Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s gulf coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with the Florida Farm Bureau as well as local agricultural producers, farmers, and growers to discuss the storm’s impact. Photos are courtesy of...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from the barrier islands to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery efforts. Photos are courtesy of...
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm, causing catastrophic damage along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite state-requested resources and authorize key policy flexibilities in order for Floridians to make a swift...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host two in-person events to assist constituents affected by Hurricane Helene and help navigate applications for FEMA assistance. Food, water, and additional resources will be available at the events. Event...
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office will host in-person and 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...
Following the impacts of Hurricanes Helene and Debby, some local governments in Florida face looming budget shortfalls that could disrupt disaster recovery efforts. If these local governments receive reimbursements for past hurricanes from the Federal Emergency...
Washington, D.C.– The United States Senate passed legislation that includes an amendment co-authored by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) to empower the U.S. government to ensure investigation of and accountability for war crimes and other mass atrocities committed by the Assad Regime in Syria.
“For over seven years, Bashar al-Assad and his regime have committed horrific war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Syrian people, including women and children,” Senator Rubio said. “As the NDAA heads to conference, America has an opportunity to send a clear message to human rights abusers around the globe. I urge my colleagues to ensure this important provision is included in the final legislation so that those responsible for the repeated use of chemical weapons and other atrocities against the Syrian people are held accountable.”
“The international community must hold Bashar al-Assad accountable for his gross violations of international human rights law, given his role in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians and the displacement of millions more,” Senator Cardin said. “The United States must lead by example in protecting human rights, and these tools will help us better do that. I urge my colleagues in the NDAA conference committee to ensure this amendment is included in the final legislation. We may not be able to undo the devastation Assad has unleashed on his own people, but we can work to hold him accountable and deter others from acting in a similarly monstrous way.”
In June 2017, the Committee passed S. 905, the Syria War Crimes Accountability Act, but it had been delayed on the Senate floor for the last year. The bill was added as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed the Senate on Monday.
The amendment:
Requires the Secretary of State to submit a report on war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Syria to the appropriate congressional committees.