Dear Fellow Floridian,

Earlier this week, USA Today asked the same question millions of American families are asking this week, ‘Why is Thanksgiving so expensive?’ As Thanksgiving preparations begin, I’m not only hearing from families about how expensive the meal is this year, but how worried they are about making it through the holiday season.

Inflation is up 17.6% since Joe Biden took office – a double-digit rise in prices for families that’s costing the average American $953 MORE PER MONTH and Floridians $1,078 MORE PER MONTH. Growing up, my family lived in public housing, and I watched my parents struggle to put food on the table, especially when my adopted-dad lost his job.

The holidays were always hard on my parents to make ends meet, and my mom took on odd jobs just to barely get by. Unfortunately, today, this is a reality for too many Floridians who have been struggling all year because of Biden’s reckless tax-and-spend agenda.

The White House may think their inflation crisis is cooling, but ask a small business owner, or someone like my mom growing up, if they are better off today because of this failed Bidenomics agenda. They aren’t. It is time to demand fiscal sanity and get our country back on track, and I won’t stop fighting until we get the job done.

Sincerely,

Rick Scott

United States Senator

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Sen. Rick Scott Stands in Support of Pro-Israel March

Ahead of the Jewish Federation of North America’s Pro-Israel Rally in Washington, D.C., Senator Rick Scott released the following statement standing in solidarity with Israel and those supporting our Jewish neighbors and communities today. The atrocities committed by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists during their October 7th attack, and their ongoing war in Israel, has killed more than 1,400 innocent people, including at least 33 Americans, while taking hundreds of Israelis hostage, including several Americans. Senator Scott is demanding the Biden administration bring American hostages home and has been a leading supporter of Israel defending itself and destroying Hamas.  

Senator Rick Scott said, “Today, I join in solidarity with Israel, the Jewish community and all of the individuals who are making their voices heard through a peaceful march in Washington. We stand united with a simple but important message: the United States must ALWAYS stand with our great ally Israel and with Jewish Americans. Israel is fighting against Iran-backed Hamas terrorists for its very existence and Jewish Americans are facing unprecedented anti-Semitic attacks. Now is not the time to be silent. Iran-backed Hamas terrorists have murdered thousands with the intention of destroying Israel and the Jewish people. Hamas terrorists have beheaded babies, burned them alive, raped and murdered young women. These terrorists are STILL holding hundreds of people hostage, including a 3-year-old American child and other American citizens. I’ve talked to so many families of these hostages, and the heartbreak and agony they’ve been through is unthinkable. The United States MUST stand against this evil, get these Americans and hostages home and make clear to Iran, Russia, Cuba, Communist China and all evil regimes who hate our way of life that the U.S. will ALWAYS stand against terrorism.”

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott: Biden Can’t Repeat Schumer’s Failure to Pressure Xi

Ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting this week with Xi Jinping, the genocidal dictator of Communist China, Senator Rick Scott released the below statement detailing his expectations for this meeting. Earlier this year, Senator Scott set the same expectations ahead of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s visit to Communist China, where he utterly failed to hold Xi’s oppressive, communist government accountable. Since being elected to the U.S. Senate, Senator Scott has introduced dozens of bills to punish Communist China for its increased military aggression, continued cyberattacks on both private companies and U.S. government agencies, unfair trade practices and stealing of data and intellectual property from American citizens and businesses. 

Senator Rick Scott said, “After months of Biden official after Biden official journeying to Communist China on American taxpayers’ dime to kiss Xi’s ring and play nice with America’s enemy, it’s now President Biden’s turn to embarrass the U.S. here at home. Joe Biden’s weakness on Communist China is inexcusable. He has refused to hold the murderous and genocidal communist Chinese government accountable for its cover-up of COVID-19. He’s done nothing to punish Xi for his genocide of millions of Uyghur Muslims and the forced labor and child slavery he subject them to. It has been one act of disgusting appeasement after the other. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Xi gave Biden an award for all he’s done to help Communist China. He signed the Democrat-led, pro-Communist China ‘CHIPS Bill’ which allowed semiconductor manufacturers like Intel to maintain MASSIVE operations in Communist China. Worse still, Biden VETOED my bill to reverse his rule that allowed Chinese solar companies, many of which are using child and slave labor, to circumvent U.S. trade laws. Communist China has chosen to be America’s enemy and NOTHING Joe Biden says is going to change that. But, since he is rolling out the red carpet for Xi in California after Schumer’s failed visit, here are the things he must demand answers on if he wants to actually stand up for America’s interests:

• Communist China’s role in the deadly fentanyl crisis that has taken more than 70,000 American lives over the last year;
• Xi’s disgusting cover-up of the COVID pandemic and the lab leak that caused devastation to the U.S. economy and the loss of millions of American lives;
• The massive and continuous IP theft, corporate espionage, and flow of counterfeit and illicit goods supported by Xi’s regime that have caused immeasurable damage to U.S. businesses;
• Communist China’s efforts to undermine the security of the United States by luring our neighbors using the Belt and Road Initiative to deny the U.S. access to resources, technology and strategic regions in the Western Hemisphere;
• The harm caused by Communist China’s international treaty violations, trade manipulation and illegal dumping, use of slave labor in solar panel production and attacks on the sovereignty of Taiwan and the Philippines with military operations in the Taiwan Strait and West Philippine Sea;
• Communist China’s blatant espionage and spy operations conducted through its spy balloon, spy base in Cuba and illegal police substations in American cities, including New York City;
• The horrific human rights abuses being committed by Xi’s evil and murderous regime, including the imprisonment of 1 MILLION Uyghurs who are subjected to slave labor, involuntary organ harvesting, sterilization and torture that often results in death; and
• Hold the Communist Party of China accountable for their despicable destruction of Hong Kong’s freedom, autonomy and rule of law—specifically the sham conviction of pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.”

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott on CPI Report: Nobody is Thankful for Biden’s Inflation

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. October’s CPI data shows that there has been a significant rise in inflation during Biden’s presidency, with CPI increasing 3.2% over the year in October 2023. Since Biden took office, inflation is up 17.6%.

 Senator Rick Scott said, “Yesterday, USA Today asked the same question millions of American families are asking this week, ‘Why is Thanksgiving so expensive?’ As Thanksgiving preparations begin, I’m not only hearing from families about how expensive the meal is this year, but how worried they are about making it through the holiday season. Inflation is up 17.6% since Joe Biden took office – a double-digit rise in prices for families in my state and all across America. Growing up, my family lived in public housing and I watched my parents struggle to put food on the table. I can’t imagine how my mom would have been able to put a Thanksgiving meal on the table if she was fighting Biden’s raging inflation. It makes me furious to know that too many families are facing that hardship right now and having to choose between a Thanksgiving dinner or making ends meet this month. The only way to beat back this raging inflation is to bring fiscal sanity back to Washington and I won’t stop fighting until we stop the wasteful spending and get that done.”

Read more HERE. 

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Sen. Rick Scott Joins Sen. Ted Budd in Leading Majority of Senate GOP to Demand that DOD Rescind Abortion Travel Policy

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) in leading a group of 26 U.S. Senators in sending a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin denouncing the department’s policy of paying the travel expenses of those servicemembers and dependents seeking abortions. The letter also stresses that “our men and women in uniform deserve Senate-confirmed leadership, but the current situation began with your original sin of promulgating the Policy.” The letter concludes by calling on Secretary Austin to, “Do the right thing. Rescind the Policy now.”

Read the full letter HERE. Read more HERE. 

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Sen. Rick Scott on PPI Inflation Report: Americans are Struggling Thanks to Bidenomics

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 over the year. Since Joe Biden became president, PPI has risen 18.0%.

Senator Rick Scott said, “I grew up in public housing and watched my parents struggle to provide for me and my siblings. The holidays were always hard on my parents to make ends meet and my mom took on odd jobs just to barely get by. Unfortunately today, this is a reality for too many families and small businesses alike that have been struggling all year because of Biden’s reckless tax-and-spend agenda. I am going to continue to fight like hell to make sure we don’t have Washington’s annual inflation-bomb Christmas omnibus because it’s bad for you and bad for America. These massive omnibus spending bills are nothing but wasteful, unaccountable spending sprees of your taxpayer money that allow trillions in more debt and further fuel Biden’s already raging inflation crisis. If you ever wonder how inflation has skyrocketed nearly 18% since Biden took office, this is the answer.

“Republicans in the Senate need to stand with our colleagues in the House as they force the return of fiscal sanity in Washington by passing spending bills that get us on the path to a balanced budget. The White House may think their inflation crisis is cooling, but go ask a small business owner, or someone like my mom growing up, if they are better off today because of this failed Bidenomics agenda. They aren’t. It is time to demand fiscal sanity and get our country back on track.”

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott Secures Big Win for American Retirement Security with Federal Retirement Board Decision to End Investment in CCP-Tainted Index Funds

Following continuous calls for the Federal Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) to divest from companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Senator Rick Scott applauded the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board for finally announcing today its decision to halt the investment of federal employees’ pension dollars in Communist China and Hong Kong. The decision will remove CCP-run entities in China and Hong Kong from the TSP International “I” Fund and change the index the fund uses to a more expansive index without China. Senator Scott has been adamant about the need to better investigate and understand the risks presented by the volatile and opaque financial environment fostered by Communist China and pushed the federal government to mitigate the threats CCP-controlled companies pose to American investors, families, the economy and national security. He has cosponsored the Taxpayer and Savings Protection (TSP) Act in the 116^th, 117^th and 118^th Congress which aimed to accomplish this goal and stop the investment of federal pension dollars in CCP-run entities.

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the TSP is a defined contribution retirement savings and investment plan that offers federal employees the same type of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees under 401(k) plans. By participating in the TSP, Federal employees and uniformed service members can save part of their income for retirement, receive matching agency contributions, and reduce their current taxes.

Senator Rick Scott said, “After years of slow-walking, the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board finally listened to calls from me, Senator Rubio and Representative Michael Waltz and made a good decision to protect the hard-earned retirement dollars of our service members and federal employees from being invested in Communist China and Hong Kong. America’s federal workers have been recklessly and needlessly exposed to the risks posed by Communist China’s unaccountable and belligerent puppet companies. We are fighting to end that and today’s news from Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is a step in the right direction. What the Board must do next is finish the job and remove companies controlled by Communist China from the Mutual Fund Window. Retirement accounts still have exposure in that space and we need to eliminate it ASAP to protect retirements and stop funneling your money to the CCP. The private sector should take note and make similar choices to leave Communist China, and sadly Hong Kong too, due to the lack of rule of law and national security risk. The investor risk is too high to stay. More work needs to be done to fully protect all federal retirement dollars, and I won’t stop fighting to pass my bill package to protect your retirement.”

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott Joins Sen. Mike Rounds in Leading Colleagues Urging Biden to Tackle Fentanyl Crisis During Meeting with Xi

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) in leading his colleagues in a bipartisan letter to President Joe Biden ahead of his meeting with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In their letter, the senators focus on the devastating impact of fentanyl in the United States and the PRC’s role in the fentanyl supply chain. The letter calls on President Biden to urge President Xi to do more to stop the flow of precursor chemicals that are sent from the PRC to Mexico. These chemicals are used to manufacture deadly drugs, which are then trafficked across our southern border. From 2020 to 2021, the number of primarily fentanyl-related deaths in the United States increased by 24.1 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the full letter HERE. Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott Urges Biden to Reexamine U.S.-Colombian Relationship Under Petro Admin

Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to direct a reexamination of U.S. relations with Colombia following Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s hostile and anti-Semitic statements after the brutal attacks on Israel by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists. The October 7^th attacks by Hamas terrorists killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, including at least 33 Americans, and caused an ongoing hostage crisis of Israeli and American citizens held by Hamas in Gaza. In his letter, Senator Scott also notes Petro’s concerning actions to restore diplomatic relations with the illegitimate Maduro regime in Venezuela, which has a track record of befriending and hosting the U.S.’s major adversaries: Cuba, Russia, Communist China, and Iranian proxies. As the United States faces threats from these dangerous regimes, Senator Scott believes that Colombia and all other allies must understand that it is unacceptable for friends of the U.S. to be allies of the terrorists and evil regimes that wish to destroy the American way of life.

Read the full letter HERE. Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ. 

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Sen. Rick Scott Demands Accountability at FDIC Following Allegations of Sexual Harassment, Toxic Workplace

Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Martin Gruenberg, Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), demanding answers into the alleged harassment and discrimination that went unpunished under his leadership. According to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal, the FDIC fostered a toxic workplace that perpetuated sexual harassment, misogyny, and other unacceptable misconduct. Reporting from the Wall Street Journal indicates that the employees who perpetrated this alleged behavior were rarely fired for their actions, further implying the existence of a longstanding pattern of employees creating an unsafe work environment and a failure of the FDIC to take appropriate action.

Read the full letter HERE. Read more HERE. 

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Sen. Rick Scott Joins Sen. Ted Budd & 45 Senators to Demand Answers Over Biden Administration’s Unprecedented Pause of Firearms Export Licenses

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) in leading a group of 45 U.S. Senators in a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo raising questions over the decision announced last month by the Bureau of Industry and Security to pause for 90 days the issuance of export licenses for firearms, ammunition, and certain accessories to most overseas markets. This unprecedented move is the latest. chapter in the Biden administration’s hostility towards America’s firearms industry.

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Scott Celebrates National Adoption Day & Recognizes November as National Adoption Month

Senator Rick Scott released the below video ahead of National Adoption Day which takes place tomorrow, November 18^th. He also joined a bipartisan group of his Senate colleagues to pass a resolution this week marking November as National Adoption Month. This resolution seeks to increase support for adoptive families and raise awareness about adoption, recognize that every child should have a permanent and loving family, and encourage the people of the United States to consider adoption during the month of November and throughout the year. 

Read more HERE.

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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 Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releasing Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers for October, which showed inflation continued to rise over the year. Since Joe Biden became president, CPI has risen 17.6% and PPI has risen 18.0%.

Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ. 

Fox News: Israel-Hamas war: Senator Rick Scott posts eerie video of mailboxes in massacred kibbutz

Axios: Senators propose China disclosure rule for private equity

Reuters: US lawmakers unveil bill requiring private equity firms to reveal China investment

Florida Daily: Florida’s Senators, Mike Waltz Team Up on the Sturgeon Conservation and Sustainability Act

Florida Daily: Rick Scott, Bob Casey Want More Transparency to Reveal U.S. Firms Investing in China, Russia

Tampa Free Press: Florida Sen. Scott Backs Alabama Sen. Tuberville, Telling Pentagon To “Do The Right Thing”

The Floridian: Scott Says US Must be ‘Realistic’ with China, Xi Jinping

The Floridian: Scott Pressures Biden to Address Fentanyl Crisis During President Xi’s Visit to U.S.

Senator Scott’s Team in Ave Maria

Senator Scott’s team was honored to attend the Veteran Memorial Dedication with Congressman Diaz-Balart.

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Senator Scott’s Team in Winter Park

Senator Scott’s team also attended the Lifeboat Project’s Yacht Rock Night Gala, which aims to fight human trafficking in Central Florida.

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Senator Scott’s Team in Mascotte

 Additionally, Senator Scott’s team attended the Find, Feed, and Restore groundbreaking. 

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Senator Scott’s Team in Orlando

Another event Senator Scott’s team attended was the Florida A&M University College of Law Address.