Accomplishments
Delivering Results
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
for REGIONAL SECURITY AND STABILITY
Senator Rubio understands how events in Latin America and the Caribbean affect not only Floridians, but the country as a whole. Whether the Western Hemisphere is safe and prosperous or insecure and fragmented determines everything from our rate of illegal immigration to the influx of illegal drugs to our need for national defense. Consequently, Rubio has passed many laws in pursuit of regional security and stability. He has also influenced many relevant executive branch decisions.
COUNTERACTING DESPOTISM
Rubio worked closely with President Donald Trump to reverse President Barack Obama’s appeasement of the Cuban dictatorship. His Cuban Military Transparency Act was the basis for executive actions preventing financial transactions that benefit the Cuban military and associated entities. Meanwhile, Rubio’s RENACER Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden, increased U.S. pressure on the Nicaraguan Ortega-Murillo regime to counteract its increasing despotism.
the rubio doctrine
Rubio worked against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, too. When Maduro illegitimately seized power in 2019, Rubio ensured the United States recognized Juan Guaidó as the rightful interim president. He also co-wrote and passed the VERDAD Act, a bipartisan law that provided $400 million in humanitarian aid to Venezuelan refugees fleeing the economic crisis that accompanied Maduro’s “inauguration.” What the media dubbed the Rubio Doctrine proved crucial in shaping U.S. policy toward Venezuela.
PROMOTING ECONOMIC RECOVERY
In 2020, Rubio co-led the reauthorization of the Extension of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act, which extended duty-free access to certain textile goods from 23 Caribbean countries made with U.S. yarns, fabric, and threads through 2030. Trade is a key component of the region’s developing economy. By helping pass this bill, Rubio promoted U.S. exports and strengthened America’s bilateral relations with friendly Caribbean nations.