Accomplishments
Delivering Results
Puerto Rico
a strong voice for
Puerto Ricans
Senator Rubio cherishes the historic bond between the people of Florida and their fellow citizens in Puerto Rico. He is a strong voice for the island in the U.S. Senate and carries on a great working relationship with Representative Jeniffer González-Colón. He also stands by to admit Puerto Rico as the 51st state should its people vote in favor of union. During his tenure, Rubio has advanced and co-led several major initiatives to support and strengthen Puerto Ricans.
RESPONDING TO HURRICANE MARIA
In 2017, Hurricane Maria caused tremendous damage to the island. Five days after the storm hit, Rubio surveyed the damage with Representative González-Colón and the U.S. Coast Guard. The following day, he spoke on the Senate floor to explain Puerto Rico’s need for federal aid. In 2018, Rubio leveraged his position on the Senate Committee on Appropriations to secure funds for Puerto Rican Medicaid, infrastructure, hospitals, community health centers, and vital electrical grid repair.
LEADERSHIP DURING COVID-19
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to destroy Puerto Rico’s economy, Rubio ensured the territory could access his Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided forgivable loans to small businesses to keep their employees on payroll. Overall, roughly 40,000 Puerto Rican small business owners used PPP to stay afloat. The full benefits to them, their employees, and their greater communities are incalculable. In the wake of the pandemic, Rubio reintroduced the MMEDS Act, a plan to incentivize bringing medical manufacturing back to Puerto Rico from Asia through tax benefits.
PREVENTING ECONOMIC INJUSTICE
In 2021, Rubio co-led and helped pass the PRRADA Act. This bill closes a loophole that disadvantaged Puerto Rico during its debt restructuring process by leaving its people without the same financial protections as mainland U.S. citizens. Now that President Joe Biden has signed the PRRADA Act into law, professionals working for the local Financial Oversight and Management Board must disclose conflicts of interest. Puerto Ricans are safer from economic injustice thanks to Rubio’s efforts.