WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Rick Scott highlighted several legislative wins of the 117^th Congress from 2021 and major priorities he will continue to fight for in 2022, including initiatives to make Washington work for American families, protect the United States’ national security from the threats of Communist China and other enemies and fight for freedom and democracy in Latin America and around the world.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Three years ago, I began my term in the U.S. Senate determined to make Washington work better for Florida families and protect the American dream. We’ve rattled Washington and secured some big wins, but there is still work to do to reform the tired, dysfunctional ways of Congress and the federal government. 

“As we begin 2022, I can promise this: I’ll be fighting like hell against Biden and Democrats’ systemic socialism and far-left policies that are destroying our financial security with massive debt, increasing government dependency and killing the American dream. We need to get back to the fundamentals: protecting our national security, building a strong, market-driven economy, ensuring Florida receives the fair treatment, federal support and resources it needs, and standing up for human rights, freedom and democracy around the globe. I’m looking forward to another great year doing a job I love: fighting for Florida families in the United States Senate.”

Senator Rick Scott continues to fight for:

Priorities that matter most to Floridians:

• Senators Scott, Marco Rubio and their colleagues’ bipartisan Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 which will reauthorize and modernize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 and strengthen NOAA’s Coral Reef program.
• Senators Scott, Rubio and their colleagues’ Defending Domestic Produce Production Act to help Florida fruit and vegetable growers combat unfair trade practices by countries like Mexico.
• Senator Scott, Rubio and their colleagues’ bipartisan NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021 to extend NASA’s enhanced use lease (EUL) authority for two years so that NASA may lease underutilized areas on its properties to other federal agencies, academic institutions, state and local governments, and private partners in space exploration.
• Senators Scott and Rubio’s bipartisan Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act to update the current funding formula used to allocate state funding to a per capita model and ensure quality waterways across the nation. 
• Senators Scott and Rubio’s South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act to expand research on blue-green algae and red tide and develop a plan with local stakeholders on how to best fight against harmful algal blooms and hypoxia.

Making Washington Work:

• Senator Scott and his colleagues’ No Budget, No Pay legislation to require members of Congress to do their job and work together to pass a budget and meet appropriations bill deadlines, or forgo their own salaries until the job is done.
• Senators Scott, James Lankford and their colleagues’ Prevent Government Shutdowns Act to hold Congress accountable and prevent government shutdowns by setting up an automatic continuing resolution if government funding has not been enacted on time and requiring Congress to stay in town until the job is done.
• Senators Scott and Mike Braun’s End Pensions In Congress (EPIC) Act to end taxpayer-funded pensions for members of the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
• Senator Scott’s Federal Debt Emergency Control Act to rein in Washington’s out-of-control spending and provide a concrete path forward to tackle the nation’s nearly $30 trillion debt.
• Senator Scott’s Supply Chain Emergency Response Act. This bill would allow unspent CARES Act funding to be used to alleviate the impacts of President Biden’s supply chain crisis which continues to fuel his raging inflation disaster and hurt families with higher prices and empty shelves.
• Senator Scott’s Stop Mandating Additional Requirements for Travel (SMART) Act to prohibit the federal government from requiring Americans to wear masks on public transportation. 
• Senator Scott’s Freedom to Fly Act to prohibit the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) from requiring Americans to show proof of vaccination or produce a vaccine passport for domestic flights and protect the privacy of personal health information.
• Senator Scott and his colleagues’ resolution supporting parents’ rights to be fully and actively involved in the education of their children.
• Senators Scott, Rubio and their colleagues’ Treatment Restoration for Emergency Antibody Therapeutics (TREAT) Act which would stop the Department of Health and Human Services from restricting hospitals and health care facilities’ access to life-saving COVID-19 monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatments.

Securing the United States’ Southern Border:

• Senator Scott led his colleagues in introducing the Upholding the Law at Our Border Act to require the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security to investigate the vetting and processing of migrants apprehended along the southwest border and to ensure that all laws are being upheld. Democrats blocked its passage by unanimous consent December 1, 2021.

Ensuring Free and Fair Elections:

• Senator Scott’s Save Democracy Act to improve our election system and restore confidence in our nation’s democracy. The legislation creates much needed national standards and guidelines to safeguard the accuracy and integrity of our election system and prevent fraud.
• Senator Scott’s Promoting Election Integrity by Proving Voter Identity Act to establish common sense, nation-wide standards and requirements for voter ID in elections.

Standing With Israel:

• Senator Scott’s Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act would ensure no American taxpayer dollars will be authorized to the territory of Gaza until the president certifies to Congress that these funds can be spent without benefitting terrorist organizations. Senate Democrats blocked its passage on June 16, 2021.

Holding Biden Accountable for the Failed and Deadly Afghanistan Withdrawal:

• Senator Scott’s resolution establishing a bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Afghanistan, composed of members of the House and Senate, to conduct a full investigation into President Biden’s failed and tragic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan that stranded hundreds of Americans behind enemy lines, left billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment in the hands of terrorists and took the lives of 13 brave U.S. service members.

Fighting for Freedom and Democracy in Latin America:

• Senator Scott’s bicameral Denying Earnings to the Military Oligarchy in Cuba and Restricting Activities of the Cuban Intelligence Apparatus (DEMOCRACIA) Act to hold the illegitimate communist Cuban regime accountable through severe sanctions and unprecedented financial pressure.
• Senator Scott’s bipartisan Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act to hold Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro accountable by prohibiting federal agencies from doing business with anyone that supports the oppressive Maduro regime.
• Senator Scott’s resolution reaffirming the United States’ commitment to Colombia, America’s strongest ally in Latin America.

Holding Communist China accountable:

• Senator Scott’s Taiwan Invasion Prevention Act further reinforces the U.S.-Taiwan relationship and strengthens Taiwan’s ability to resist Communist China’s aggressive policies and military actions.
• Senator Scott’s Keep China Out of Solar Energy Act, to prohibit federal funds from being used to buy solar panels manufactured or assembled in Communist China, specifically the Xinjiang province, which is known for its use of forced labor.
• Senator Scott’s resolution supporting tennis player Peng Shuai, who recently disappeared and is being censored by the Chinese Communist Party after making public allegations of sexual abuse by a former Chinese Communist Party official.
• Senator Scott’s bipartisan American Security Drone Act, which will prohibit the U.S. Government from purchasing drones manufactured in countries identified as national security threats, like Iran and Communist China.

Several of Senator Scott’s bills passed the U.S. Senate, including:

• Senators Scott and Braun’s resolution to nullify Biden’s vaccine mandate on private sector employers under the Congressional Review Act.
• Senators Scott and Jacky Rosen’s No Congressionally-Obligated Recurring Revenue Used as Pensions To Incarcerated Officials Now (No CORRUPTION) Act. This legislation bars former Members of Congress convicted of serious criminal charges from collecting taxpayer-funded pensions.
• Senators Scott and Rubio’s resolution honoring the lives lost in the horrific tragedy on June 24, when the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Florida, suddenly collapsed in the middle of the night, and commending the bravery of the men and women who have risked their lives in search, rescue and recovery efforts.
• Senators Scott and Rubio’s resolution condemning the December 6, 2019 terrorist attack at Naval Air Station Pensacola and honoring those who lost their lives, those who were injured, and those first responders whose heroism saved lives.
• Senator Scott’s resolution recognizing the fifth anniversary of the attack on Pulse Nightclub on June 12, 2016, and honoring the 49 innocent victims lost that tragic day.
• Senator Scott’s resolution recognizing the third anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Florida and honoring the 17 innocent lives lost that day.

Several of Senator Scott's measures that became law:

• As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Scott fought to include several measures in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including:
• Providing $777.7 billion in national defense spending – a $25 billion increase over President Biden’s inadequate defense budget proposal;
• Funding the continued mission of F-35 squadrons at Tyndall Air Force Base;
• Funding more than $170M for military construction projects for Florida bases and more than $130M for key national security projects that help support Florida bases;
• Raising the pay for our brave men and women in uniform by 2.7%;
• Supporting Taiwan by stating it shall be the policy of the United States to maintain ability of the nation to resist a fait accompli against Taiwan and providing a comprehensive report on the status of efforts to build Taiwan’s capacity to defend itself against Communist China; and
• Requiring the Pentagon to update regulations on drone technology that make it easier for American drone makers to compete against Chinese drone manufacturers, like DJI
• Senator Scott co-sponsored the original bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, led by Senator Marco Rubio, which will ensure that goods made with Uyghur forced labor in the Xinjiang region do not enter the United States’ supply chain.
• Senators Scott and Gary Peters’ K-12 Cybersecurity Act, which puts protections in place to keep school-aged children and their institutions safe online.
• Senator Scott and his colleagues’ bipartisan and bicameral legislation to establish the location of the Pulse Nightclub as a national memorial to serve as a tribute to the lives lost in the tragic terror attack on June 12, 2016, and a reminder for us to always stand for love and kindness over hate and evil in this world.

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