This week, Senator Rick Scott led his colleagues in a resolution defending the First Amendment to the United States Constitution – the right to freely exercise one’s religion. The resolution is supported by the Family Research Council and Alliance Defending Freedom. 

Senator Rick Scott said, “Religious liberty is our first freedom, and there is no pandemic exception to the First Amendment. Unfortunately, liberal governors and mayors across the country have used their emergency powers as a sword to go after churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship, instead of a shield to protect the public health. For months, they have argued that these houses of worship should not meet and congregants could not sing, while they applaud massive political protests. That’s wrong. Today, my colleagues and I stand together against these misguided and hypocritical attempts to target religious institutions. We will always fight for the religious liberty of all Americans." 

Senator Scott also spoke on the Senate floor urging passage of resolution defending religious liberty - watch his speech below. 

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See more of what Senator Scott has been up to this week below.

Sen. Rick Scott Applauds EPA Decision to Grant Florida Permitting Authority

Senator Rick Scott applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement granting the State of Florida permitting authority under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. This designation eliminates duplicity in permitting and helps protect Florida’s environment by allowing Florida to follow the state’s permitting program standards, which are just as stringent, if not more so, than what is currently in place on the federal level. During his time as Governor of Florida, Senator Rick Scott signed legislation to request this designation from the federal government. 

Senator Rick Scott said, “This designation is great news for the State of Florida – it gives our state the ability to make the best decisions for our unique environment, with input from the public and environmental stakeholders. The duplicative rules on the state and federal levels were a waste of taxpayer dollars, and created confusion for everyone involved, which is why I fought to streamline this process. I will keep working to cut unnecessary government red tape and improve efficiency on every level of government, while also making sure our environment is protected for generations to come.” Read more HERE. 

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Sen. Rick Scott Applauds Commerce Department Decision to Add Chinese Drone Company to Entity List

Senator Rick Scott released the following statement applauding the decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce to add 77 entities, including Chinese-made drone company DJI, to the Entity List for actions deemed contrary to the national security or foreign policy interest of the United States. These include entities in China involved in military-civil fusion and destabilizing military modernization activities, including entities that supported the militarization and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, entities that enable human rights abuses, and entities that engaged in the theft of U.S. trade secrets.

For more than a year, Senator Scott has been warning about the threat Chinese-made drones may have on national security. Senator Scott and colleagues introduced the American Security Drone Act to prohibit the U.S. Government from purchasing drones manufactured in countries identified as national security threats, like Iran and China.

Senator Rick Scott said, “For more than a year, I’ve fought to prevent the U.S. Government from purchasing technology, like drones, with American tax dollars from Chinese companies backed by their government. I’ve had countless discussions with the Administration and my colleagues on the risks of buying drones from DJI and other Chinese-backed companies, and the threat these drones pose to our national security. I’m glad the Commerce Department made the decision today to include DJI in its Entity List. We can no longer turn a blind eye to Communist China and allow their technology into some of the most critical operations of the U.S. Government. Now more than ever, we must pass my American Security Drone Act to protect our national security.” Read more HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott to Australian Prime Minister: U.S. and Australia Must Work Together to Combat Communist China’s Aggression

Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison thanking him for Australia’s efforts to fight against Communist China’s quest for world domination, and affirming the United States’ support as the two nations continue to stand strong against Communist China.  Read more, including the full letter, HERE.

Sen. Rick Scott in National Review: Republicans Must Not Cave on Blue-State Bailouts

Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for the National Review on why he will continue to fight any proposal that uses taxpayer dollars, intended for coronavirus relief, to bail out wasteful states, like New York and California, that want to use taxpayer money to backfill their poorly-managed budgets and pension plans. 

In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, “What Democrats really want is for Congress to just send money to liberal politicians who have already shown they can’t be trusted with it. If these politicians have budget shortfalls, it’s because they did not prioritize their struggling constituents in the first place, and instead wasted money on other things. New York and California are of course free to burn tax dollars for fun. But they shouldn’t expect Florida and the rest of the country to pay when the bill comes due.

I’ve argued all along that states have the ability to moderate the economic harm caused by the COVID pandemic through reasoned, balanced measures that protect citizens without destroying their economies. States also have taxing authority and the ability to borrow money if their fiscal situations get too dire.

The federal government can play a significant role in boosting the unemployment-insurance program, propping up small businesses to avoid layoffs, and investing in vaccine research, development, and distribution. But it shouldn’t write blank checks to poorly managed states.

… All this is to say that states do not need bailouts; they want bailouts so they can use the money — intended to address the fallout from COVID — to plug the long-standing holes in their budgets and pension systems. It’s as simple as that.

…Bailing out those who have done so much damage to their states and our country already would be a boondoggle of epic proportions. We must not let it happen."

Read the full op-ed in the National Review HERE.

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Sen. Rick Scott on Fox & Friends: I Refuse to Spend Taxpayer Dollars on Unnecessary State Bailouts 
Watch the interview HERE or below.

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Sen. Rick Scott in Newsweek: Biden Appointees are Weak on China

Senator Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for Newsweek on how the potential Biden administration’s foreign policy nominees and their tired ways of thinking have allowed Communist China to steal American technology and American jobs, and threaten our standing in the world.

In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, “Last month, Communist China’s former vice minister for foreign affairs, Fu Ying, made clear what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hopes to see from a potential Biden administration: a ‘join hands and cooperate’ approach, one that doesn’t ‘point a finger at the Chinese system or take action against Beijing for its policies on domestic matters.'

What the CCP really means is that it wants America to turn a blind eye to the genocide it is now committing against the Uyghurs, the freedoms it is now stripping from the people of Hong Kong and its bellicose threats against Taiwan. The CCP wants an America that won’t stand up for human rights—one that is simply a passive witness to the ruthless terror China will continue to bring upon its own people and the increasing global dominance that is a centerpiece of Xi Jinping’s agenda.

Lucky for the CCP, it might have just that in a potential Biden administration.

… The nominees—all with a history of appeasing adversaries around the world—are part of the strand of foreign policy elites who are more interested in placating the chattering classes in D.C., Davos and Brussels than in actually representing the American people. They exist in a bubble of group-thinkers who advocate the old, broken approaches to policy that cower to the interests of dictators like Castro, Maduro, Khamenei and Xi.

… If we really care about the future of our country and standing for human rights around the world, we are going to have to take on Communist China and build upon the Trump administration’s actions, not leave them behind. 

To do otherwise would be a great show of weakness—one that the CCP will surely exploit."

Read the full op-ed in Newsweek HERE.

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Fox News: COVID-19 vaccine is ‘going to help our economy’: Sen. Scott

Fox Business: Stimulus deal won’t bail out blue states who won’t open economies: Sen. Rick Scott

Fox News Radio: Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) On China’s Threat To America: “We Have To Stand Up And Hold Them Accountable"

News Service of Florida: EPA Shifts Permitting Decisions To Florida

Florida Daily: Rick Scott Calls on State Department to Look Closer at China’s Treatment of the Uyghurs

Florida Daily: Marco Rubio, Rick Scott Vote to Approve the NDAA

The Floridian: Rick Scott Fights to Protect First Amendment for Places of Worship

Radio Televisión Martí: Senadores Rubio y Scott reaccionan a amenazas contra Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat

Diario La Verdad: Rick Scott responsabiliza a Maduro por los muertos de Güiria

Diario de La Prensa de Lara: Scott: Maduro y Su Régimen Son Responsables de Las Vidas Perdidas

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