This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio On Monday, I released a statement marking the day former Marxist dictator Fidel Castro began his illegitimate Communist revolution, which started with a failed assault against an army barracks in Santiago de Cuba on July 26, 1953. Read more here.  On Monday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and I urged U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough to expedite and commit to sustaining the planning process to establish a VA medical facility for inpatient services in the Florida Panhandle. Read more here.  On Monday, I led members of the Florida congressional delegation in urging National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Richard Spinrad to support Florida’s manatees by aiding efforts to improve water quality and prevent harmful algal blooms in the Indian River Lagoon estuary. Read more here.  On Monday, I joined Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and members of the Leader’s Advisory Team on Cuba in sending a letter to President Joe Biden requesting a meeting to discuss how the White House and Congress can work together to end the “oppressive regime in Havana and liberate the Cuban people.” Read more here.  On Monday, I joined Newsmax TV to discuss the historic protests in Cuba and the ongoing infrastructure negotiations. Watch the full interview here.  On Wednesday, I joined Fox and Friends to discuss the Biden Administration’s negligent response to the push for freedom in Cuba and my plan to prevent the Democratic Party from using Big Tech to silence free speech. Watch the full interview here.  On Wednesday, I wrote an op-ed in Fox News discussing my PRESERVE Online Speech Act, a bill that would prevent the government from partnering with Big Tech to censor free speech. Read the full article here.  On Tuesday, Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Mark Warner (D-VA), and I sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking the administration to take three crucial steps to get to the bottom of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.  On Wednesday, Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jim Risch (R-ID), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and I applauded the Senate Committee on Foreign Relation’s passage of a bicameral and bipartisan resolution condemning the Cuban regime’s violent response to the thousands of Cuban citizens who have taken to the streets to peacefully call for freedom, basic human rights, and the end to the more than sixty years of Communist dictatorship in Cuba. The resolution now moves to the full Senate for consideration. Read more here.  On Sunday, I joined Mark Levin on Life, Liberty & Levin to discuss the historic ongoing protests in Cuba and the continued crisis at the southern border. Watch Part 1 of the full interview here and Part 2 here.  On Wednesday, I joined Representative Ashley Hinson (R-IA) in publishing an op-ed in the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald explaining why the United States must bolster domestic manufacturing and regional economic development in order to protect our national security. Read the full article here.  On Tuesday, Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Cruz (R-TX), and I sent a letter to President Joe Biden calling on him to deny visas to Iranian President-elect, Ebrahim Raisi, and other senior Iranian officials, in order to prevent them from attending the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September. Read more here.  On Wednesday, I welcomed the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s passage of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (IAA). The bill authorizes funding, provides legal authorities, and enhances congressional oversight for the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). Read more here.  On Wednesday, I was joined by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and John Thune (R-SD) in sending a letter to Senate Committee Appropriations Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Vice Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) urging them to support Israel’s emergency request of “$1 billion in security assistance in order to replenish and prepare its Iron Dome missile defense system for a future conflict.” Read more here.  On Wednesday, I joined Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Steve Daines (R-MT), and 23 Senators in sending a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Xavier Becerra, opposing the Biden Administration’s attempt to ignore congressional intent and the unequivocal legal requirements regarding abortion coverage offered through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Read more here.  On Friday, I released a statement after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler announced additional scrutiny before allowing China-based companies to list on U.S. stock exchanges. Read more here.  On Thursday, I joined U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), along with a group of bicameral colleagues, in filing an amicus brief supporting the State of Mississippi in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Mississippi’s law protecting life. Read more here.  Last Friday, I sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, ahead of his trip to Southeast Asia, to advocate freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and encourage our partner nations to engage in multilateral military activities with members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and Taiwan. Read more here.  Legislation Introduced- On Wednesday, I introduced legislation to combat the censorship coordination between big tech companies and governments across the globe, including the Biden Administration. The PRESERVE Online Speech Act comes after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged that the White House is “flagging problematic posts” for social media companies. My legislation would require technology companies to disclose any U.S. or foreign government requests or recommendations regarding content moderation. Read more here.
- On Monday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and I introduced the American Shores Protection Act to codify the moratorium on oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Florida that was put in place by a September 8, 2020 Executive Order by then-President Trump. Under the legislation, the moratorium would be in place for the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic until 2032. Read more here.
- On Tuesday, I joined Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), and colleagues in introducing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency Accountability and Transparency Act . This bill outlines a comprehensive approach to cease U.S. contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), unless the U.S. Secretary of State certifies to Congress that UNRWA no longer employs, or is associated with terrorist organizations, no longer allows its facilities to be used by terrorist organizations, allows independent audits of its finances, and no longer publishes anti-American or anti-Israel materials. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and I introduced legislation to authorize the New Partnerships Initiative (NPI) at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The bipartisan bill streamlines U.S. assistance by prioritizing funding for local partners and smaller organizations who can be best equipped to meet the needs of local communities. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and I introduced a Senate Resolution commemorating the 200th anniversary of Peru’s independence. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, Senators Rick Scott (R-FL), Jim Risch (R-ID), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and I introduced a measure that would require all legislation passed by Senate committees to include inflationary impact statements so Americans can see the true impacts of new government spending proposals. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, Senators Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and I introduced the Disclose Government Censorship Act , which seeks to end the government-directed speech suppression and viewpoint censorship the White House recently revealed in stating that it routinely urges Big Tech companies to remove the speech of Americans that the government deems inaccurate or unhelpful. Read more here.
- On Thursday, I joined Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Boozman (R-AR), Rick Scott (R-FL), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) in introducing the Anti-BDS Labeling Act , which would prohibit the Biden Administration from issuing new labelling guidelines that would help the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement target specific goods made in the territory controlled by Israel. Read more here.
- On Thursday, I joined Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) in reintroducing the Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2021 to limit federal overreach against American landowners. Read more here.
- On Thursday, Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), James Lankford (R-OK), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Todd Young (R-IN), John Thune (R-SD), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and I introduced the Restore Public Health Institution Trust Act , which would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) decision making and messaging surrounding its reversal on mask guidance for fully vaccinated Americans. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...“Sen. Marco Rubio: We must stop Silicon Valley-Democrat collusion before conservatives are silenced for good” (Fox News, 07/28/21) “Hinson and Rubio: Bring critical supply chains home to create jobs, bolster national security” (Dubuque Telegraph Herald, 07/28/21) “Rubio to roll out bill requiring review of CDC decision-making after reversal in mask guidance” (Fox News, 07/29/21) “New Rubio Bill Would Force Big Tech Firms To Disclose Censorship Requests From Government Officials” (The Federalist, 07/28/21) “Led by a trio of young senators — Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) — they have blazed the trail with speeches and ideas to recast U.S. capitalism. Rubio’s 2019 speech on restoring ‘common good capitalism’ provided a theoretical justification for this stance. It was epitomized by his leadership in crafting the Paycheck Protection Program and his support for the failed effort to unionize an Amazon warehouse in Alabama.” (Opinion: The GOP has five factions now. They all see a different future for their party., The Washington Post, 07/26/21) “‘Our job in government is not to force people to do things they don’t want to do. Our job for the most part is to tell people: ‘here’s what the information says, here’s what I’ve done,’ Rubio said. ‘It’s up to them to decide whether they want to be vaccinated. And I just know people are not going to be vaccinated, no matter what.’” (Senate GOP steps up vaccine push amid lingering conservative skepticism, POLITICO, 07/28/21) “Rubio, a senior fellow at FIU, said he opposes Mora’s nomination on Thursday evening. ‘Nominating Frank Mora, an outspoken supporter of engagement with the regime in Cuba, to be the U.S. Amb. to the OAS is yet another slap in the face to Cubans demanding freedom,’ Rubio tweeted.” (Biden nominates Cuban-American FIU professor Frank Mora as OAS ambassador, Miami Herald, 07/29/21) “Rubio Says Trump had Plan to Get Internet Into Cuba” (The Floridian, 07/29/21) “Sen. Marco Rubio to Newsmax: Biden's Cuba Actions 'Meaningless'” (Newsmax, 07/26/21) “Rubio rips DHS discrepancy between Cuba, Mexico: Where was Mayorkas' warning for Rio Grande crossers?” (Fox News, 07/26/21) Coming up…- My staff will host Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their communities. More information and locations near you here.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment