Fighting for Floridians this week, Marco worked in the Senate toward solutions to our $14 trillion debt crisis and $1.6 trillion budget deficit. Early in the week, he spoke out forcefully against short-term “quick fixes” to the spending bills, and insisted that Congress finally pass a long-term budget plan, something they have refused to do for over a year. See below for more details on these and other issues facing Florida.
Marco Rubio Votes Against The Short-Term Budget Plan
On Thursday, the Senate voted on yet another short-term budget plan to fund the government for another three weeks. But long before Thursday’s vote, Marco came out against this piecemeal approach and insisted that Congress pass a budget for the remainder of the year—something Democrats refused to do when they controlled the House, Senate and White House. Click here to read Marco’s op-ed that ran in RedState, “No More Budget Games.” and see below for Marco’s video response:
Marco’s refusal to be a part of the Senate’s “absurd political theatre” caught the attention of his colleagues and many conservative leaders. On Sean Hannity’s radio show, Marco noted that by skirting our budget and debt issues, we’re hurting our own economy’s recovery and ability to create jobs. Check out the links below for more audio/video clips of Marco this week:
Focus On Cutting Spending…
In a sign of how important the debt crisis is, Marco voted on Monday against proceeding with any legislation that does not seriously address the $14 trillion debt and our government’s over-spending problem. “Until the Senate gets serious about this problem, I will continue standing with my colleagues and blocking any new legislation that fails to directly address this crisis in a meaningful way,” Marco said. Click here to read the full statement.
Keeping with that sentiment, Marco offered two amendments this week aimed at reining in out-of-control Environmental Protection Agency regulations and reducing government spending. Click here for the amendment details, and see below for an excerpt of Marco’s remarks:
“Last year, when they were in charge, the Democrat leadership refused to pass a budget. Now our government is operating on temporary proposals and we face a serious debt crisis. Yet we still have no serious plan from the Senate Democrat leadership. And the President is completely missing in action,” said Senator Rubio. “It is time to stop funding excessive regulations that will put Floridians out of work. And our government needs to stop spending money it does not have.”
Marco & Sen. John McCain Propose The “Debt Buy Down Act”
On Tuesday, Marco, along with Senate colleague John McCain (R-Ariz.), introduced the Debt Buy-Down Act of 2011. This bill would require the IRS to include a check-off box on tax forms that would give taxpayers the opportunity to designate up to 10 percent of their tax liability be used to pay down the debt. The bill doesn’t ask citizens to give up a portion of their return, rather it simply designates a portion of their taxes be used for this specific purpose. This legislation gives you the power to confront the debt crisis yourself—an innovative solution that empowers the taxpayer to deal with issues that Washington politicians won’t address.
In 2010, Marco proposed this very idea in his “12 Simple Ways To Cut Spending In Washington.” Marco is committed to making his “Ideas To Reclaim America” a reality, and this is yet another step in that direction.
Senators Call On President Obama To Demonstrate Leadership
Marco, along with 22 other Republicans on Wednesday, called on President Obama to be more engaged in the major, generational issues being debated in Congress right now. The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.), notes that mandatory spending programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are expected to double over the next 10 years. “In order to ensure the long-term viability of these programs, it is imperative that you lead a bipartisan effort to address these challenges,” the Senators wrote to President Obama.
Marco Presses Obama Administration For Libya Stance
During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing yesterday, Marco questioned William Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs at the State Department, about the Administration’s position on the events taking place in Libya. Check out this video of the back-and-forth, and see below for an excerpt of the exchange:
“The United States, quite frankly, looks weak in this endeavor, it looks unwilling to act,” [Rubio] said at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Thursday, highlighting that Britain, France, the Arab League, and the Libyan opposition are all calling on the United States to support stronger measures to stop Libyan leader Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi’s assault on rebels and civilians.
“The president has specifically said that Qaddafi must go but has done nothing since then except for having general debates about it for a week and a half or two,” Rubio said. “Congressional leadership has strongly called for a no-fly zone and nothing has happened.” |