Following Hurricane Milton’s catastrophic landfall, Governor Ron DeSantis has requested an Expedited Major Disaster Declaration to support Florida's response and recovery efforts. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL), and members...
Following Hurricane Milton’s catastrophic landfall in Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined the U.S. Coast Guard to survey impacted areas across the State. Photos are courtesy of Senator Rubio’s office. Senator Rubio joins the U.S. Coast Guard for a flyover...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person Mobile Office Hours next week to assist constituents with federal casework issues in their respective local communities. These office hours offer constituents who do not live close to one of Senator Rubio’s...
Major Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida, bringing with it devastating storm surge, winds, and inland flooding. The Seminole Tribe of Florida should have access to the federal resources required for emergency response and recovery preparations on...
Major Hurricane Milton is forecasted to potentially hinder or obstruct the Port of Tampa Bay, which receives more than 40 percent of Florida’s petroleum products. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite all requested measures to protect Florida’s economy...
Major Hurricane Milton is forecasted to impact Florida with devastating storm surge, winds, and inland flooding. After just being hit by Hurricane Helene, it’s crucial for the State of Florida to have the support of the federal government. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio...
Washington, D.C. – Earlier today, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined several of his Senate Republican colleagues at a press conference regarding the catastrophic implications of automatic defense cuts enacted in The Budget Control Act. Rubio delivered the following remarks:
“I think much of it has been covered and I know you’re anxious to get to your questions and to Lindsey Graham, so I’ll be to the point. The good news is that I can’t find anyone around here who actually thinks this is a good idea. Everybody agrees that this would be catastrophic. The bad news is that we can’t find enough people around here who want to do anything about it right away.
“This is not something to play with. You don’t play a game of chicken with our national defense, especially when it comes to the United States. The military power of the United States has made the world a better and safer place. History has proven that the stronger the U.S. military is, the more peaceful the world becomes.
“One of the reasons why some of our more crazy adversaries around the planet measure themselves before they do things is they realize what it would mean in terms of our response. If we undermine that, if we weaken that, we are encouraging bad actors all across the world to think about doing things they wouldn’t otherwise think about doing.
“Our national defense has implications not just for Americans, but for the world. We’re not the Netherlands. We’re not Switzerland. We’re not some small country. We have significant global obligations that have implications for people beyond our borders. But in our own borders, the federal government has a direct and distinct obligation to provide for the national security of our people. It is our number one obligation as a federal government: to protect our country. And to do this sort of measure, to even consider it is, I think is ridiculous.
“The good news, as I said, is that no one around here thinks this is a good idea or that it’s sustainable, but the bad news is there seems to be no sense of urgency to address it beyond some of the people you see on the stage here today. I hope we’ll address this issue quickly. There are a lot of other things we can debate about. There are a lot of other issues we can disagree on. There are plenty of other issues we can have political wrangling over. Our national security should not be one of them.”
Watch Senator Rubio deliver today’s remarks here. For television stations interested in airing today’s response, a broadcast quality video is also available here.