Tag: marsha blackburn

Last week, Scott introduced the “Keep China Out of Solar Energy Act” which will “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.”

Last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., threw his support behind U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s, R-Tenn., proposal “ to shed light on the 157 sister city partnerships between U.S. and Chinese communities.”

Rubio along with fellow Republican senators “demand a Tiger Team composed of public health experts to identify and address the source of this failure, align the guidance with science, and get our students back to school.” The Tiger Teams would be composed of experts both inside and outside of the CDC to address the agency’s failure and to provide information, based on consistent science, to safely reopen schools.

“The bill would reinstate the policy in place before 2014, which granted People’s Republic of China (PRC) applicants one-year multi-entry visas. PRC applicants, some of whom engage in espionage and other malign activity, should undergo regular consular interviews and screening to ensure they have a legitimate reason to travel to the United States,” the senators’ offices noted. 

This week, Florida’s two U.S. senators--Republicans Marco Rubio and Rick Scott--joined U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Roger Wicker, R-Miss., sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks requesting that the department assert its commitment to the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding requirements to ensure America stands ready to deter Chinese provocations and to safeguard the future of freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Scott’s resolution, which he brought out last month, would urge the IOC to move the 2022 games to another country. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is cosponsoring the resolution. So are Republican U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun and Todd Young of Indiana, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma.

Back in September 2019, Scott unveiled the “American Security Drone Act” and reeled in the support of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who cosponsored the measure.

Scott cheered the Commerce Department for adding more than 75 companies, including Chinese-drone company DJI, on the Entity List for “actions deemed contrary to the national security or foreign policy interest of the United States” including supporting the Chinese regime and corporate espionage. 

Supporters of the legislation insist it will “protect public servants from the rising number of people and groups that call for harassment and violence against public officials with whom they disagree.”

Rubio, R-Fla., championed U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn's, R-Tenn., “Sister City Transparency Act" introduced on Monday to have the federal government asses the espionage risks of the partnerships and pursue more transparency.

Other signers include Republican U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Kelly Loeffler of Georgia, Mike Lee of Utah and James Lankford of Oklahoma. 

In their letter, the senators expressed their strong support for India’s decision to formally invite Australia to participate in the annual Malabar naval exercise. The letter also expresses support for increased coordination among Quad members on non-security issues including humanitarian assistance, vaccine development, and infrastructure investment in the Indo-Pacific region.