Sen. Rick Scott: Schumer’s Filibuster Flip-Flop is a Self-Serving Power Grab

Senator Rick Scott released the below statement following a Dear Colleague letter Senator Chuck Schumer sent to Democrat Senators urging them to vote in favor of ending the filibuster rule. This announcement, which directly contradicts Senator Schumer’s 2017 position while Democrats held the minority, proves that, once again, Senator Schumer’s priority is not protecting democracy, as he claims, but rather increasing Democrat control through a self-serving power grab.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Chuck Schumer cares about one thing: preserving power for Chuck Schumer. The proof can be found in his own contradictory self-serving statements. This week, Senator Schumer wrote a letter to his Democrat Caucus members on why they must fundamentally and irreversibly alter the rules of the United States Senate and destroy the rights of the minority to pass their unpopular and disastrous bills to federalize elections. This is an interesting take given Senator Schumer’s previous position on the filibuster. In 2017, then-Minority Leader Schumer urged Leader McConnell to, ’find a way to build a firewall around the legislative filibuster, which is the most important distinction between the Senate and the House.’ He went on to say, ‘Without the 60-vote threshold for legislation, the Senate becomes a majoritarian institution like the House, much more subject to the winds of short-term electoral change. No Senator would like to see that happen, so let’s find a way to further protect the 60-vote rule for legislation.’ So the question we must ask ourselves is this: What changed, Chuck? The answer, of course, is he is now in the majority and wants to do as he pleases rather than respect the longstanding rights afforded to the minority party. Schumer is only interested in trashing the filibuster now because he fears he will lose power in the next election. That’s no way to lead.

“If the Democrats’ bill was good, it would pass. It’s not. The Democrats’ election takeover bill is an assault on American elections that will fuel fraud, waste billions of taxpayer dollars on funding political campaigns and attack ads and make it nearly impossible to oversee fair elections. Remember that fact the next time Chuck Schumer demands to change the same rules that he spent years fiercely defending when they protected his interests.” Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott: SCOTUS Can Protect Jobs by Ruling Against Biden’s Unconstitutional Mandate

Senator Rick Scott released the below statement as the United States Supreme Court hears oral arguments on President Joe Biden’s overreaching, job-killing vaccine mandate on private businesses. Senator Scott recently joined Senator Mike Braun and 45 of their Senate colleagues in an amicus brief arguing that Congress did not grant the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) the authority to impose such an overreaching mandate and urging the court to block it.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Throughout his campaign and much of his first year in office, Joe Biden, his administration and Democrats in Washington repeatedly promised the American people that they would never impose a vaccine mandate. They lied. It’s another broken promise, just like their broken promise not to raise taxes on hardworking families, and I’ve been fighting against this unconstitutional, job-killing vaccine mandate from the very start.

“Biden and the Democrats’ broken promises have been devastating for American families and our economy at just the moment that we need economic momentum most. This is a fact and the reason why a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate voted last month to strike down this vaccine mandate on private businesses and workers. Just look at today’s jobs report which came in drastically below estimates. Biden is killing American jobs with his socialist agenda and utter stupidity. Sadly, even after this vote and the terrible economic outcomes we’ve seen, many Democrats continue to blindly follow Biden’s misguided lead and just this week blocked my bill to prohibit vaccine mandates for domestic air travel and interstate commerce. Today, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on Biden’s unlawful mandate. It’s clear that we cannot rely on Democrats in Washington to do the right thing and the Court must rule. For the sake of millions of American workers and countless job creators, I hope the Court rules against Biden’s gross federal overreach and definitively strikes down this unconstitutional move that so clearly demonstrates Biden’s failure to lead.” Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott: Joe Biden Must Demand Life-Saving Action for Cuba’s Political Prisoners

Senator Rick Scott wrote to President Joe Biden demanding that he take immediate action to secure humanitarian medical visits for José Daniel Ferrer, a Cuban freedom and human rights activists who has been unjustly imprisoned by the illegitimate communist Cuban regime for nearly six months, and all other political prisoners. Senator Scott is also urging President Biden to work with the international community to secure the immediate release of all political prisoners. Read more HERE.

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Senador Rick Scott: Joe Biden debe exigir acciones para salvar las vidas de los presos políticos en Cuba

El Senador Rick Scott le escribió una carta al Presidente Joe Biden hoy, exigiéndole que tome medidas inmediatas para asegurar las visitas médicas humanitarias de José Daniel Ferrer, el activista cubano por la libertad y los derechos humanos que ha sido encarcelado injustamente por el régimen comunista cubano ilegítimo durante casi seis meses, y todos los demás presos políticos. El Senador Scott también insta al Presidente Biden a trabajar con la comunidad internacional para asegurar la liberación inmediata de todos los presos políticos. Lea más AQUÍ.

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Sen. Rick Scott: International Olympic Committee is Complicit in Communist China’s Human Rights Abuses

Senator Rick Scott released the below statement following reports that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is refusing to meet with members from the Coalition to End Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region, a group of civil society organizations and trade unions united to end state-sponsored forced labor and other egregious human rights abuses against people in Xinjiang. The coalition is asking the IOC to explain what steps it has taken to ensure official Olympic apparel has not been produced with forced labor after the IOC contracted with Anta Sports Products Ltd., a Chinese sportswear giant that uses cotton from Xinjiang, for the 2022 Olympic Games.

Just last year, the IOC released a 42-page report on the state of human rights within the IOC that included a recommendation for the IOC work with trade unions to identify and address human rights risks associated with the Olympic Games.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Why in the world does the IOC have someone in charge of human rights if they refuse to meet with human rights groups? Communist China is committing a genocide, putting Uyghurs into concentration camps and forcing them into slavery to pick cotton. The IOC should be able to definitively answer a simple question: Are Anta’s products, which will be used as the official IOC apparel for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, made with forced labor? If so, the IOC is 100% complicit in General Secretary Xi’s genocide. Over and over, when given the opportunity to stand for human rights, the IOC does nothing but cover-up for the Chinese Communist Party. The IOC has lost all credibility, and every freedom-loving country should do what Thomas Bach won’t. Stand up to General Secretary Xi and punish him for his genocide.” Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott to Newsweek: Reconsider Relationship with Contributor Working for Communist China

Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Newsweek Chief Executive Officer, Dev Pragad, and Global Editor-in-Chief, Nancy Cooper, informing them that one of Newsweek’s Expert Forum contributors, Vipp Jaswal, recently registered as a foreign agent for the Communist Chinese government. Jaswal received a large contract from the Communist Chinese government to promote the 2022 Winter Olympic Games on social media. The games are scheduled to be held in Beijing even while General Secretary Xi is committing genocide in Xinjiang, harassing Taiwan, destroying democracy in Hong Kong and persecuting Tibetans.

In the letter, Senator Scott highlighted Newsweek’s extensive coverage of the human rights abuses of the Chinese Communist Party, and requested that the publication reconsider its relationship with Vipp Jaswal. Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott to HHS: Buy American-Made COVID-19 Tests, Prohibit Tax Dollars for Tests from Communist China

Senator Rick Scott wrote to Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra demanding that the Biden administration prioritize the purchase of American-made COVID-19 test kits and strictly prohibit the purchase of tests made in Communist China which would only benefit the genocidal regime of General Secretary Xi. Senator Scott’s letter comes as HHS prepares to buy 500 million at-home COVID-19 antigen tests. Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott Highlights Wins of 2021; Priorities for 2022

Senator Rick Scott highlighted several legislative wins of the 117th Congress from 2021 and major priorities he will continue to fight for in 2022, including initiatives to make Washington work for American families, protect the United States’ national security from the threats of Communist China and other enemies and fight for freedom and democracy in Latin America and around the world.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Three years ago, I began my term in the U.S. Senate determined to make Washington work better for Florida families and protect the American dream. We’ve rattled Washington and secured some big wins, but there is still work to do to reform the tired, dysfunctional ways of Congress and the federal government. 

“As we begin 2022, I can promise this: I’ll be fighting like hell against Biden and Democrats’ systemic socialism and far-left policies that are destroying our financial security with massive debt, increasing government dependency and killing the American dream. We need to get back to the fundamentals: protecting our national security, building a strong, market-driven economy, ensuring Florida receives the fair treatment, federal support and resources it needs, and standing up for human rights, freedom and democracy around the globe. I’m looking forward to another great year doing a job I love: fighting for Florida families in the United States Senate.” Read more HERE.

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Democrats Block Sen. Rick Scott’s Bill to End Vaccine Mandates for Interstate Commerce After Biden Claims “There is No Federal Solution” to COVID-19

Senator Rick Scott asked for unanimous consent on the Senate floor to pass his Prevent Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandates for Interstate Commerce Act which would protect the privacy of Americans’ personal health information and prohibit the Department of Transportation and other federal agencies from requiring proof of vaccination or the use of a vaccine passport for interstate commerce, including air travel. His request comes after Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested that the U.S. should consider vaccine mandates for domestic flights. Senator Scott’s bill is co-sponsored by Senators Cynthia Lummis, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Roger Marshall, and Representative Dan Crenshaw has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senate Democrats blocked its passage.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Joe Biden said it himself – there is no federal solution. States should be leading the effort to control this pandemic. Providing information about the virus, providing tests, supporting vaccine and therapy developments, and getting the economy back on track should be the only role of the federal government in this pandemic. That’s why I introduced Prevent Unconstitutional Vaccine Mandates for Interstate Commerce Act, and why the U.S. Senate passed a Congressional Review Act measure to invalidate President Biden’s vaccine mandate on a bipartisan basis.

“It is Chinese-style communism for anyone in government to suggest that families and businesses should be required to show a vaccine passport before boarding a plane or carrying goods across state lines. We all can see that these unconstitutional vaccine mandates are JOB KILLERS, and it’s shameful that Democrats want to give the government more power, uphold regulations that are causing prices to rise, and force people to choose between keeping their jobs and getting the vaccine at the very time families and businesses are struggling to keep up with the cost of inflation.” Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott joins Sen. Rubio and Rep. Dunn in Leading Members of Florida Delegation Urging Biden Administration to End Heavy-Handed Allocation System for Life-saving Covid-19 Treatments

Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Marco Rubio and Representative Neal Dunn to lead Republican members of the Florida congressional delegation in writing to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra urging the department to reverse its burdensome allocation for monoclonal antibody drugs (mAbs) and return to a state-based model in which states and local healthcare providers can directly order mAbs from drug manufacturers. Read more from Senator Rubio’s office HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott to USTR: What’s the Plan to Stop Communist China’s Unfair Trade Practices?

Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai requesting information about the Biden administration’s plans to stand up to Communist China’s unfair trade practices and refusal to comply with the Phase 1 trade agreement. This month marks 20 years after Communist China entered the World Trade Organization, a decision which has come at an immense cost to the American economy. Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott Issues Statement Following Loss of Senator Johnny Isakson

Senator Rick Scott issued the following statement on the passing of former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Ann and I are heartbroken by the loss of Senator Johnny Isakson. Johnny spent his life fighting for Georgians and his legacy will live on through the results of his hard work which continue to benefit veterans, students and families across America. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to serve alongside him in the United States Senate. Our hearts and prayers are with his wife, Dianne, and the entire Isakson family.” Read more HERE.