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. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio today introduced a comprehensive bill to hasten the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, offer support for genuinely democratic and inclusive opposition groups, and provide economic incentives to create a prosperous future in a post-Assad Syria.
“President Obama has said Assad’s departure is imminent, ever since he first called for his departure last August. Almost six months later, Assad remains in power,” said Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The answer does not lie with the UN Security Council, where Russia and China wait with a veto. Unless we continue to increase pressure on his regime and plan effectively for a post-Assad Syria, we run the risk of violence and instability getting even more out of control, both in Syria and the region.”
The Syria Democracy Transition Act of 2012 would apply crippling sanctions to Syria’s Central Bank, petroleum and shipping industries, going straight at the oil revenue, arms deals, and other support that continues to prop up Assad’s moribund regime. Additionally, the bill would create a $50 million Syrian Stabilization Fund (from existing State Department appropriations) to monitor and dispose of unconventional weapons threatening U.S. troops and our allies in the region, and to provide vital assistance to opposition groups working towards an inclusive and democratic future in Syria. The bill would also open the door to a range of economic incentives for Syria, including an Enterprise Fund closely modeled on the Eastern European models that would help kick start the private sector once a genuinely democratic post-Assad transition is underway.
“We need to reassert our leadership role in the region,” added Rubio. “Once the Administration certifies a legitimate transitional authority, our assistance will prove vital to preparing the Syrian people for the difficult yet ultimately rewarding path to true representational democracy.”
The text of the legislation is available here.