|
|
This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio
As we solemnly commemorate the attacks of 9/11, we must never forget those who died and served on that day. Their stories inspire us and call us to remember what we can do as a nation when we are unified and we are vigilant. Watch my full video message here.
On Tuesday, I issued a statement after President Trump announced an extension and expansion of the moratorium on oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Florida. Read more here.
On Thursday, I welcomed U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s announcement that Florida’s spiny lobster would be eligible for benefits through the seafood relief program. The relief program, originally announced by President Trump on June 24, 2020, seeks to address harm to the United States seafood industry caused by steep tariffs imposed by foreign governments, including China. In July, I led members of the Florida congressional delegation in a letter to Secretary Perdue urging the department to include spiny lobster in the program. Read more here.
On Thursday, I joined Mornings with Maria on Fox Business to discuss the Administration’s response to COVID-19, the risk Chinese state-owned enterprises pose to U.S. national security, and the Democrats’ decision to block coronavirus relief funds. Watch the full interview here.
On Thursday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I issued a statement after Senate Democrats again blocked a COVID-19 relief package. The bill would provide a second round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to help the hardest-hit small businesses and their employees, provide protections for businesses, schools, and healthcare workers, and restate federal unemployment benefits to the nation’s workforce who continue to suffer from the pandemic. Read more here.
On Wednesday, as Acting Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I joined Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) in convening an open hearing titled, “Declassification Policy and Prospects for Reform.” Read my remarks here and watch the video here.
On Thursday, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I sent a letter to James Dimon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan Chase, following recent reports that bank employees may have been involved in the misuse of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funding. Read more here.
On Thursday, I sent a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to request a full review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) of the potential acquisition of GNC Holdings Inc. by Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Co., a Chinese pharmaceutical company. Read more here.
On Thursday, I sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging him to send Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Keith Krach to Taiwan as soon as possible to begin laying the groundwork for free trade negotiations between the U.S. and Taiwan. Earlier this year, I highlighted the importance of negotiating a free trade agreement with Taiwan in order to strengthen our relations and commerce between the U.S. and Taiwan as well as expand market access for American and Taiwanese goods. Read more here.
On Wednesday, I joined Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and a group of bipartisan senators in a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback requesting the State Department to consider the recommendations made by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) when determining Countries of Particular Concern and placement on the Special Watch List. Read more here.
Legislation Introduced
- On Tuesday, I joined Senators Jim Risch (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Ben Cardin (D-MD) in introducing a resolution calling on the Government of Cameroon and armed separatist groups from the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions to end all violence, respect the human rights of all Cameroonians, and pursue a genuinely inclusive dialogue toward resolving the ongoing civil conflict in Anglophone Cameroon. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, I joined Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) in introducing legislation to name the new Clay County Veterans Affairs Clinic, in Middleburg, FL, the “Andrew K. Baker Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.” Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...
“Rubio, the chairman of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, will head into the 2024 presidential election cycle with one of the biggest legislative accomplishments of 2020 on his resume.” (2024 GOP presidential rivalries emerge on virus package, The Hill, 09/10/2020)
“Rubio Seeks Security Review of Chinese Bid for GNC” (Wall Street Journal, 09/10/20)
“Rubio explains TikTok concerns: Chinese data collection 'a very dangerous situation'” (Fox Business, 09/10/20)
“Rubio Warns of China’s Continued Threat” (The Floridian, 09/10/20)
“U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said he will continue to push the Senate to make the moratorium permanent.” (Donald Trump extends moratorium on oil drilling off Florida’s shores, TC Palm, 09/08/20)
“Marco Rubio Wants Answers From JPMorgan Chase on PPP, EIDL Misuse Accusations” (Florida Daily, 09/10/20)
“Rubio has been an outlier among the lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have been accusing each other of manipulating and politicizing intelligence reports...arguing instead that Americans should have faith in the federal government’s ability to blunt the impacts of foreign interference. ('So much noise': Brawl over 2020 intel leaves voters in the dark, POLITICO, 09/10/20)
“Marco Rubio: State Department Should Consider USCIRF’s Recommendations on Countries of Particular Concern” (Florida Daily, 09/09/20)
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment