This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio On Monday, I spoke on the Senate floor regarding the historic protests happening in Cuba. Watch my speech here and read a transcript of my remarks here.  On Monday, I sent a letter to President Joe Biden following the historic, peaceful, and organic protests in Cuba. The protests are the largest to occur in the country’s 62 years of tyranny under the Castro and Díaz-Canel regime. In my letter, I highlighted six main steps that the Biden Administration must take to support the courageous Cuban people as they fight for their freedom. Read more here.  On Wednesday, I sent a follow-up letter to President Joe Biden and released a video message outlining how the Biden Administration can begin expanding uncensored internet access in Cuba immediately, as organic protests against the country’s 62 years of tyranny under the Castro and Díaz-Canel regime continue. In my letter, I also urged the President to direct Secretary of State Antony Blinken to convene a meeting of the permanent council of the Organization of American States and call for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. Read more here and watch the video here.  On Wednesday, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and I applauded the Senate’s passage of our bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which will ensure that goods tainted with the forced labor of Uyghurs, as well as others in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and certain entities affiliated with the China Communist Party (CCP), do not enter the U.S. market. Read more here.  On Monday, I joined Hannity to discuss the historic protests happening in Cuba. Watch the full interview here.  On Tuesday, I published an op-ed in Fox News discussing the media’s dishonest attempts to frame the protests in Cuba as a reaction to COVID-19, and the need for the United States to support this unprecedented movement to regain freedom on the island. Read the full article here.  On Wednesday, I joined Fox & Friends to discuss the ongoing protests in Cuba, Democrats’ unacceptable and misguided response to the evils of socialism, Twitter’s double standard, and more. Watch the full interview here.  On Thursday, I joined Fox News’ America Reports to discuss the ongoing protests against the brutal Castro and Díaz-Canel regime in Cuba and more. Watch the full interview here.  On Wednesday, I blasted property owner Mr. Andrew Podray of Eastside Terrace Apartments and Eastside Gardens Apartments in Jacksonville after receiving updated Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspection scores for both of the Florida properties. Eastside Terrace Apartments received a failing score of 6c/100, and Eastside Gardens Apartments received a failing score of 24c/100. The “c” in the score indicates that life-threatening conditions for tenants were observed during the REAC inspections. Read more here.  On Tuesday, I issued a statement honoring the 41 victims of the “13th of March” Tugboat Massacre who died at the hands of the Castro dictatorship on July 13, 1994. Read more here.  On Wednesday, I released a statement on the Biden Administration’s new “Child Allowance,” which went into effect on Thursday, July 15. The new program transforms the existing Child Tax Credit into a monthly welfare payment for the next six months. Parents, including those who do not work, will receive monthly payments of $250 per child under 18, and $300 per child under 6. Read more here.  On Thursday, I sent a letter to President Joe Biden, ahead of his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, asking him to convey “that there is broad bipartisan support for preventing the completion of yet another pipeline that bypasses Ukraine.” I also highlighted that “completing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will only endanger our democratic allies in East and Central Europe and embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin in his aggression towards them.” Read more here.  On Monday, I joined Oscar Haza on Zeta 92.3FM to discuss the recent protests in Cuba and the Biden Administration’s delayed and inappropriate response to the situation. Read more here. 
On Tuesday, I joined El Show de Carlucho on UniVista TV to discuss the historic protests in Cuba, the Cuban government’s violent attempts to repress freedom of expression on the island, and attempts to send humanitarian aid to Cuba. Listen to the interview here and read more here.  On Thursday, I joined Enrique “Kike” Cruz on NotiUno 630 Puerto Rico to discuss the situation in Cuba, the internal fractions in Cuba’s communist party, and the need to find a sustainable solution for Puerto Rico’s Medicaid program. Read more here.  Last Friday, I urged the Senate to pass my Genomics Data Security Act following a new Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) report. The OIG report, requested by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and I in June 2019, found that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) did not consider national security risks for any CMS programs. This is particularly concerning with regard to tests that CMS oversees and are known threats to Americans’ genomic data from testing companies affiliated with the Chinese government, like BGI. Additionally, the report determined that CMS needs to account for these national security considerations. Read more here.  Last Friday, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and I sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting that the U.S. Department of State take action against coordinated and discriminatory treatment toward members of religious minority groups in Algeria, including Protestant Christians and the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. We urged the Algerian government to comply with its international and constitutional commitments to religious freedom. Read more here.  Legislation Introduced- On Thursday, I introduced a Senate resolution in support of the courageous Cuban people as they lead historic protests throughout the island against six decades of repression and tyranny from the Castro and Díaz-Canel regime. The resolution highlights the dictatorship’s long record of oppression against pro-democracy leaders, political opponents, and civic movements. Following this weekend’s wave of peaceful protests, the regime has once again arbitrarily detained José Daniel Ferrer, leader of Cuba's Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, leader of the San Isidro Movement, and 200 Cubans. Read more here.
- On Tuesday, Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and I introduced the bipartisan Better Examiner Standards and Transparency for Veterans Act , or BEST for Vets Act, to ensure that only licensed health care professionals conduct medical disability examinations (MDEs) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Read more here.
- On Wednesday, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I introduced the Intelligence Community Workforce Agility Protection Act of 2021 to expand the moving tax deduction to intelligence employees relocating due to work responsibilities. I was joined in introducing the bill by Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) and fellow committee members Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Angus King (I-ME), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Susan Collins (R-ME), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Jim Risch (R-ID), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Tom Cotton (R-AR). Read more here.
- On Thursday, I reintroduced legislation to improve and protect a joint U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program designed to help homeless veterans find permanent housing. Read more here.
- On Thursday, Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and I introduced the Freedom to Compete Act , legislation that would protect entry-level, low-wage workers from non-compete agreements that limit their employment opportunities and restrict their ability to negotiate higher wages and benefits. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It...“Sen. Marco Rubio: Listen to Cuba's protesters – it's not about COVID, it's about freedom and repression” (Fox News, 07/13/21) “Rubio warns of a ‘Mariel style crisis’ after Cuba protests” (Miami Herald, 07/12/21) “Sen. Marco Rubio calls on Biden to act, says regime in Cuba 'forcing children to join street mobs'” (WESH 2 Orlando, 07/14/21) “Rubio slams Biden admin’s 'major failure' of initially tying of Cuban protests to rising COVID cases” (Fox News, 07/13/21) “Sen. Marco Rubio to Newsmax: Cuba's Marxism Divides in Order to Control” (Newsmax, 07/13/21) “U.S. Senator Marco Rubio says local tenants are living in ‘life-threatening’ conditions” (Action News Jax, 07/14/21) “On Wednesday, Rubio released a statement tearing into the child allowance. ‘The way President Biden tells it, the handout is part of his administration's 'pro-family' plan,’ he said. ‘In reality, he has transformed the pro-worker, pro-family Child Tax Credit into an anti-work welfare check.’” (The government is sending up to $300 monthly checks to families with kids starting today. Democrats want to make it permanent as a new form of Social Security, Business Insider, 07/15/21) “US Should Not Allow ‘Predatory’ Chinese Firms Like Didi to Take Advantage of American Investors: Sen. Rubio” (The Epoch Times, 07/12/21) “Marco Rubio Introduces the Better Examiner Standards and Transparency for Veterans Act” (Florida Daily, 07/14/21) “Marco Rubio Calls on State Department to Protect Religious Freedom in Algeria” (Florida Daily, 07/13/21) 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.
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