystery Wire’s UFO images, Mystery Wire, 04/15/21)  “‘A Pure Political Ploy’: Sen. Rubio Accuses Democrats Of Trying To Pack Courts For Their Own Agenda'” (Daily Caller, 04/15/21) “Rubio, Coons Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Give Uyghurs Priority Refugee Status” (The Federalist, 04/14/21)  “Rubio, Cruz Takes Swing At MLB In Stripping Its Anti-Trust Immunity” (The Floridian, 04/15/21) “Republican Sen. Marco Rubio told the Washington Examiner that corporations ‘risk serious consequences’ by wading into the political waters while at the same time ‘cozying up and enriching the Chinese Communist Party, which is committing genocide in Xinjiang.’” (Republican lawmakers warn that corporations could face consequences over voting law activism, Washington Examiner, 04/12/21)  “Marco Rubio among group of Republican lawmakers introducing bill to defund planned parenthood” (WTSP Tampa Bay, 04/15/21) Keep up with me on Facebook and Twitter.