This Week in the Office of Senator Marco Rubio On Thursday, I joined Mornings with Maria to discuss the latest on Russia and Ukraine, China’s partnership with Russia, my CRACK Act , and more. Watch the interview here. 
On Monday, I joined Special Report with Bret Baier to discuss the latest on Russia-Ukraine tensions and the Durham report. Watch the interview here. 
On Thursday, I spoke on the Senate floor after Senate Democrats blocked my amended Cutting Rampant Access to Crack Kits (CRACK) Act from passage. Watch my full remarks here here and read more here. 
On Tuesday, I led the entire Florida congressional delegation in urging General Daniel Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau (NGB), to allocate additional resources to the Florida National Guard. Read more here. 
On Thursday, I urged President Joe Biden to include $725 million for Everglades restoration efforts in his forthcoming Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget to Congress. Read more here. 
On Wednesday, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) and I, along with our Republican colleagues, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland seeking assurances that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will continue to respect the prosecutorial independence of Special Counsel John Durham and his staff. Read more here. 
On Wednesday, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and I, along with Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ), sent a letter to Andy Jassy, Chief Executive Officer of Amazon, urging the company to support labor rights activist Tang Minfeng’s court appeal for exoneration and compensation. Tang spent two years in prison and was reportedly tortured for exposing labor abuses at a Foxconn factory in Hengyang municipality, Hunan province that produces Amazon products. Read more here. 
On Tuesday, I joined Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and 25 Senate Republican colleagues in introducing a resolution to support the reopening of the U.S. Capitol Building and Senate office buildings to public visitation under pre-COVID policies. Read more here. 
On Tuesday, Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and I, along with our colleagues, sent a letter to Gary Gensler, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, stressing the risks that the China Evergrande Group’s default and Chinese businesses’ financial and accounting practices pose to U.S. investors. Read more here. 
On Tuesday, Senator John Thune (R-SD) and I, along with our Senate colleagues, introduced a joint resolution of disapproval to nullify a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) interim final rule (IFR) that requires all staff and volunteers in Head Start educational facilities to be fully vaccinated and wear a mask. Read more here. 
On Tuesday, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, I released a joint statement with bipartisan Senate Committee leaders stating that the U.S. Senate stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Read more here. 
On Monday, Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and I, joined by six Republican colleagues, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to reject Delta Airlines’ call for the creation of a federal no-fly list for disruptive passengers. Read more here. 
On Sunday, I published an op-ed in the Panama City News Herald urging Congress to do more for military veterans. Read the op-ed here. 
On Sunday, I published an op-ed in Nikkei Asia exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s abusive, authoritarian practices involving their Belt and Road Initiative. Read the op-ed here. 
Last Friday, I published an op-ed in National Review presenting a new U.S. agenda for countering the growing threat of authoritarianism in Latin America and the Caribbean. Read the op-ed here. 
El jueves publiqué una columna de opinión en Diario las Américas destacando la importancia de priorizar nuestra región a medida que crece la influencia maligna de China y Rusia. Lea el artículo de opinión aquí. Hyperlink aquí. 
Legislation Introduced- On Monday, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and I introduced the bipartisan Preventing Illicit Paraphernalia for Exchange Systems (PIPES) Act to prohibit federal funding from being used to purchase drug paraphernalia, such as crack pipes or needles for illicit drugs, that can exacerbate substance use disorder. Read more here.
- On Monday, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and I introduced the Put Trafficking Victims First Act, which would direct the Attorney General to provide trafficking related training and assistance to federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as law enforcement officials. Read more here.
- On Tuesday, Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) and I, along with 32 of our Republican colleagues, introduced the Never Yielding Europe’s Territory (NYET) Act to provide the critical support Ukraine needs to defend itself and deter Russian aggression, while imposing real costs on the Kremlin for its ongoing and potential future aggression against Ukraine. Read more here.
- On Wednesday, Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Mike Rounds (R-SD) and I introduced the Expediting Natural Gas Exports to Allies Act, legislation to expand expedited export approval processes under the Natural Gas Act to projects intended to supply allies and key strategic partners like Ukraine and Taiwan, which are threatened by aggression from the Kremlin and the Chinese Communist Party. Read more here.
- On Thursday, Senator John Thune (R-SD), Jim Risch (R-ID), and I introduced a bill to require the U.S. Department of State to release a public, unclassified version of the July 13, 2021 internal dissent channel cable that reportedly warned of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s ability to capture Kabul. Read more here.
In Case You Missed It…
“Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and representatives Kat Cammack, Al Lawson, and Neal Dunn among others are sending a letter to the USDA secretary.” (Congress Members in North Central Florida are calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue a disaster declaration, WCJB Gainesville, 2/15/2022)
“Florida Delegation Calls for More National Guard Resources for the Sunshine State” (Florida Daily, 2/17/2022)
“Rubio, Gimenez seek boost in federal funding for South Florida environmental projects” (Miami Herald, 2/17/2022)
“A group of senators, including Florida’s Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, have registered their own objection to the rule, saying it treats those who refuse to wear masks like terrorists.” (No-fly list could prove problematic | Editorial, Orlando Sentinel, 2/17/2022)
“‘Under the Obama-era concessions to the Cuban regime, travel restrictions to Cuba were eased,’ Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said. ‘The use of travel agencies to funnel money to companies owned by the Cuban military is actively funding the repression against the Cuban people.’” (U.S. cruise lines hired Cuban agencies to provide ‘tourism services’ to passengers, Miami Herald, 2/14/2022)
“Rubio: Durham Spying Revelation ‘a Big Deal’ — ‘One of the Biggest Political Scandals in American History’” (Breitbart, 2/14/2022)
“Rubio, Manchin Introduce Bill To Block Feds From Supplying Crack Pipes” (The Daily Wire, 2/12/2022)
“Sen. Marco Rubio said in a Fox News Opinion article that NBC should be renamed the ‘National Beijing Corporation,’ since it ‘has dutifully recited Chinese Communist Party (CCP) talking points at every turn.’” (NBC, other media criticized for coverage of China during Beijing Olympics: 'Words Matter,’ Fox News, 2/12/2022)
“Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas were among those who signed a letter opposing Delta Airlines' CEO Ed Bastian's, request earlier this month that the DOJ create a ‘no-fly’ list for passengers convicted of federal offenses relating to on-board disruptions.” (Cruz, other GOP senators oppose no-fly list for convicted unruly passengers, ABC News, 2/15/2022)
“Sen. Rubio on 42% of Babies Born on Medicaid: ‘Not a Good Thing, it’s a Big Societal Problem’” (CNS News, 2/16/2022)
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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