This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio On Tuesday, I sent a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge requesting immediate action to ensure sanitary and safe living conditions for constituents living at Hilltop Village Apartments in Jacksonville, Florida. The letter follows reports of unacceptable conditions at the property, as well as a site visit from my staff in which they found evidence of a severe rodent infestation and chronic garbage overflow throughout the entire property. Hilltop Village Apartments is federally contracted through the Section 8 Project Based Rental Assistance program. Read more here.  On Thursday, I joined Mike Gilland on Shepherd Radio’s Afternoons with Mike to commemorate the National Day of Prayer and discuss the challenges facing our nation today. Read more here and listen to the full interview here.  On Wednesday, Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), Darren Soto (D-FL), Austin Scott (R-GA), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Al Lawson (D-FL), and I led a bipartisan letter to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai urging her to work with members of Congress to implement immediate trade relief measures that safeguard American producers of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables against unfair foreign competition. Read more here.  On Wednesday, Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Susan Collins (R-ME), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Rob Portman (R-OH), Todd Young (R-IN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and I sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a detailed briefing on the reported U.S. Department of Justice’s amnesty program, which would allow U.S. academics to disclose past foreign funding without fear of prosecution for their disclosures. Read more here.  On Tuesday, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) and I, as well as Congressmen Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Mark Green (R-TN), released a joint statement on the decision of El Salvador’s National Assembly to dismiss five supreme court justices and the attorney general. Read more here.  On Wednesday, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) and I issued a joint statement after the selection of new members of the National Electoral Council (CNE) in Venezuela. Read more here.  On Tuesday, I joined Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) in sending a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) expressing concern with attempts to impose on the FCC’s independence and politicize its decisions by encouraging content-based censorship. Read more here.  On Wednesday, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and I sent a bipartisan comment to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) encouraging the efficient, effective implementation of a beneficial ownership reporting system, as required by the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). I secured the anti-money laundering and beneficial ownership provisions, modeled after the CTA, in the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 116-283). Read more here.  On Tuesday, I joined Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Congressman French Hill (R-AR), as well as a bicameral and bipartisan group of legislators, in sending a letter to President Joe Biden on the pressing need for a nominee to the position of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. We also emphasized the importance of America remaining a world leader in defending and promoting religious liberty for all people of any faith, especially in countries where people are violently targeted for their faith such as Burma and China. Read more here.  On Tuesday, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and I sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken applauding the removal of gratuitous language regarding U.S. policy on Tibet’s relationship to the People’s Republic of China from the annual Human Rights Report. Read more here.  On Tuesday, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and I sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken expressing our concern about recent political developments in Mongolia. Read more here.  Last Thursday, I joined Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and more than 30 members of the Senate Republican Conference in a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona requesting the withdrawal of the Department’s “Proposed Priorities” on American history and civics education. Read more here. 
Legislation Introduced- Last Thursday, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mark Warner (D-VA), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Bob Casey (D-PA), and I introduced the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 . This bipartisan legislation would provide a new source of funding for the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program (Kids First) by redirecting penalties collected from pharmaceutical, cosmetic, supplement, and medical device companies that break the law to pediatric and childhood cancer research. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...“‘It is unacceptable:’ Sen. Rubio demands action be taken over conditions at Jacksonville apartment complex” (Action News Jax, 05/07/21) “You hear this a lot from Rubio and his aides -- ‘effectiveness.’ And he appears to be an effective senator... Rubio was co-author of the PPP program, one of the big federal successes of 2020 which saved millions of small business jobs during the pandemic. He’s helped steer hundreds of millions of dollars toward restoration of the Everglades, another key issue in Florida, and is asking for billions more." (What do they want: Marco Rubio, Punchbowl News, 05/03/21) “In January, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), said he had gotten a firsthand look at ‘the devastated condition’ of reefs in the Florida Keys when he decided to introduce a companion bill in the Senate, S. 46.” (Dying coral reefs at 'critical turning point,' lawmakers told, E&E News, 05/05/21) “‘Why is anyone surprised that the jobs reports fell short of expectations? I told you weeks ago that in Florida I hear from small businesses everyday that they can’t hire people because the government is paying them to not go back to work,’ Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted Friday in reaction to the jobs report.” (Biden to respond to disappointing jobs report, ABC News, 05/07/21) “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)...said in an email: ‘For the past several years, I have been making the case that far too many American companies were prioritizing short-term financial windfalls at the expense of America’s families, communities and national security. More and more people are coming around to that viewpoint, both in the Republican Party and around the country.’” (Exclusive — Cruz, Rubio ramp up criticisms of big business, The Hill, 05/03/21) “Senators Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, the top Republican and Democrats heading the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued a stern statement acknowledging for the first time US officials had been ‘attacked,’ suggesting the attacks are ongoing and ‘increasing.’” (Microwave weapons are targeting US officials at home and abroad, Fox News, 05/04/21) |
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