US Senator Rick Scott’s Week in Review 03/01/24

Mar 2 2024

US Senator Rick Scott’s Week in Review 03/01/24

Dear Fellow Floridian,

For much of the start of this week, it seemed like Congress was barreling toward a government shutdown or another massive, last-minute omnibus spending bill. I share in Florida families’ frustrations and continue to fight to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Like I wrote in my op-ed earlier this week, I don’t know anyone that wants to see the government shutdown. That’s why I’ve been calling on leadership to put America first and pass a budget on time. That’s what our constituents deserve and what Chuck Schumer has failed to provide while also neglecting to address skyrocketing inflation that Washington’s reckless spending has created or secure the border to stop the invasion of illegal immigrants that Joe Biden has allowed.

I have been very clear and have long believed that we need new leadership in the Senate that represents our voters and the issues we were sent here to fight for. That’s why I challenged McConnell for his position as Senate Republican Leader in 2022. On Wednesday, we learned that McConnell is finally stepping down as Leader which means that Senate Republicans will now have an opportunity to refocus our efforts on solving the significant challenges facing our country and actually reflect the aspirations of voters.

The bottom line is this: I promised Florida families in 2018 that I would fight every single day to Make Washington Work for YOU…and I won’t stop until that happens.

Read more HERE.

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Sens. Rick Scott & Sherrod Brown Demand Administration Close “De Minimis” Trade Loophole that Undermines American Manufacturers

Senators Rick Scott and Sherrod Brown penned a bipartisan letter urging the Biden administration to take executive action to close a key loophole that foreign competitors like China exploit to avoid paying duties and fees to unfairly compete with American businesses, known as the “de minimis” rule.

Right now, packages under $800 in valuation are exempted from U.S. duties, taxes and fees, and are allowed to enter the country with little or no inspections. The number of packages using this loophole to avoid duties has soared recently to more than three million packages per day, and urgent action is needed to prevent unfair competition and exploitation of U.S. manufacturers. Foreign competitors will often split large shipments into many small packages to cheat the rules and evade the duties they owe, gaining an unfair competitive advantage. These shipments often include counterfeit items and items made with slave labor. Drug traffickers, aware of this glaring loophole, ship deadly drugs – like fentanyl precursor chemicals – in these small packages to evade detection. In a letter, the senators are urging the president to use his executive authorities under the Tariff Act of 1930 to end the abuse of the de minimis loophole.

Read more HERE.

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Sens. Rick Scott & Jim Risch Lead Colleagues in Expressing Concern Over Biden Admin Sanctions in Latin America

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Jim Risch and their colleagues Senators Marco Rubio, Bill Hagerty, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Tim Scott and John Cornyn in sending a letter to President Biden expressing concerns over the administration’s misuse of sanctions authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Read more HERE.

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Sens. Rick Scott & Ted Cruz Introduce Legislation to Ban Central Bank Digital Currencies

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Ted Cruz and their colleagues, Senators Bill Hagerty, Ted Budd and Mike Braun, in filing legislation to halt efforts by the Biden administration to issue a central bank digital currency (CBDC). A CBDC is government-controlled programmable money that, if not designed to emulate cash, could give the federal government not only significant transaction-level data down to the individual user, but also the ability to program the CBDC to choke out politically unpopular activity.

The CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act would prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC directly to anyone, ensuring the Federal Reserve can’t mobilize itself into a retail bank. It would also bar the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC indirectly to individuals through financial institutions or other third parties, as well as prevent the Federal Reserve from using a CBDC as a tool to implement monetary policy and control the economy. Finally, the bill would require authorizing legislation from Congress for the issuance of any CBDC.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Big government has no business spying on Americans to control their personal finances and track their transactions. It is a massive overreach and a non-starter for me. That is why I am proud to join Senator Ted Cruz to introduce the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act to stand up against this invasive practice and keep Big Brother out of your bank account.”

Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott Honors the Life of Cuban Freedom Fighter Oswaldo Payá

Senator Rick Scott released the following message in honor of Oswaldo Payá on his birthday and in support of the brave people of Cuba fighting for freedom and democracy.

Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ.

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Sens. Rick Scott, Tom Cotton & Colleagues to Biden: Rescind Directives Intended to Undermine Israelis

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Tom Cotton and their colleagues, Senators Roger Wicker, Ted Budd, Ted Cruz, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, Katie Britt and Deb Fischer, in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to rescind his February 1 Executive Order and February 8 memo that are intended to undermine Israel.

Read more HERE.

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Sens. Rick Scott, JD Vance & Josh Hawley Raise Concerns Over Medical Supply Shortages & Warns Against U.S. Dependence On China

In a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, Senators Rick Scott, JD Vance and Josh Hawley raised concerns over the state of the domestic supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical medical supplies. The senators also requested detailed information from HHS on its management of medical supply investments, stockpiles, and procurement processes.

The coronavirus pandemic revealed the depth of U.S. dependence on China for the production of medical supplies. President Trump took wide-ranging action to correct this imbalance, including the invocation of the Defense Production Act and the issuance of executive orders. President Biden and his administration have failed to maintain this strategic posture, resulting in idled factories, stalled projects, and laid-off American workers.

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. Since President Biden took office, his so-called “Bidenomics” agenda has caused inflation to skyrocket nearly 18%, hurting the ability of hardworking Florida families to make ends meet. Senator Scott grew up in public housing and knows firsthand how devastating inflation is on low-income families, like his growing up. According to the Senate’s Joint Economic Committee, since Joe Biden took office in January 2021, American households are spending…

49% more on air transportation
39% more on repair of household furniture and appliances
35% more on gasoline and other motor fuels
34% more on eggs
32% more on public transportation
27% more on electricity and gas
27% more on school meals
24% more on poultry, beef, and veal
21% more on food overall
19% more on rent

Additionally, as Congress negotiates government funding, Senator Scott continues to fight for fiscal sanity in Washington and shared the following to highlight the Biden administration’s reckless spending that has put America on the trajectory for fiscal disaster with debt on track to eclipse GDP by 200% by 2052. See more HERE.

Read more HERE. Lea más en español AQUÍ.

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Sen. Rick Scott in Fox News: My Chinese drone ban is a big win for U.S. national security but CCP tech still poses major threats

Senator Rick Scott, a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, wrote an op-ed for Fox News highlighting the importance of his recently passed bipartisan American Security Drone Act and the critical need to continue protecting American families and the U.S. Government from the threats posed by tech controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.