This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio
On Thursday, I joined Mornings with Maria on Fox Business to discuss my decision to place a hold on the nominations of President Biden’s Ambassadors to China and Spain, reports that illegal immigrants are secretly being flown into Florida, and the Build Back Socialist spending agenda. Watch the interview here .
On Tuesday, I joined Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and House and Senate colleagues at a press conference following yet another round of protests in Cuba against the Communist Castro/Díaz-Canel regime. Watch the press conference here .
On Thursday, I spoke during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee hearing on China and Russia’s coercive vaccine diplomacy in the Western Hemisphere. Read my remarks here and watch the video here .
On Friday, I released a statement after the ribbon cutting ceremony that marked the completion of the C-44 Reservoir and Stormwater Treatment Area Project, which is located in Martin County. Members of my staff attended the ribbon cutting. Read more here . 
On Monday, I published an op-ed outlining what steps the Biden Administration must take in Nicaragua following the signing of the RENACER ACT , which I co-authored.. Read more here . 
On Tuesday, I published an op-ed with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on the need to protect ongoing Everglades restoration. Read more here .
On Thursday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and I, along with U.S. Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), John Rutherford (R-FL), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Neil Dunn (R-FL), Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Brian Mast (R-FL), Daniel Webster (R-FL), Michael Waltz (R-FL), María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Greg Steube (R-FL), Byron Donalds (R-FL), and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), sent a letter to U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting a full accounting of the administration’s actions following reports that more than 70 flights carrying illegal immigrants have secretly landed in Jacksonville, FL over the past six months. Read the full text of the letter here. 
On Friday, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and I, together with our colleagues, sent a letter requesting that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) disclose the impact President Joe Biden’s massive tax and spending bill will have on state Medicaid programs that support safety net hospitals, children’s hospitals, rural hospitals, and other Medicaid providers that care for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured beneficiaries. Read the full text of the letter here . 
On Thursday, I applauded the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources’ passage of the Puerto Rico Recovery Accurate in Disclosures Act (PRRADA) (H.R. 1192) . Read more here . 
On Thursday, I released a statement regarding the ongoing disappearance of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, who accused a former member of the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee of sexual assault and has not been seen since. Peng’s disappearance comes just months before Beijing is scheduled to host the XXIV Olympic Winter Games. Read more here . 
On Thursday, I released a statement after the Senate passed a bill to award posthumously a Congressional Gold Medal to the 13 service members who were killed during the terrorist attack on Abbey Gate while evacuating United States citizens and Afghan allies from Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. Read more here . 
On Tuesday, I released a statement after placing holds on Nicholas Burns and Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón, President Joe Biden’s nominees to serve as U.S. Ambassadors to China and Spain, respectively. Read more here . 
On Tuesday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and I released statements after the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced its Aquaculture Opportunity Area Atlas for the Gulf of Mexico, which identifies nine options for the designation of the first aquaculture opportunity area in the Gulf of Mexico, including three locations in waters near Florida. Read more here . 
On Monday, Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and I urged U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to blacklist Chinese Artificial Intelligence companies that help arm the People’s Liberation Army. Read the full text of the letter here . 
On Monday, Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and I sent a letter to Senate colleagues pledging not to support any Fiscal Year 2022 spending bills that do not include funding for border security or that authorize the removal of border wall construction. Read the letter here . On Monday, I released a statement prior to President Joe Biden’s virtual meeting with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping. Read more here . 
Earlier this month, I filed dozens of amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022. The amendments addressed my continuous work to fight for Florida’s interests, tackle public health concerns, and provide additional protections under the Department of Defense. I also offered amendments to counter Beijing's threat, defend human rights, and strengthen relations with our Allies. Read more here . 
On Wednesday, Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and I, along with 48 Republican Senate colleagues, formally moved to nullify President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate on private employees under the Congressional Review Act , the official process for Congress to eliminate an Executive Branch rule. Read more here . 
On Wednesday, I joined Idania Chirinos on NTN24 to discuss Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s attendance at the Summit of Democracies despite his support for the Cuban regime, my decision to place a hold on the nomination of Julissa Reynoso to serve as U.S. ambassador to Spain, the ongoing crisis in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and President Biden’s lack of leadership in the Western Hemisphere. Read more here . Legislation Introduced On Thursday, Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Rick Scott (R-FL), and I introduced the Protecting Working Families from Federal Overreach Act , which would allow states to use unspent COVID-19 relief funds to pay federal fines on behalf of private employers who do not comply with the Biden Administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Read more here . On Thursday, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mike Braun (R-IN), Jim Risch (R-ID), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Rick Scott (R-FL), and I introduced the Free Veterans from Fees Act , which seeks to allow veterans to hold special events at Washington, D.C. war memorials without fees. Read more here .
In Case You Missed It…“Sen. Marco Rubio, R.-Fla., has demanded that the firm offer more information about its work in China and explain how it prevents possible conflicts between its consulting business for the U.S. government and for Chinese clients.” (Advising both Chinese state companies and the Pentagon, McKinsey & Co. comes under scrutiny, NBC News , 11/13/21)
“Rubio Slams ‘Hypocrite Marxist’ Danny Glover Over Cuba” (The Floridian , 11/14/21)
“‘Putin’s dominance over dictators in Latin America is undeniable. He’s a threat to every democracy in our region, including Colombia, which has an upcoming election,’ stated Sen. Rubio in a statement to The Floridian.” (Russia Continues Dominance Over Dictators in Latin America, The Floridan , 11/14/21)
“‘The entire power of that regime was unleashed to prevent people from walking in the streets and shouting slogans,’ said Sen. Marco Rubio.” (Local leaders speak out after Cuban officials punish protestors, WSVN Miami , 11/16/21)
“Marco Rubio blocks Biden's nominee for ambassador to China” (Axios , 11/16/21)
““I hope this administration will use the power and the influence we have at every international forum to ask countries around the world, ‘How can you continue to align with this?’ ‘How can you support this regime, this government and its actions?’” [Senator Marco] Rubio said.” (‘Crying For Freedom’: South Florida Political Leaders Call On Biden Administration To Step Up For Cuban People, CBS Miami , 11/16/21)
“FreedomWorks is excited to recognize the Mind Your Own Business Act introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)” (FreedomWorks , 11/16/21)
“Marco Rubio Calls on Senate Not to Pass Spending Bill Unless Border Security Funds Included” (Florida Daily , 11/17/21)
“Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said the most recent protests, which were smaller than island-wide gatherings in July amid continued harassment from the Cuban government, “created a powerful new symbol of resistance” for Cubans and people around the world.” (Biden, Republicans at odds on how to provide internet access to Cubans, Miami Herald , 11/18/21)
“Sen. Rubio demands information on migrant flights into Jacksonville” (News4Jax , 11/18/21)
“Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) objected because the managers refused to take up his provision that would prevent goods made by Uyghurs in China forced into labor from entering the U.S. market.” (Defense Bill in Limbo in Senate, Bloomberg Government , 11/19/21)
Coming up… Keep up with me on Facebook and Twitter. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment