Dear Fellow Floridian,

Communist China’s disturbing actions in recent days have been yet another reminder that Xi’s regime will stop at nothing to exploit Americans and take advantage of the United States. But a Chinese spy balloon is only one of many threats from the Chinese Communist Party as it works toward world domination.

We cannot take these threats lightly. I have been fighting for years to take an all of the above approach to cut ties with and isolate the evil Communist Chinese regime, protect America’s national security and the interests of our allies and keep Americans safe from China’s spying, data theft and covert operations. 

This week, I introduced multiple pieces of legislation which advance these priorities, put American interests first and keep Communist China in check.

I’m proud to have such strong, bipartisan support from my colleagues and look forward to fighting this Congress to pass these good bills, hold Communist China accountable and keep American families safe.

Read more about my package of national security bills to protect you from China HERE.

Sincerely,

Rick Scott

United States Senator

To be the first to find out about Senator Scott’s actions and statements, follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

—

See more of what Senator Scott has been up to this week below.

Sens. Rick Scott, Alex Padilla & Reps. Jenniffer González-Colón, Stacey Plaskett Introduce Bill to Stop Narcotics Trafficking in the Caribbean

Senator Rick Scott, Senator Alex Padilla and Representatives Jenniffer González-Colón and Stacey Plaskett introduced the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act to stop the illegal trafficking of deadly drugs in the Caribbean, specifically between Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida. This bill builds off prior appropriations report language requiring that a Caribbean Border Counternarcotic Strategy is published by the White House Office of National Drug Policy along with the National Drug Control Strategy, the Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy, and the Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Every day that passes with a wide open border, deadly drugs like fentanyl are pouring into our country and killing our fellow Americans. President Biden’s border crisis extends far beyond the Southwest border triggering violence across all communities. To truly combat the threats it poses, we must attack it at every source. I am proud to join with colleagues, Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Jenniffer González-Colón, to introduce the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act, which is critical legislation to combat illegal narcotics operations, like the fentanyl trafficking, which are destroying lives in Florida, Puerto Rico and across the United States. American families, especially those who have lost loved ones to fentanyl and other deadly drugs deserve to know that the government is working on a plan to combat this crisis and hold traffickers accountable. I urge our colleagues in the House and Senate to do the same and support this commonsense bill.”

Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ. 

—

Sen. Rick Scott on CPI Report: Joe Biden’s Inflation Nightmare Continues

Following the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Senator Rick Scott released the below statement highlighting the need to implement substantive fiscal reforms to end the ongoing inflation crisis fueled by the Biden administration’s reckless tax-and-spend agenda. January’s CPI data shows that there has been a significant rise in inflation during Biden’s presidency, with CPI increasing 6.4% in January 2023 and 14.4% since Biden was elected.

Senator Rick Scott said, “It’s never been more clear that it’s time for real change in Washington that forces Congress to stop working for itself, and start working for the American people. We need structural spending reform now. We need accountability now. That’s what our colleagues in the House are fighting for and conservatives in the Senate must stand with them and demand it happens with the debt ceiling.”

Read more HERE. 

 —

Senate Unanimously Passes Sens. Rick Scott & Marco Rubio’s Resolution Honoring the Victims of the Shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Senator Rick Scott spoke on the Senate floor to introduce and request passage of a resolution honoring the memory of the victims of the senseless attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February 14, 2018. This resolution was passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate.

Watch the speech HERE.

 —

Sen. Rick Scott: VP Harris’ Incompetence & Weakness on Communist China is Dangerous

Senator Rick Scott released the following statement after Vice President Kamala Harris told POLITICO that Communist China’s threats and recent incursion into American airspace with a spy balloon will have no impact on diplomatic relations between the United States and the communist Chinese regime.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Vice President Harris has shown nothing but total incompetence when it comes to dealing with the threats facing America. As President Biden’s ‘border czar’ her utter failures to secure our southern border have allowed historic illegal immigration and tons of deadly fentanyl to pour into our communities and kill thousands of our fellow Americans. Now after watching Communist China fly a spy balloon over the entire United States, she thinks that we should just carry on like nothing happened? Her failure to understand and act on the threats facing our nation isn’t just embarrassing, it’s dangerous. Communist China is our enemy and wants to destroy our way of life. If Kamala Harris doesn’t understand that, she should resign. The American people cannot afford weakness from unserious politicians in the White House.”

Read more HERE. 

 —

Sen. Rick Scott Following CBO Debt Ceiling Report: It’s Time to Get America’s Fiscal House in Order

Senator Rick Scott released the below statement following the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) Budget and Economic Outlook report which noted that over the next 10 years the federal debt will skyrocket to more than $45 TRILLION, unemployment will increase significantly this year and economic growth will continue to slow. Importantly, the report noted that Congress and the president have at least five months to negotiate a thoughtful plan which stops reckless spending and returns America to the path of fiscal sanity.

Senator Rick Scott said, “The left, the big government crowd and even Wall Street, has found a very clever way to keep America forever stuck in a vicious tax-and-spend cycle where spending always goes up, debt always goes up. If you dare to disagree – they assert that ‘you are the problem’ and you are advocating that America default, sending the world into free-fall and causing biblical plagues that even Moses would flinch at. Rivers of blood, locusts, frogs, you name it. We all know that’s a lie and no one is buying it. Today, the CBO made clear what I’ve been saying for weeks – Congress has MONTHS to craft a plan that gets America’s fiscal house in order, stops reckless spending and prevents a default. Long before President Biden’s cheap stunt at the State of the Union, Republicans have been clear that we would fight to protect and preserve Social Security and Medicare. Those are totally off the table in these discussions. Now, if the president wants to get serious, he needs to come to the negotiating table. It’s time for behavior change in Washington. There is no excuse for inaction and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to get something done.”

Read more HERE. 

 —

Sen. Rick Scott on PPI Report: Biden’s Inflation is Crushing Florida Families with High Prices

Senator Rick Scott released the below statement following the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which showed inflation continued to rise in January increasing 6.0% over the year. Since Joe Biden became president, PPI has risen 16.7% over the past two years.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Joe Biden’s failure to get the inflation crisis he created under control is absolutely crushing America’s hardworking families with high prices. It is the failed career politicians, like Biden and Chuck Schumer that have allowed this to happen and now insist that nothing changes and that we just keep spending. For poor families, like mine growing up, Biden’s message that no spending reforms will be discussed is a clear sign that Washington doesn’t care whether they ever get a shot at success or even survive. So, when you are at the grocery store this week and not buying as much meat or eggs as you did a few weeks ago, you can thank the politicians who want to change nothing and just raise the debt ceiling.”

Read more HERE.

—

Sen. Rick Scott, Rep. Byron Donalds Reintroduce DEMOCRACIA Act Sanctioning Communist Cuban Regime for Human Rights Abuses

Senator Rick Scott announced the reintroduction of the bicameral Denying Earnings to the Military Oligarchy in Cuba and Restricting Activities of the Cuban Intelligence Apparatus (DEMOCRACIA) Act to hold the illegitimate communist Cuban regime accountable through severe sanctions and unprecedented financial pressure. Representatives Byron Donalds, Alex Mooney, Mario Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar introduced the companion bill in the House of Representatives.

Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Tommy Tuberville and Roger Marshall joined Senator Rick Scott in reintroducing the bill.

Senator Rick Scott said, “For decades, Cuba has been the root of instability in Latin America and a constant threat to the national security of the United States. The illegitimate, communist Castro/Diaz-Canel regime harbors terrorist groups, has eliminated free and fair elections, threatens and arbitrarily arrests critics, journalists and political activists, and props up other ruthless dictators, like Maduro in Venezuela and Ortega in Nicaragua while providing a foothold in Latin American for Russia, Iran and Communist China to spread their influence. As the Cuban people’s fight for freedom from the oppressive and illegitimate communist Cuban regime continues, the United States must stand with the Cuban people. This year alone, a significant influx of migrants from Cuba have illegally entered Florida. We know that a free and prosperous Cuba would liberate the Cuban people and eliminate the source of socialist cancer in our Hemisphere. The DEMOCRACIA Act implements severe sanctions against Communist Cuba and closes existing sanctions gaps. The bill makes clear that the United States will not sit on the sidelines during this critical fight. It’s time for President Biden to stop his failed appeasement and punish the communist regime for its crimes. I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to immediately take up and pass the DEMOCRACIA Act and send a clear message to President Biden that the time for strength in the fight for freedom in Cuba is now.”

Read more HERE. 

—

Sen. Rick Scott Announces Legislative Package to Protect Americans, Hold Communist China Accountable

Senator Rick Scott announced a package of five national security focused bills to hold Communist China accountable and better protect American families. This legislative package contains bills which prohibit the U.S. Government from buying drones made by America’s adversaries, protect Taiwan from Communist China’s growing aggression, sever all financial transactions between the U.S. and Communist China once it engages in armed aggression against Taiwan, reestablish the China Initiative at Department of Justice, and require a list to be published listing all countries who have a bilateral security arrangement with Communist China to protect Americans abroad and prevent CCP police stations in the US. Since being elected to the Senate in 2018, Senator Scott has been urging both federal agencies and private businesses to decouple operations and investments from Xi’s communist regime and hold it accountable for the genocide and human rights atrocities it continues to commit against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Communist China’s disturbing actions in recent days have been yet another reminder that Xi’s regime will stop at nothing to exploit Americans and take advantage of the United States. But a Chinese spy balloon is only one of many threats from the Chinese Communist Party as it works toward world domination. We cannot take these threats lightly. I have been fighting for years to take an all of the above approach to cut ties with and isolate the evil Communist Chinese regime, protect America’s national security and the interests of our allies and keep Americans safe from China’s spying, data theft and covert operations. Today I am proud to introduce multiple pieces of legislation which advance these priorities, put American interests first and keep Communist China in check. I’m proud to have such strong, bipartisan support from my colleagues and look forward to fighting this Congress to pass these good bills, hold Communist China accountable and keep American families safe.”

Read more HERE. 

—

Sens. Rick Scott and Jim Risch Lead Effort to Cut U.S. Funds to Anti-Semitic UNRWA

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Jim Risch and 12 of their colleagues to reintroduce the United Nations Relief and Works Agency Accountability and Transparency Act. This legislation 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), a successor entity, or to the U.N. regular budget for the support of UNRWA unless the Secretary of State certifies every 180 days to Congress that UNRWA meets strict accountability and transparency criteria.

Read more HERE.

—

Sen. Rick Scott to FDA: Current Standards for Lead, Toxins in Baby Food Fail to Protect Children

Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf sharing his concerns regarding what FDA has determined to be “acceptable” levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury in baby food, infant cereals and prenatal vitamins. Senator Scott believes the FDA’s recently updated guidance fails to protect American children and is demanding action from the FDA to ensure baby food is safe for consumption.

Read the full letter HERE. Read more HERE. 

—

Sen. Rick Scott Issues Weekly Update on Biden’s Inflation Crisis

Senator Rick Scott released a weekly update on his actions to address America’s debt crisis and rising inflation following the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) Budget and Economic Outlook report which noted that over the next 10 years the federal debt will skyrocket to more than $45 TRILLION, unemployment will increase significantly this year and economic growth will continue to slow. Importantly, the report noted that Congress and the president have at least five months to negotiate a thoughtful plan which stops reckless spending and returns America to the path of fiscal sanity. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers for January, which showed inflation continued to rise. Since Joe Biden became president, CPI has risen 14.4% and PPI has risen 16.7% over the past two years.

Earlier this week, following this staggering announcement by the CBO, Senator Scott released the following statement.

Senator Rick Scott said, “The left, the big government crowd and even Wall Street, has found a very clever way to keep America forever stuck in a vicious tax-and-spend cycle where spending always goes up, debt always goes up. If you dare to disagree – they assert that ‘you are the problem’ and you are advocating that America default, sending the world into free-fall and causing biblical plagues that even Moses would flinch at. Rivers of blood, locusts, frogs, you name it. We all know that’s a lie and no one is buying it. Today, the CBO made clear what I’ve been saying for weeks – Congress has MONTHS to craft a plan that gets America’s fiscal house in order, stops reckless spending and prevents a default. Long before President Biden’s cheap stunt at the State of the Union, Republicans have been clear that we would fight to protect and preserve Social Security and Medicare. Those are totally off the table in these discussions. Now, if the president wants to get serious, he needs to come to the negotiating table. It’s time for behavior change in Washington. There is no excuse for inaction and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to get something done.”  

Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ. 

—

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT… Washington Examiner: Sen. Rick Scott and Rep. Bill Posey demand links between Chinese spy balloon and illegal trade practices be investigated

Senator Rick Scott and Representative Bill Posey are demanding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo investigate whether Chinese solar companies under investigation for illegally circumventing U.S. trade law helped power a Chinese surveillance balloon before it was shot down.

In the letter to the secretaries, Senator Scott and Representative Posey note they are moving forward with bipartisan legislation that utilizes the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reverse the damage done by the Solar Emergency Declaration. It is believed this declaration may have possibly undermined economic and national security by protecting Chinese solar manufacturers that are not only illegally violating U.S. trade law, but also advancing the surveillance activities of the Chinese military and intelligence agencies. Below is an excerpt from the Washington Examiner article:

“In the letter, Scott and Posey argued that an emergency rule intended to quell a nervous solar industry could be shielding companies linked to Beijing’s spy balloon fleet. The lawmakers also asked whether the Biden administration would take action against Chinese panel manufacturers violating U.S. trade laws intended to level the playing field for American workers.

‘Not only is the Biden administration protecting Chinese solar companies and allowing them to continue illegal trade activity without consequence, but the administration is also quite possibly protecting the very same companies providing solar panels that are powering Chinese spy balloons,’ Scott and Posey write.

Scott and Posey said the event raises major questions about whether the administration’s solar policy is undermining national security ‘by protecting Chinese solar manufacturers that are not only illegally violating U.S. trade law, but also advancing the surveillance activities of the Chinese military and intelligence agencies.’

…In the letter, Scott and Posey ask if the administration has determined whether the panels that helped operate the balloon were manufactured by a company with known trade violations and whether the Pentagon has panels in use by the same company.

The episode has stirred questions about Beijing’s surveillance programs and Washington’s willingness to respond to even the most visible incursions. Now, Scott and Posey are urging the Biden administration to connect the dots between China’s trade violations made possibly by the government’s use of industrial subsidies and its aerial spy program.”

Read the full article HERE. Read the full letter HERE.

—

Fox News: Rick Scott responds to Biden doubling down on Medicare claim: ‘What a hypocrite’

Florida Daily: Rick Scott: Kamala Harris ‘Has Shown Nothing But Total Incompetence’ When Dealing With Threats to U.S.

Florida Daily: Rick Scott Brings Back ‘Upholding the Law at Our Border Act’ With Marco Rubio’s Support

Florida Daily: Rick Scott Will Lead Republicans on Armed Services Committee’s Personnel Subcommittee

Senator Scott in Gilchrist

Thursday night, Senator Scott spoke at the annual Gathering in Gilchrist hosted by the Gilchrist County Sheriff’s Office. 

—

Senator Scott’s Team in Fort Myers Beach

After Hurricane Ian, Senator Scott’s team learned that Fort Myers Beach residents were left without mail service and immediately began the work to install a temporary facility. This effort include collaboration with local, state and federal partners to ensure service was restored as quickly as possible. This week, Senator Scott’s team visited the temporary mail facility in Fort Myers Beach to continue its efforts of ensuring a swift recovery and return of service for these Floridians.   

—

Senator Scott’s Team in St. Petersburg

Additionally, Senator Scott’s toured the United States Coast Guard Office in St. Petersburg.

 —

Senator Scott’s Team in Orlando

Another event Senator Scott’s team attended was the Homes For Our Troops Community Kickoff.

 —

Senator Scott’s Team in Palm Beach County

Senator Scott’s team also attended the Palm Beach Delegation Firefighter demonstration.

—