Foreign investment is one of the legal means that adversaries, like China, can use to collect Americans’ data, exasperating both privacy and national security risks. To counter this, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) reintroduced the...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined Special Report with Bret Baier to discuss the impending government shutdown, the possibility of a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal, and the indictment of Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ). See below for highlights and watch the full...
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced three additions to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. These are the first additions by the Biden Administration since June. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), author of the bipartisan...
Congress should think before it regulates AI U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) September 26, 2023 Washington Times To prevent next-generation computer programs from wreaking havoc on American society, [some members of Congress want] to enact comprehensive regulation at...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined The Aaron Renn Show to discuss Rubio’s Labor Day report on working (and non-working) men. See below for highlights and listen to the full interview here. On protecting American jobs and interests: “We made a series of economic...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) debated Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) on China, global leadership, and environmental policy at an event hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Senate Project at George Washington University. “We have to shape a future that recognizes...
Washington, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today approved S. 2140, legislation which would fix outdated laws to allow for more advancement in the commercial spaceflight industry. The legislation, introduced by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Tom Udall (D-NM) last month, changes current laws that are slowing development and progress for the reusable launch vehicle industry to ensure space companies can continue to test and innovate their vehicles.
The bill would allow a commercial space launch company to take a licensed vehicle out of commercial service and use it as an experimental platform for safety and performance improvements when needed, and allow one or more vehicles of the same design to be used for test flights under a permit, while other vehicles of the same design are used in commercial operations under a license.
“Today’s vote reaffirms that encouraging innovation is key to America achieving its potential in the 21st century,” said Senator Rubio. “Innovative industries like commercial spaceflight are advancing rapidly, and we can’t allow outdated laws to stifle progress. Unfortunately that’s exactly what’s happening.
“These laws did not anticipate what commercial companies are now doing with vehicle testing and commercial spaceflights, and therefore have caused progress to slow,” added Rubio. “That’s why we need this bill to help update and streamline federal laws so they are more in line with today’s commercial spaceflight operations and can allow for this cutting edge industry to thrive. Removing outdated, burdensome federal laws will not only allow for further advancement in commercial spaceflights, but also encourage more innovation, job creation, and economic growth.”
“This legislation addresses a technical issue that will help the commercial spaceflight industry develop and deploy reusable space vehicles quickly and safely,” said Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides. “We are grateful for the leadership of Senator Rubio in sponsoring this important bill.”
A PDF of the legislation is available here.