This upcoming Sunday, the people of Venezuela will hold an election that, if legitimate, would put an end to years of the oppressive Maduro narco-regime. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued a statement in support of the Venezuelan people: “The...
Este próximo domingo, el pueblo venezolano tendrá una elección que, de ser legítima, pondría fin a años de opresión por parte del narco-régimen de Maduro. El senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL) grabó un mensaje de video en español y emitió una declaración en...
Twenty-three years ago, the United States was attacked by Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001. Now, Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in a U.S. court for his role in the attack, has requested the U.S. Department of Justice to allow a prisoner transfer...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host virtual 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...
As the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opens up new facilities, many veterans are losing access to the VA’s Community Care Program and, consequently, their long-term healthcare providers. Veterans throughout the country have reported a loss of care, including...
The U.S.-India partnership is vital to countering influences from Communist China. In order to strengthen this partnership, it is essential to enhance our strategic diplomatic, economic, and military relationship with New Delhi. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)...
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined the Hugh Hewitt Show to discuss the prospect of a Biden Administration and the confirmation of federal judges. See below for highlights and listen to the full interview here.
On potential Biden nominees:
“Here’s the bottom line. Joe Biden is going to nominate people to positions if he takes office. He’ll nominate people to positions that, frankly, I would never nominate if I were president, and I wouldn’t support if I had my choice. But I do believe presidents do deserve some deference in who they nominate. Now, there are obviously things that could be disqualifying. And so let me just say I’m not going to make broad pronouncements about someone like Susan Rice, who I’ve had limited interaction with… but I want to know more about what it is she intends to do as Secretary of State on some key issues around the world and so forth, and look at her record.
“There are others that I can tell you, frankly, with no disrespect to them on a personal level, but I could never support. And I don’t dislike Bernie Sanders, by the way. I mean, I actually think, I admire the fact that he’s pretty honest and transparent that he’s a socialist and has been so for a long time, although I strongly disagree with what he stands for. But I would never want to see him as Secretary of Labor. I’ve actually done bills with Elizabeth Warren on things that are good for the country that we agree on, but I’d never want to see her running Treasury or anything of that nature. So there are people I can tell you right now I would never support.”
On the future Senate’s handling of Biden nominees:
“I do think that given what’s occurred in the Senate over the last four years under President Trump, there’ll be a lot less deference given to presidential appointments, because there was zero deference given to President Trump’s appointments. And one of the funny things to see is when President Trump dismisses someone who was confirmed by the Senate, but Democrats voted against, suddenly they become a hero of the Democratic Party. But when they were nominated, they were the worst person on Earth if you heard them in what they said about them.
“So look, there’s no way that Biden nominations are going to be treated like they’ve traditionally have been treated under previous presidents simply because the atmosphere in the Senate has changed, and frankly, because of the way the Democrats have just been so unfair during the Trump years on some of these nominees that they simply oppose them because the President is for them. I almost joked that the President should say I don’t want this person confirmed, nominate them and then say he’s against them so that they would support him. I mean, that’s how ridiculous it became.”
On the confirmation of federal judges under a Biden Administration:
“Yeah, first of all, I would tell you point blank that given the blue slip issue, there is no way that any Democratic administration is going to appoint judges in Florida that we don’t agree with. So it’s just as simple as that, and we’ll have to be part of that process. And we’ve got a good process for that, and we’ve had great judges. And we had great judges, many good people that came onto the bench while Obama was president. So there’s a way to do that. As for California, they’re harming their own state at the end of the day. It’s the federal courts there that are being backlogged by these unfilled vacancies. In Florida, I believe we are going to be left with just one vacancy, and it’s not even a vacancy. It’s a judge who’s announced that he intends to retire once his replacement is confirmed by the Senate. So we’re in good shape in Florida. They’re in terrible shape out west, and they’ll have their senators to blame for it.”