President Biden’s Misguided Policy toward the Houthis Hurts Americans U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) June 27, 2024 National Review …Two weeks into his presidency, President Biden removed the Houthis from the foreign terrorist organization list…. [He] also ended...
News
Latest News
ICYMI: Rubio on Illegal Migrants Tied to ISIS
According to reports, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified more than 400 illegal migrants who came across U.S. borders as part of an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has been warning about this...
Rubio, Florida Colleagues Urge NOAA to Prepare for Coral Health Emergency
Last summer, corals in the Florida Reef Tract came under severe heat stress and experienced coral bleaching. Anomalous ocean temperatures may cause similar impacts this summer. The federal government has the authority to respond under emergency provisions of the Coral...
Rubio on State Department’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report
Each year, the U.S. Department of State releases its Trafficking in Persons Report. This report assesses countries in their efforts to counter human trafficking and identifies the most successful strategies for reducing the widespread evil of modern day slavery. U.S....
Rubio, Scott Commemorate 3rd Anniversary of Tragic Surfside Building Collapse
June 24, 2024 marks the 3rd anniversary of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, Florida. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced a resolution recognizing the fallen victims and the bravery of the first responders. “Today, we honor...
Next Week: Rubio Staff Hosts Mobile Office Hours
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...
Rubio Requests Information from Puerto Rico Governor on Island’s Cash Balances
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) today requested Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló provide additional information regarding the island’s current cash balances. According to Rubio, “this critical information will aid [his] efforts already underway to secure additional relief for Puerto Rico in the upcoming disaster supplemental appropriations bill.”
The full text of the letter is below:
Dear Governor Rosselló:
As the Senate continues to work towards a disaster supplemental that seeks to address the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria, I write to respectfully request additional information regarding the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s current cash balances. This is needed in light of recent correspondence from federal agencies regarding access to the Community Disaster Loan (CDL) program, which the Congress appropriated nearly $5 million this past October.
On January 9, 2018, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Department of Treasury sent your administration a letter stating that the federal government would not be disbursing any CDL program funding to the Commonwealth until a “Cash Balance Policy level is reached.” The impetus of this decision appears to be based on the agencies’ conclusion that Puerto Rico’s central cash balance is sufficient to sustain the Commonwealth’s operating expenses. According to the letter, Puerto Rico’s central cash balance has “consistently exceeded $1.5 billion in the months following the hurricanes.” In addition, the agencies specifically note $6.875 billion in unrestricted and restricted cash on deposit in more than 800 Puerto Rico government owned accounts.
It has come to my attention that your administration disputes these determinations, and is urging the federal government to finalize an agreement to provide the Puerto Rico central government with CDL program funding. You and I have discussed Puerto Rico’s liquidity crisis, among other needs, on multiple occasions following Hurricane Maria, and I remain concerned with the implications of the central government not having access to these CDL loans. For this reason, I respectfully request you provide my office with additional information that would be helpful in addressing concerns from my colleagues in the Congress. This critical information will aid my efforts already underway to secure additional relief for Puerto Rico in the upcoming disaster supplemental appropriations bill.
Sincerely,