Marco Rubio

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. OK. The second question I have, Mr. President: Does the rule say anything that impugns another Member of the Senate, directly or indirectly? Is that an accurate reading of the rule?

Mr. RUBIO. Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I have a parliamentary inquiry as well. The first question, Mr. President, is this: It is my understanding that the ruling of the Chair was based on the advice of the Parliamentarian. Is that accurate, Mr. President; on the advice of the Parliamentarian that the rule had been violated?

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I first have a parliamentary inquiry. These are the continuing rules of the Senate that have been in existence previous to this time and have carried over into this session, is that correct?

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I know that we are in the middle of an important debate about a topic of education in our schools. One of the topics I hope young Americans will learn more about is the state of affairs across the world when it comes to human rights. We are a vibrant society engaged in a heated debate, as we often have been throughout our history, about items of political matters. If you look here today, there are people standing up to speak on different sides of an issue. You see that the Republican Party today controls the White House, the Senate, and the House, and yet you have people with the freedom in this country to be able to stand up and oppose that. We have seen that across the country with demonstrations and speeches and all sorts of other protected speech. We are very fortunate and blessed to live in a nation with those freedoms. That is not the case all over the world. I wanted to take this opportunity in the midst of all of this debate and discussion about an important topic, the nomination before the Senate, to remind people that despite our differences on these issues, we are truly blessed to be able to live in a country where opposing the party in power does not mean you go to jail. As I have been doing for some time now, I wanted to come this evening and highlight yet another example of human rights abuses that is taking place in a very important part of the world. For the past couple of years, my office and I have been highlighting human rights cases through our social media campaign. We call it hashtag ``Expression NOT Oppression.'' The goals of this are to raise awareness about these cases and the individuals who are suffering at the hands of these repressive governments. We know that through history some of the oppressed people--we may not think these floor speeches matter; we may not think that mentioning it here in this forum matters, but it does to them because one of the first things oppressors tell them is that the world has forgotten about them, and they don't matter anymore. That is one of the first reasons we come: to raise awareness and let them know we know their names, we know their story, and we will continue to speak out on their behalf. The second reason is to show their families and their loved ones that elected officials--like me here in the United States--have not forgotten them because we know that tyrants, as I said, like to tell political prisoners that they are alone in their struggle. The third reason is to call for action, whether it is for the administration to make their causes a priority, too, or to call on these governments to release these individuals. There is one more reason I think that this effort, hashtag ``Expression NOT Oppression,'' is important. As well as all the good work being done here on both sides of the aisle in defense of human rights, promotion of democracy and the defense of God-given freedoms like religious freedom and freedom of the press and free speech, which we celebrate here even in this debate, have to continue to be pillars of our foreign policy. I hope that these cases we highlight bring those guiding principles to light. Today, I want to discuss the cases of two Chinese political prisoners whose courageous wives I had the opportunity to meet last week when they visited in Washington, DC. These women personally requested that I intervene on behalf of their husbands, pressing on the Chinese Government to unconditionally release them and, in the case of one, to account for his whereabouts. Perhaps just as importantly, they urged me that I press our own State Department to prioritize these cases diplomatically in the hope that these families can be reunited in the not-too-distant future. I come here today to urge our now new Secretary of State, Mr. Tillerson, to prioritize the release of these men in his diplomatic engagement with China. In the coming weeks, I also expect that we will have a chance to hear from the President's nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to China, Governor Branstad of Iowa. When he comes before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing, I will bring up these cases and others and urge him to make their freedom a priority of his work if confirmed. Jiang Tianyong is a 45-year-old lawyer. He was disbarred by the Chinese Government because of his vigorous human rights advocacy, including his representation of blind legal advocate Chen Guangcheng, fellow rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, Falun Gong practitioners, and other human rights cases. Despite the risks of this work, he has been steadfast in his support of the families and of their right to lawyers and legal advocates caught up in China's sweeping nationwide crackdown on the legal community in July of 2015, which ensnared roughly 250 lawyers and advocates. Consistent with a spate of recent media stories, Jiang's wife indicated that his family and friends lost contact with him in late November of last year. That is when a Chinese state-controlled newspaper reported he had been detained for a series of trumped-up charges. His wife has received no formal confirmation of his precise whereabouts, and, to date, he has been denied access to a lawyer of his choosing. Even more troubling is that this is entirely legal under China's laws, even though it violates all international norms of justice. Under China's own laws, authorities may hold him, or anyone, for up to 6 months without informing his family where he is held and without allowing him to access a lawyer, conditions that the United Nations Committee Against Torture has found place ``detainees at a high-risk of torture.'' Indeed, reports over the past months about four other human rights lawyers provide detailed information about the Chinese authorities' use of torture to extract ``confessions'' and impose unbearable psychological pressure. All of these realities underscore that China remains a country of rule by law. Congressmen Chris Smith of New Jersey and I cochair the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which found in our 2016 annual report that ``the Chinese Communist Party has continued to reject the notion that the rule of law should supercede the Party's role in guiding the functions of the State.'' As such, lawyers, advocates, dissidents and others often find themselves in the party's crosshairs, persecuted under the law, rather than protected by it, and they have no recourse of justice. A second Chinese individual I want to highlight today is lawyer Tang Jingling, who has also been disbarred for his rights advocacy. He first gained prominence as a lawyer working on cases related to village compensation, corruption, and by representing activists. In January of last year, he was convicted of ``inciting subversion of state power.'' That is the charge, and he was sentenced to 5 years in prison. He was first detained in May 2014 on suspicion of ``picking quarrels and provoking troubles.'' Just imagine that. Picking quarrels and provoking troubles is a crime in China. This happened, by the way, during the lead up to the 21st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, when the Chinese Government worked desperately to wipe out any discussion or memory of this historically brutal crackdown. In reality, all Tang and other activists did was participate in a nonviolent disobedience movement seeking legal and social reform in China. Following his conviction, Tang eloquently wrote: Inside the grand edifice of the court, we can see stately and ornate furnishings and decorations, and we can see the government employees in dignified attire. But we cannot see the law and we can definitely not see justice. He continues, movingly, speaking of the faith that has sustained him in the midst of injustice: The Holy Bible has a passage that reads: ``Blessed are those that are persecuted for righteousness' sake.'' Today, we have been pronounced guilty, thrown in prison, separated from our families, and have endured humiliation and difficulties--and I am far from being able to convince and prove to others how these tribulations could have become my blessings. But God's will is inevitably difficult to understand. I often pray and ask him to give me more strength, so that I may persevere until the moment of revelation. I dare say, in 2011, while in a secret jail, and now in detention, almost every day I have passed has been calm and fulfilling. I have never lost my direction. The courage and conviction of these men should be an inspiration to us all--an inspiration that should propel us to act. I would add a reminder again of how blessed and fortunate we are to live by the grace of God in a nation where we have the freedom to speak, to object, to state our views without fear of the circumstances and the consequences that these brave men now face. The Chinese people who yearn for the protection of their most basic human rights and bravely stand with their fellow marginalized countrymen are China's greatest asset--not its biggest threat, as the government of the Communist Party wrongly believes. Any government which views its own people with such fear and hostility will, as has often been said, find itself on the wrong side of history. So I hope more of my colleagues in this body, in the House, and especially in the administration will join their voices in support of these political prisoners and all who languish in jails, prisons, and gulags simply because they want a better life, because they want a say in their future and have bravely made these aspirations clear. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I want to recognize Adele Griffin, a longtime Senate staffer in my Jacksonville office, for her years of hard work; for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. A fifth-generation Floridian, Adele previously worked under Senator Mel Martinez and Senator George LeMieux before her time in my office. Adele has been a dedicated and diligent leader who took special pride in addressing the many issues facing northeast Florida over the years. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Adele for all the great work she has done and wish her a happy retirement.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all time during recess or adjournment of the Senate count post-cloture on the Tillerson nomination; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the remaining post-cloture time be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. The Senate is about to adjourn. Under the standing order, we will convene at 12 noon tomorrow. Following the prayer and pledge, we will resume consideration of the Tillerson nomination post-cloture. For the information of all Senators, the post-cloture time on the Tillerson nomination will expire at approximately 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow, and the Senate will vote on confirmation at that time.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. I move to adjourn.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, we are here in the Senate debating what I believe is the most important Cabinet position that the President has to nominate, the Secretary of State. It comes at an important point in American foreign policy history. There is so much uncertainty and debate about our role in the world these days. A lot of our allies have questions. Our adversaries are obviously watching very closely. I hope that all of us--and I mean the Executive Branch to the Congress--recognize that as people around the world are watching what is happening on television, they see an America that is deeply divided and fractured right now. I think this needs to be a moment of restraint, both in action and in words. As we work through our differences, these vibrant debates are important to our system of government. It is one of the reasons that led me to ultimately support the nomination of Mr. Tillerson. I believe that despite some of the concerns that I had and have about his answers to some of my questions, it is vitally important for this country to have a Secretary of State in place at this moment. I have never had any doubts about Mr. Tillerson's qualifications, his intellect, his background. I have had some concerns about his answers to some very important questions, at least important questions to me, and what I hope will be important questions for a lot of Americans. That is what I wanted to come to the floor and speak about in conjunction with this nomination, and that is the issue of human rights. To me, human rights is critical both to our national identity, but it is also important to our national Security. In America today, we have, as we have done now for the past few centuries, contentious debates all the time about policies and about what kind of country we want to be. If you have watched the proceedings on the Senate floor or in committee over the last few days, you have seen a lot of that. Even as we debate these things among ourselves, and even as the American political rhetoric has become so incredibly heated--and we will have more to say about that in the weeks to come--I don't know of any other time where we have gotten to the point that when we disagree with people, we don't just disagree with them, we question their motives and their character. In fact, it is almost automatic today in American political discourse. You don't just disagree with someone; you immediately jump to why they are a bad person. In the months and weeks to come, I will have examples about why that is a bad idea. But as we are having those contentious debates, I hope that we never take for granted, sometimes as I think we do, that we live in a place where losing an election, losing a vote, losing on an issue, does not mean you end up in jail or disappear or are executed because that is the kind of stuff that happens in other places all over the world, even now, in the 17th year of the 21st century. As we have seen in recent weeks, this political dissent is part of our way of life. It has come to define our country. We protect it in our Constitution. It has made us an example to the rest of the world. I was reminded of this just a couple of months ago, right here in Washington, DC. After our most recent election, I had to a chance to visit with my opponent, Congressman Patrick Murphy of Florida. When I was finished with that meeting, I walked into another meeting. That other meeting was with a Cuban dissident. He is an opponent of the Castro regime, an individual who risks his life in the pursuit of freedom, an individual who does not just get bad blog posts or a bad article or a bad editorial or a nasty campaign ad run against him. No, this is an individual who routinely gets thrown into jail, and he has the scars to prove the beatings he has taken from the Cuban state police over the last few years. I was a little bit late to this meeting. I apologized to him. I explained that I had just been in a meeting with my opposing candidate, the man I had just ran against in the election. I could see the look on his face. It kind of struck him. He immediately, I believe, appreciated what that represented. He said--and I am paraphrasing: That is what we want for our country too. This is the essence of what has been America's example to the world, the essence of how our principles and our values have inspired others to seek their own God-given rights and how we have a moral duty to support--in our words, in our foreign policy, and in our actions--those aspirations of people all over the world. In a way, dictators and tyrants have never had it worse than they do today because we live in this high-tech information age. We often get to see the images of repression within minutes of it happening, if not in real time. We can monitor it; we can catalog the status of human rights in every city, in every country, on every continent. But as Americans, we are called to do much more than observe and record these atrocities for history. With this knowledge, it is our duty to act and to do what we can to support the people demanding their rights. We must hold those who are violating their rights accountable. I believe this is more important than ever because of the totalitarian resurgence underway in many parts of the world as democracy in every continent is under attack. Even as I stand here now before you, there are political prisoners on this planet. They languish in Chinese prisons. Political dissidents and journalists are being silenced and targeted for murder in Russia. Those who seek democracy in Syria are being massacred. The United States has a unique responsibility to highlight, to expose, and to combat these grave human rights abuses around the world. Historically, we have been a compassionate country that has welcomed people seeking refuge from repression and atrocities. That is why I understand. I understand the concerns about refugees from certain failed states or governments who sponsor terror, places where very often it is difficult if not impossible to verify the identities of people seeking to come to the United States. I say this to people all the time. When you talk about changes in policies, there is a legitimate argument and a credible argument to be made that there are people we cannot allow into the United States, not because we don't have compassion for their plight but because we have no way of knowing who they are. You can't just call 1-800-Syria and get background information about the individuals who are trying to enter the United States. We know for a fact that there are terrorist groups around the world that have commandeered passport-making machinery and are producing passports that are real in every way, except for the identity of the person in the picture. So I do believe that we need to have very careful and rigorous screening, more than ever before, of all people entering the United States but especially those who are coming from areas that we know do not have reliable background information available to us. But at the same time, I cannot help, and I think we should not help, but to be worried about the impact of a 120-day moratorium on every single refugee from anywhere on the planet, refugees from places like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Colombia, El Salvador, Vietnam, Burma, and, of course, Cuba, just to name a few places. These are among the most vulnerable people on the planet, living often in the most difficult and dangerous circumstances imaginable. I remind everyone: This is a moratorium; it is not a permanent policy. I understand that there are provisions available for waivers, and I find that to be promising. But I also want to everyone to understand that 120 days, for someone who is trying to get out of a place where they might be killed, may be 1 day too many for some of them. I hope that that does not turn out to be the case. That is why I urge the administration, that is why I urge soon-to-be Secretary Tillerson, to exercise great caution in making sure that dissidents and others are not being turned away. By the way, I am pleased to see that the administration is heeding some of these calls already, early this week. We must understand that when tyrants and dictators oppress their people, we are all paying a price. It is happening all over the world. Vladimir Putin continues to institute Draconian laws targeting the freedom of expression and assembly. Earlier this year, my office and I highlighted the case of human rights activist Ildar Dadin, who was the first person imprisoned under Russia's new criminal provision that bars any form of public dissent. In China, rights lawyers are tortured. Labor activists are arrested. Tibetan Buddhist nuns are expelled from their homes, and churches are being demolished. Just earlier today, I met the wives of two Chinese rights advocates, who both pleaded for the United States to champion their husbands' cases in the hope that they can see their husbands again. In Iran, dissent, freedom of expression, and freedom of press is nonexistent, heavily restricted. Many continue to be jailed for simply exercising their fundamental human rights. The Government of Iran targets religious minorities, often jailing Christian pastors and those who gather to worship together in private homes. In Syria, one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in modern history, the Assad regime, with the assistance of Vladimir Putin and the Iranian Government and military, is committing war crimes against innocent women, children, men, and civilians in Aleppo and beyond. In Iraq, we have seen ancient Christian and Yezidi communities on the verge of extinction, all because of ISIS. In Venezuela, the Maduro regime continues to imprison political opponents while the country descends further and further into economic chaos and has now become on the verge of a total humanitarian catastrophe in the Western Hemisphere. In one of the richest countries on the planet, we are at the point of people literally starving to death. Saudi Arabia is an ally of the United States on many key geopolitical issues, and we will have to continue working with them on those shared causes. But they also remain one of the most censored countries in the world. The government has intensified its repression of activists and journalists. In Saudi Arabia, women remain under the male guardianship system. They are banned from even driving. Globally, assaults against press freedom around the world are a major problem because, ultimately, the cause and champions of human rights need information to expose abuses and call for reforms. Without independent journalists, without information, tyrants and dictatorships can get away with so much more. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2016, 48 journalists were killed and 259 journalists were jailed worldwide. In 2016, Turkey, a NATO member, again, an important geopolitical alliance of the United States, but, sadly, they became the leading jailer of journalists on the planet, following a widespread crackdown on the press. The abuses and threats to human rights around the world are many. We could be here all night trying to break Senator Strom Thurmond's filibuster record, going country by country, case by case, and it still would not be enough time to do justice to all of the heroic figures around the world. But it is my hope that more of my colleagues will join me in doing so over time because it is important. Our voices here in the Senate give people all over the world confidence and motivation to stay the course. As famed Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky has said of himself and fellow prisoners of conscience in the Soviet Union: ``We never could survive even one day in the Soviet Union if our struggle was not the struggle of the free world.'' In essence, what he is saying is that these tyrants and these dictators, when they jail these people, the first thing they tell them is that no one even remembers you anymore. No one talks about you anymore. You have been abandoned. Today, I want to highlight one particular human rights case as part of the weekly social media campaign my office has been doing for the last couple of years called Expression NOT Oppression. Here you see a picture of a gentleman named Dr. Eduardo Cardet of Cuba. He is a medical doctor and the national coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement, a group which advocates for democracy and freedom. Cardet assumed the role of national coordinator after the suspicious death of Castro critic Oswaldo Paya Sardinas. After allegedly stating in an interview that Fidel Castro was hated by the Cuban people--that is what he said--he was savagely beaten in front of his two young children and wife by Cuban state security on November 30 of last year. He has been in jail ever since. He has been charged--get this. He has been charged with challenging authority. He faces a 3- to 5-year prison sentence. Let me repeat that. He is officially charged with challenging authority. That is a crime in Cuba. His father has written to Pope Francis begging for his intervention. By the way, this is a reminder that even though Fidel Castro is dead, his authoritarian system still lives on. Dr. Cardet's persecution and the overall increase in repression in Cuba over the past 2 years is a reminder that the policy of rewarding the Castro regime, under the guise of engagement, with cash and concessions has not worked and must be strategically reversed here in the coming months. So I come here today in the hope that our President and our State Department and especially Mr. Tillerson, in whom I am entrusting my vote for confirmation, and all Members of Congress, for that matter, will add their voices in solidarity with Dr. Cardet, with all the Cuban people yearning to be free, and with those around the world who look to our Nation--to America--for leadership and often for nothing more than for us to lend our voice to their cause. As we move forward here with our Nation's work, we must continue to highlight these cases and to raise awareness of them. We must never forget that there are people all over the world who are challenging authority because they want a better life for themselves and their families. They should be able to challenge authority peacefully and then go home to their families, not be thrown in jail, tortured, or killed. Today I ask all to pray for those who are victims of their own government. I pray for the release of prisoners of conscience and their families, and I pray that our own country at this moment of extraordinary division on so many key issues can reaffirm its founding principles in calling for the sacred right of every man, woman, and child to be free.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, in less than 2 hours, the United States will have a new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Those watching may conclude that perhaps there is still debate going on about how we are going to vote. Everyone in the Senate knows how they are going to vote on this confirmation. Quite frankly, the President deserves the right to have someone at the CIA whom he trusts and is going to do a good job at a very critical agency. This is a critical component of our national security apparatus. It is unfortunate that the first weekend as President he had to have that position vacant. Nevertheless, that ill will be remedied here in about an hour and a half. I am proud to stand in support of Congressman Pompeo, whom I got to know well. He was very supportive of my efforts earlier last year when I chose to pursue the Presidency. I got to know a lot about him in that endeavor. So I want to take a few moments to tell the people of Florida and those who may be watching this, now or in the future, a little bit about their next Director of the CIA. First of all, he is an incredibly respected leader. Anyone who has interacted with him, anyone who watched the hearing before the Intelligence Committee would conclude that he was a star in terms of the way he presented himself. That is in line with his honorable service during his time on the House Intelligence Committee, which he has been on for over 6 years. He is a graduate of West Point. He is an Army veteran. He finished at the top of his class at Harvard Law. I don't think anyone here would say that someone who went to West Point, who served in the Armed Forces, and who finished at the top of his class at one of the most exclusive law schools in the world does not qualify for the job. He certainly has the intellect for it, but he also has a very keen understanding of our national security issues, both as a Congressman but also from a practical perspective, having operated in that space in the Army. Senate Democrats, unfortunately, have delayed his confirmation for political reasons. As I said earlier, we could have voted on this last Friday, as the Senate Democratic leader had promised the chairman of the Intelligence Committee. That word was not kept. Nevertheless, we are here today, and we are going to move forward. Our new Commander in Chief deserves and needs the Director of the CIA in this job as soon as possible because we face a complex number of dangerous threats, perhaps more than at any time in our recent memory. These include the threat of radical Islamic terrorism--in Iraq, Syria, Southeast Asia, North Africa, even here at home; Russian aggression toward our friends and allies in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. We face the savage Assad regime in Syria, which continues to slaughter innocent men, women, and children, targeting civilians in Aleppo and other places. We, of course, face an increasingly unstable dictator in North Korea who continues to develop long-range missiles, soon capable of reaching the west coast of the United States--at least according to his claims. We face an emboldened China which, in pursuing their illegitimate territorial claims in the South China Sea, threatens to destabilize the region. We face Iranian leaders--an Iranian leader who still leads the chant of ``Death to America'' every week as they cheat on the lax requirements of President Obama's flawed nuclear deal. We face illicit trafficking in the Western Hemisphere, right here in our own backyard, that destabilizes governments in the region and floods the streets of our country with narcotics. Quite frankly, Congressman Pompeo's national security experience makes supporting his nomination one of the easiest nomination decisions I have faced in the 6 years and 1 month that I have had the honor of serving the people of Florida in the U.S. Senate. As a military veteran, as a West Point graduate, as I said earlier, he knows firsthand. We can read about this in a book. He knows firsthand the role intelligence plays in helping the President and other policymakers formulate both U.S. foreign policy and U.S. national security policy and in turn protecting the American people. Quite frankly, I believe any delay in approving this nomination weakens America and strengthens our adversaries. It sends the wrong message to the men and women of the Central Intelligence Agency who are our first line of defense and among our finest public servants. Congressman Pompeo served our country in the gulf war, and since 2011 he has served the country in Congress. I truly hope many of my colleagues are willing to cross the aisle and support his nomination. He is extraordinarily well qualified. It is a phenomenal thing for our country that he will, in a few hours, be the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I am pleased to see that the 21st Century Cures Act will fix one of the issues associated with payments for hospital outpatient departments that arose from the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. You will recall that section 603 of that act changed the way these departments will be reimbursed by Medicare in the future. Hospital outpatient departments that were billing Medicare prior to November 2, 2015, however, were exempted from these reduced payments. We have heard from a number of hospitals in Florida that were in the middle of developing hospital outpatient departments when the new law went into effect. They had made substantial investments in these new departments under the assumption that Medicare would pay them just as it had been doing for years. I am pleased to see that the 21st Century Cures Act will permit hospitals that were in the process of developing outpatient departments to be reimbursed under the previous payment system. In my State, Jackson Health System, a large public hospital which is known throughout the world for its high-quality healthcare and its value as a public hospital in our community, was in the process of building four new outpatient departments for patients in the Miami-Dade County area when the new law was passed. They had executed binding leases on three of the departments, constructed facilities, and finalized contracts for architectural and engineering reviews on several of the facilities. They had gone through a long process of getting the necessary approvals and financing from the county and State governments. It is obvious that all four of Jackson's outpatient facilities meet the ``mid-build'' exception contained in section 16001 of the 21st Century Cures Act. The actual construction of these facilities was complete, and Jackson was in the process of securing all the necessary requirements for the renovations of these facilities when the new law was passed on November 2, 2015. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, clearly agreed when they issued provider numbers to all four new outpatient departments in September and October 2015. For hospitals like Jackson, the subsequent change in the law essentially changed the rules in the middle of the game. I urge CMS to work with all hospitals in similar situations. I am very pleased that the 21st Century Cures Act will provide relief to the Jackson Health System and hospitals like it that had made these investments in future outpatient healthcare departments prior to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Joseph Todd Higginbotham, a 2016 spring intern in my Jacksonville office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Joseph is a recent graduate from the University of North Florida, where he majored in political science and minored in urban and metropolitan studies and public administration. He is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Joseph for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Alexandra Teisan, a 2016 summer intern in my Jacksonville office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Alexandra is a current student from American University, where she is majoring in international studies. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Alexandra for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Makayla Stilianou, a 2016 summer intern in my Jacksonville office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Makayla is a current student from the University of Florida, where she is majoring in English. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Makayla for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize London Rotundo, a 2016 summer intern in my Orlando office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. London is a student from Keiser University in Orlando. He is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to London for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Shelby Rigdon, a 2016 spring intern in my Jacksonville office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Shelby is a recent graduate from the University of North Florida, where she majored in political science. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Shelby for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Brett Nolan, a 2016 summer intern in my Jacksonville office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Brett is a current student from the University of North Florida, where he is majoring in political science in American politics and minoring in economics and communications. He is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Brett for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Alise Morris, a 2016 spring intern in my Jacksonville office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Alise is a recent graduate from the University of North Florida, where she majored in political science. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Alise for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Darby McQueen, a 2016 summer intern in my Orlando office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Darby is a current student from the University of Alabama. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Darby for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Colin Matthaei, a 2016 summer intern in my Jacksonville office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Colin is a current student from Birmingham-Southern College, where he is majoring in global comparative studies. He is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Colin for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Caroline Williams, a 2016 summer intern in my Jacksonville office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Caroline is a current student from the University of Florida, where she is majoring in political science. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Caroline for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Lydia Walsh, a 2016 summer intern in my Orlando office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Lydia is a graduate from Stetson University. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Lydia for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Benjamin Torpey, a 2016 summer intern in my Orlando office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Benjamin is a student at the University of Florida. He is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Benjamin for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Wesley Harris, a 2016 summer intern in my Orlando office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Wesley is a student at Boone High School. He is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Wesley for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.