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)...
Interview on “CBS This Morning”
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio
October 22, 2013
VIDEO LINK: http://youtu.be/dmZAYXH1q3w
Senator Marco Rubio: “Well, I think there are those two separate issues that we need to confront. The first is whether ObamaCare should even exist or function. Obviously, I believe it should be repealed and replaced, but that’s a separate issue from the one that I’m raising now with regards to this law that I intend to introduce. What I’m arguing is this: The law says very clearly if at some point next year, you do not have health insurance, you haven’t bought it, the IRS, you’re going to owe them money, a penalty. You talked about it in the package that introduced this segment. The reality of it is it’s unfair to punish people for not purchasing a product that they can’t purchase right now because the technology that’s in place, the website they’re supposed to buy it on – by the President’s own admission – is not working. So, all I’m calling for is a delay on that requirement, until the General Accounting Office of the United States certifies that the website is up and working and functioning and has been functioning for six consecutive months. I think that’s a prudent approach.”
Interview on “FOX & Friends”
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio
October 22, 2013
VIDEO LINK: http://youtu.be/Pax_N-gdYv4
FOX & Friends’ Elisabeth Hasselbeck: “Certainly. You’re offering a solution which you’d put forward next week in front of all, to delay the individual mandate based on the fact that you can’t even log on to the website. Correct?”
Rubio: “Right. So let me explain the situation. I think viewers of your show are probably well aware of it. Next year, everyone will be required to purchase health insurance. If you don’t, you’re going to owe the IRS money. That’s called the individual mandate. One of the ways that that becomes available, according to this brilliant idea called ObamaCare, is to make these exchanges available online. But they’re not working. So how are you going to go after people next year using the IRS to punish them if the thing you’re forcing them to buy isn’t available for them to buy because the website’s not working? You know, Consumer Reports yesterday warned people to stay off the websites until they figure this out. So the law I’m going to introduce basically delays that requirement until the General Accounting Office has certified that it’s been up and running and effectively working for six months consecutive. And I think that’s a prudent approach given the problems that it’s facing by the White House’s own admission.”
…
FOX & Friends’ Steve Doocy: “Senator, what did you make of the President yesterday? They put out in the morning that the President, in the interest of transparency, he’s going to say he’s sorry. As it turns out, he didn’t say he was sorry that the website has stunk up the place. Instead he said he was frustrated, and he was mad, and [for people to] call the phone line instead. Essentially, it was an infomercial.”
Rubio: “Yeah, that’s right. The fact is there is no transparency. They’re not sharing accurate numbers as to how well or not well it’s working, how many people have actually been able to enroll in insurance, and receive it or not. They’re not being transparent, which is just adding more and more doubt to this entire process. They’ve argued now that they’re going to have this ‘tech surge’ and bring all these experts in to fix these websites. They won’t tell us who exactly they’re bringing in and they won’t tell us how much they’re spending on it. What they’re worried about is increased criticism of the law if they actually open it up and show people all the ugly things that are going on in the implementation, but I think it’s proven to be quite counterproductive.”