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...
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Rubio, Scott Urge FEMA to Expedite Hurricane Reimbursements
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...
Photos: Rubio Meets With Citrus County Officials and Volunteers, Tours Small Business and Distribution Site Post-hurricane Helene
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic path through northwest Florida, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from Citrus County. Senator Rubio also met with small business owners impacted by the storm. Photos are courtesy of...
Photos: Rubio Meets With Pasco County Officials Post-hurricane Helene
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with first responders, local officials, and volunteers in Pasco County. Photos are courtesy of Senator Rubio’s office. Senator Rubio meets with Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco...
Photos: Rubio Meets With Cedar Key Residents Impacted by Hurricane Helene
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with Cedar Key residents and homeowners who were impacted by Hurricane Helene. Rubio then met with members of the aquaculture industry to discuss the impact multiple hurricanes have had on the industry. Photos are courtesy of...
Photos: Rubio Visits Taylor County Post-Hurricane Helene
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) visited the Taylor County Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and Keaton Beach, an area highly impacted by Hurricane Helene. Photos are courtesy of Senator Rubio’s office. Senator Rubio meets with Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett....
The Bipartisan Budget Deal Demonstrates What’s Wrong with Washington
Each night in America, many parents are having serious discussions after their kids go to bed — and the subjects are usually the same. How will we pay the mortgage? How can we save for our kids’ educations or our own retirement? Will we be able to take a vacation next summer? Why is everything getting more expensive while our take-home pay seems to stay the same?
Unfortunately, Congress has once again wasted an opportunity to address the runaway spending and growing government that add to the pervasive uncertainty many American families and job creators feel about the future. Instead, outdated leaders in both parties have heaped another massive sum of burdensome debt on the shoulders of our people and our free-enterprise economy. Washington’s latest spending deal is awful because it will kill jobs, hurt struggling families, and saddle future generations with trillions of dollars in debt from countries that do not like us — and all for a government we cannot afford.
The deal doesn’t address the long-term drivers of our debt, contains no fundamental reforms to shrink government, and fails to fully fund our military. By suspending the debt limit until March 15, 2017, the deal wastes opportunities to get America’s fiscal house in order. Our $18 trillion debt is too high, and this deal will likely add another $1.5 trillion.
I am also deeply concerned by the Social Security provisions of the agreement. Under the façade of incremental reforms to the disability program, the deal steals $150 billion from Social Security’s retirement account in order to prop up the program for just seven years. We should reform the disability program without relying on budget gimmicks that threaten our retirement security.
The budget deal increases defense spending, but not enough. Providing for the common defense is the first duty of the federal government, and our nation cannot afford to continue weakening our military while threats around the world worsen. Unfortunately, many Republicans also caved to the demands of the Left to increase non-defense spending, which should remain under strict budget caps. The deal is also filled with a slew of budget gimmicks that politicians claim will “reduce the deficit,” but the reality is that much of the alleged savings won’t occur for years — if at all.
This is business as usual for too many Washington politicians in both parties. Some say we don’t have enough bipartisanship in Washington, but in reality, we have an $18 trillion debt that both parties are responsible for. It seems the only thing growing faster than the debt these days is the disconnect between the American people and Washington politicians. Sadly, deals like this have become commonplace in Washington. We have leadership failure at the presidential level and a political establishment that negotiates flawed deals behind closed doors and basically says, “Take it or leave it.” In my nearly five years in the U.S. Senate, Congress has rubberstamped multiple debt-limit increases and short-term budgets without any reforms to stop this reckless behavior.
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