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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement after the Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University jointly released their new Bipartisan Index rankings of members of Congress for 2019. The non-partisan tool measures the degree to which Senators and Representatives work across party lines on legislation. Rubio was ranked in the top 10 among all Senators for bipartisan work.
 
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Lugar Center and Georgetown University as someone who knows how to work across the aisle and get results,” Rubio said. “All too often partisan squabbles dominate headlines, but the real work of legislating, governing, and leading requires building a bipartisan consensus for ideas. My second term in the Senate has been incredibly rewarding, and I am proud of the work that my staff and I have been able to accomplish for Floridians and Americans all across the country.”
 
Earlier this year, Rubio released a report called “Fighting for Florida: Mid-Term Update” detailing his legislative accomplishments in 2019. A non-partisan analysis produced by GovTrack ranked Rubio as the 2nd top leader compared to all Senators. The same analysis found he was the 4th top leader in 2018 and 5th top leader in 2017.
 
New Laws. Rubio wrote nine new laws in 2019, and more are already in the pipeline for 2020. One of those new laws was the Paycheck Protection Program, which has already saved tens of millions of jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. Another was the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, which marked one of the most consequential changes in America’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party in nearly two decades.
 
Constituent Service Award. The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) recognized Rubio’s federal casework team with the 2019 Democracy Award for Excellence in Constituent Services. The team helped nearly 9,000 Floridians with issues ranging from veterans benefits to housing, including 3,700 through mobile office hours — a 428% increase from 2018.
 
Fighting for Florida. Working closely with the Trump Administration, Rubio ensured record federal funding levels for water infrastructure and ecosystem protection projects for the Everglades. He also secured significant funding for timber recovery in Northwest Florida, ensured production of the Coast Guard’s new Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) remains in Panama City, and set the stage for Florida’s seasonal produce industry to finally begin to receive relief from unfair Mexican dumping. 
 
Global Leadership. Over the past year, Rubio met with dozens of senior foreign leaders and traveled to Colombia, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, and the Bahamas. He has also become the de-facto leader on confronting China’s ambition to supplant America and developed what the media dubbed “The Rubio Doctrine” with regard to Venezuela. 
 
A New American Century. In 2019, Rubio laid out two key planks that will be essential to the success of a new American Century: Common-Good Capitalism and American Industrial Policy. Both are built on timeless principles recognizable to any American: the dignity of work, the family as the fundamental institution of society, the importance of strong local communities, and a love for and pride in the greatness of America and its ideals.