Marco Rubio

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize John Paul Gilligan, 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. John Paul is a recent graduate from Villanova University, where he majored in comprehensive science. 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 John Paul 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 Nicolette DeLorenzo, 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. Nicolette is a current student from Wake Forest 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 Nicolette 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 Tristan Baker, 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. Tristan is a current student from Rollins College. 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 Tristan 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 Brett Baker, 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. Brett is a current student from the University of South 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 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 Nicolas Duario, 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. Nicolas is a student at Bishop Moore 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 Nicolas for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senators Carper and Coons.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I want to come to the floor to say that after a lot of work, the Senate has finally passed funding to take on Zika--a cause I have been talking about since April of this year. I want to say, in full credit to the Senate, that this is actually a very similar proposal that the Senate proposed in May, and it is now the one before us. I am sad that it took so long to get to this point, but at least we are here now. As I said before, it is better late than never. To the people of my home State of Florida, to the people of the island of Puerto Rico, who have been disproportionately impacted by the outbreak of Zika in the United States, I want to say that despite a long wait, help is finally on the way. Help is finally on the way in the form of a $1.1 billion anti-Zika package which is part of this larger law--this larger bill that passed today to keep the government open beyond September 30. Included in the law that passed today is $15 million that is specifically targeted for States with local transmissions. The only State so far that has had local transmissions is my home State of Florida. Today, $15 million is, hopefully, on its way to Florida if we can get this done in the House to help with the fight against Zika. It also includes $60 million, specifically for territories like Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has the highest number of infected American citizens with Zika. Today is good news for Puerto Rico. This took far too long, but I am glad we are finally here. This anti- Zika package rightfully prioritizes Americans in Florida and in Puerto Rico, and I am encouraged that after months of working on this, my calls for action have finally been answered and real assistance from the Federal Government is finally on its way. I have to reiterate that it is shameful that it took so long and that this public health crisis was made worse by people playing political games in Washington, DC. If anyone is in doubt about whether that is partisan, I think the games have come from both side of the aisle. It took far too long for colleagues in my own party to understand the gravity and severity of this outbreak, and, sad to say, the Democratic minority in the Senate used this as a political tool for much of the month of August and even as late as yesterday. I am glad that these critical resources are now moving forward so that we can help thousands of Americans suffering from this virus and so that we can step up our mosquito eradication efforts and ultimately so that we can develop a vaccine that eradicates Zika for good. While the funding is on its way, the problem still continues. In the mainland of the United States, there are now 3,358 cases of Zika. In U.S. territories, primarily the island of Puerto Rico, there are now close to 20,000 cases. In my home State of Florida, there are now 904 cases--109 of them were locally transmitted, meaning they were not acquired abroad. They were acquired in the State. There are 91 pregnant women in the State of Florida infected by Zika. While Congress did nothing and while the President refused to fully spend the spending authority it had available to him for weeks, this crisis continued to grow. The health impact of it is well understood, but the economic impact has not been discussed nearly enough. We know for a fact that there are bookings that are down in Miami Beach. That is not just an inconvenience. My parents worked in the hotel industry. That is how they raised our family--my father in particular. If hotels are suffering because people are canceling trips because they are afraid of Zika, it is the people that work at those hotels who are most immediately impacted. We have seen restaurants and small businesses associated with visitors report the same thing. Anecdotally, I have had people come up to me over the last month and say: Is it safe to travel to Florida? Is it safe to go down there? The answer is that it is. It is safe to come to Florida, but that doesn't mean we don't have a Zika problem. It doesn't mean it doesn't need to be addressed. Local communities in the State of Florida and the island of Puerto Rico--the territory, the Commonwealth--had to step forward and fund it on their own until now. While it is good news that we have finally passed Zika funding in the Senate, it now has to go to the House. I would urge my colleagues in the House to pass this quickly--not just to keep the government open but to finally fund the fight against Zika and to ensure that the research that is going into the development of vaccine is not slowed down. There are other things we can do to address this. For example, I have proposed opening up the Small Business Administration loan program that is available for businesses that suffer the effects of natural disasters to also be able so that businesses may avail themselves of these loans if they are suffering because of a health epidemic. The SBA has indicated that they are open to that change, and I hope that is something we look at when we return in November. Suffice it to say that I want to close out here today by telling the people of Florida that, after a wait that took far too long, after months of hard work and focus and bipartisan cooperation, help is finally on the way. Help is finally on the way in the form of $1.1 billion, including $15 million for Florida and $60 million for the territory of Puerto Rico. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Thursday, September 29; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I understand that there is a bill at the desk, and I ask for its first reading.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I now ask for a second reading and, in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I object to my own request.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be recognized as in morning business.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. RUBIO. Yes.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I awoke early Sunday morning to familiar news in Florida. Three boaters had lost their lives in an accident, and at the time their names were not known. Unfortunately this happens quite often, especially at night and during this time of the year. A couple of hours later, as I was driving to church with my family early that morning, I got a text that I didn't get to look at until we had parked, and it basically said that Jose Fernandez, the all-star pitcher from the Miami Marlins, had lost his life in a boating accident. Immediately I was able to connect the two events and realized that one of the three boaters who had lost their lives in the boating accident was Jose Fernandez--and his two friends, Emilio Macias and Eduardo Rivero. His death at just 24 years of age has obviously devastated his family, but it has also had an extraordinary impact on our community. It has shaken the Miami Marlins organization and its fans. It has rocked Tampa, FL, where he played in high school, and South Florida communities where he lived and was just starting to make his mark. It has had a deep impact on immigrant communities, especially the Cuban exile communities in South Florida, and, of course, the entire baseball and sporting world. His talents were unquestionable, even though he had only a brief and shining career in Major League Baseball. He had played for a year, was injured over the past 2 years, and when he came back, he had a better year than he did in 2013 when he was Rookie of the Year. He was obviously a young man on his way to a distinguished career that I believe would have led to the Hall of Fame and, perhaps along the way, a couple of pennants. It is interesting that his impact goes well beyond what one would normally think of a star baseball player. You ask yourself: Why did this young man, who had been with us for just a brief moment, lead to such an outpouring of grief from a community? Anywhere you go in Miami, that is all anyone could talk about over the last 48 hours. I think that to understand it, you have to understand his story. I had never met Jose Fernandez, yet I feel as though I knew him, and that is how millions of people feel. They had never met him, but they feel as if they know him. They feel as though they know him because his story, his family, and his passion, in the end, is our story, both as Cuban Americans and as Americans. By now, most of the Nation has seen tributes to Jose. They have seen commemorations showing footage of what he accomplished on the field in the way most baseball fans knew him--as Jose Fernandez, the dominant baseball player, the Tampa Alonso High School phenom who lead them to two State titles. He was a first-round draft choice, Rookie of the Year, and two-time All Star. As a baseball player, quite frankly, there were few better than Jose Fernandez. But, from everything we know, off the field, as a human being, a son, a grandson, a teammate, and a neighbor, I believe he was even better. He was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, in a place where tree branches and rocks are what passes for Louisville sluggers and Rawlings balls. He was drawn to the national sport of Cuba. He would spend countless hours swinging branches at rocks he had collected, dreaming of the day his talents could and would take him somewhere else. Thanks to sacrifices by his mother, who would take him to the ballpark so he could play youth baseball, he started to demonstrate a special talent at a young age. By the time he was a teenager, like more than a million Cubans during the past 50 years, Jose faced a difficult choice. His stepfather, a baseball player in his own right, had defected after 13 attempts and made himself a life in Tampa. Jose could stay in Cuba, a place that, to this day, is still ruled by a despotic regime where your talent and work can take you only as far as unelected dictators say you can go, or he could risk it all for a chance at freedom. He risked it, not once, but on four separate occasions. So desperate was he to leave that island that he took his chances crossing the Florida Straits on boats that probably had no business being more than a few miles off shore. Three times he tried, and three times he failed. After his third attempt, the Cuban Government put him in prison for 2 months. He was 14 years of age at the time and was placed in a prison cell with hardened criminals, murderers--a boy among the worst. Then came a fourth try, but instead of a short and treacherous journey to Miami, they chose a longer and more dangerous journey to Mexico. At one point during that fourth journey on a boat being tossed by crashing waves and high seas, he heard a splash and saw someone in the water thrashing about 60 feet away from the boat. He didn't know who it was, and without thinking, he jumped in to save that person. It was only when he got close to the person who had fallen overboard that he realized who it was--his mother. He recalled swimming toward her and watching her struggle in the rough seas. When he finally reached her, he calmed her and told her: Grab my back, but don't push me down. Let's go slow and we will make it. She held his left shoulder, and with his right arm--by the way, his pitching arm--he paddled. He swam 15 minutes back to the boat in waves he later described as ``stupid big,'' and he pulled himself and his mother to safety. Jose was 15 years old. Before America ever met Jose Fernandez and before his fastball earned him millions of dollars and countless fans, this young man of only 15 had struggled against all odds in the middle of the night in rough seas, revealing who he was and what he would one day be. As he would later tell us, the harder part of his life was still to come. Like so many immigrants, my parents included, his first years were difficult. He struggled when he first arrived, feeling overwhelmed by his new surroundings and new language. He was helpless, alone, and missing his family, especially his grandmother, who he once said was the love of his life: ``She was my everything.'' He said it was the toughest period of his young life. It was even tougher than the time he spent in a Cuban prison after he tried to defect, but he overcame all of that and eventually came into his own. He was a star on the high school diamond in Tampa, and the scouts took notice. Before the 2011 draft, Major League Baseball released their scouting report on him. He got high marks for his athletic abilities, but what set him apart was how he rated when it came to his poise, instincts, and aggressiveness. The notes on the official scouting report read: ``Exudes confidence. No fear approach.'' This was not cockiness or arrogance. It is the kind of peaceful self-assurance that comes from a kid who had known life and death, had known freedom and captivity, and had lived more life in 19 years than a kid his age should have to. He finally reached the Major Leagues with the Marlins, and right away you saw a young man blessed with Hall of Fame talent, blue-collar work ethic, and played the game with the energy and enthusiasm of a boy who understood and appreciated just how blessed he was. One of Jose's proudest accomplishments--in fact, he said his proudest--was not on the diamond. We know this because he told us. Last year, Jose became an American citizen, and afterward he said: This one is my most important accomplishment. I'm an American citizen now. I'm one of them. I consider myself now to be free. I thank this amazing country for giving me the opportunity to go to school here and learn the language and pitch in the major leagues. It's an honor to be a part of this country, and I respect it so much. Jose knew. He knew how special and fortunate and blessed he was and we are. He knew how improbable his journey was, from the rocks and branches in Santa Clara to the brightest lights of the show, from a Cuban prison to a Major League clubhouse, from living in a Communist nightmare to living the American dream. And that is why Jose's death has hit so many so hard; Jose's story is our story. He reminds so many in my community of someone they know--a brother, a son, or a nephew. Jose represented not just all of us who were fortunate to live our own American dream; he represents countless others who never made it, the ones who lie in unmarked graves along the Florida Straits, those who died in political prisons in Cuba, those who sent their children to America hoping to join them later only to never see them again, those who long gave up hope that life in Cuba could ever return to what it once was but had found new hope, joy, and gratitude in this, the greatest country the world has ever known. We loved him just a little more and took more pride in him than most, but Jose didn't just belong to Cuban Americans. He was a young man from Santa Clara, Cuba, playing America's pastime in a truly unique American city on a team with players from Taiwan; Venezuela; Japan; Dominican Republic; Mobile, AL; and Panorama, CA. Jose Fernandez was the pride of Miami, but he belonged to every fan who loved to watch him pitch. When Miami saw Jose, they saw more than just a great athlete, they saw all their hopes, dreams, and aspirations--all we are and all we could be, and we said to ourselves: This is what the American dream looks like, and, boy, is the American dream alive and well. This young man meant a lot to a lot of us for different reasons and in different ways, and now, just as quickly as he came into our lives and was coming into his own and really starting to fulfill his athletic potential--just as we were getting to know him, he was gone. In a moment of unimaginable grief, I thank his family for bringing him into this world and raising him, despite difficult obstacles, to become the man he was, and for encouraging Jose to never give up in the search for freedom--a freedom that eventually allowed him to share his many gifts with us on and off the field. Jose Fernandez made Tampa's Alonso High better, the Miami Marlins better, and he made all of baseball better. He made Miami and Tampa better, and the way he lived his life reminded us of how blessed we are to live in this, the greatest Nation on Earth. My friends, that is not bad for a 24-year-old kid from Santa Clara, Cuba. With that, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask to be recognized to speak in morning business.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, first of all, as to the news that has already been reported today, there is a broader issue about funding the government that remains in play with some issues, and there has been back and forth about that which will continue. I want to specifically talk about one of the provisions involved in this; that is, the funding for Zika. My colleagues know I have been discussing this issue for quite some time over the last few months as it has spread. Let's start with the United States. Across the U.S. territory, there are now close to 20,000 cases of Zika. There are over 3,300 infections in the mainland of the United States; 867 of them are in Florida and 90 were transmitted locally, meaning it happened in the State. There are 89 infections in Florida involving pregnant women. There are 85 infections now among U.S. servicemembers, two of whom are pregnant. There are 21 dependents of U.S. servicemembers infected with Zika, and one of them is pregnant. This is an issue that continues to grow in urgency, and it has taken far too long for Congress to act. As I have said repeatedly, both parties are to blame that we are at this point. What I am more optimistic about is the fact that we have reached a bipartisan agreement to fund the Federal Government's response to this virus, and it is a $1.1 billion package. There is $15 million specifically targeted for States with local transmissions, and so far Florida is the only State that has local transmissions. It also includes $16 million specifically for territories like the Island of Puerto Rico, which has had the highest number of affected American citizens, and that is by far. It is not even close. So next week when we come back, we are expected to vote on these anti-Zika resources, and it is going to be part of the larger bill to fund the Federal Government beyond September 30. I know that some of those other issues have yet to be worked out. There will be some extensive debate about some of the issues remaining, but this provision is an important part of this, and it has to be a part of the final package as we send it over to the House. I will begin by laying this out today in the hopes that not just my colleagues in the Senate will support the funding mechanism for Zika but also to begin to speak to some of our House colleagues about how important it is that we get the anti-Zika funding passed. Passing this funding will enable this money to begin to flow to help those who are being hurt by the virus but also so that medical researchers can focus on developing a vaccine without having to worry about their resources drying up. I think this package that has been put together in a bipartisan way rightfully prioritizes funding for Americans in Puerto Rico and Florida, and I am encouraged that our repeated calls for action on their behalf are beginning to be answered. I think that as we go through some of the details of it here, as some of it becomes public and as we go through some of the issues, I know people are going to care about it. This anti-Zika funding provides $1.1 billion. By the way, the Senate already passed the $1.1 billion provision--I believe back in May--so the Senate has already acted on this once. This is kind of revisiting this issue, but it is important. We are going to have to lead the way on how this is structured. Among the provisions, there is almost $400 million for mosquito control and surveillance. That is money which will go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to do things like support vector controls, technical assistance for States, as well as international response activities. Of this amount, by the way, $44 million is to reimburse States for public health emergency preparedness funding that was transferred for Zika response activities. There is about $400 million for vaccine and diagnostic development through the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. This is strictly related to research for Zika, vaccine development, and the commercialization of diagnostic tests. It is hard to get a test for Zika now. A couple of weeks ago, someone whom I know well could not find a place to do the test because there is not a commercially available one that is widely available. It provides about $75 million to reimburse health care providers in States and U.S. territories that have active Zika transmission, for those without private health insurance. That includes $40 million for community health centers in Puerto Rico and U.S. territories, $6 million for the National Health Services Corps in Puerto Rico, and $20 million for maternal and child health special projects of regional and national significance in Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories. It requires a spending plan of not later than 30 days after this act is passed, so it has oversight, and it provides about $1 million for oversight activities just to make sure the money is being appropriately targeted. This funding also includes about $175 million to support response efforts related to the Zika virus--for example, our diplomatic and consular programs; $14 million to address the Zika virus abroad, including our own personnel. For emergencies in the Diplomatic and Consular Service, we include about $4 million to support potential costs of evacuating U.S. citizens from Zika-affected countries. There is $1 million to enable financing of $1.9 million in repatriation loans to U.S. citizens who are seeking to leave a Zika- affected area outside of the United States or who have been exposed to or contracted Zika. As part of the global health programs, there is another $145 million to support the ability of infected countries to implement vector management and control programs to reduce the transmission of the virus. This is important because a lot of the cases we are seeing are coming from other countries. The virus has taken off in places like Brazil and other places, and when we have U.S. visitors to those places, ultimately what we are finding is that some people infected by Zika abroad are trying to come into the United States, even if they come in potentially on a tourist visa or what have you. So part of this effort is to control it abroad so it doesn't ultimately spread and reach here. There is a lot, as I said, that is complex. There are a lot of funds available. The good news is that it is being targeted in the right direction. The good news for Florida is that as the only State so far that has had a global transmission of Zika, we have included $15 million, which I think will be incredibly helpful for Florida. So I urge my colleagues--we have all come at this from a different perspective. There were a lot of other issues in play and a lot of political rhetoric surrounding this, but I think we have reached the point where, at least when it comes to Zika, we can rally around the proposal that is before us. It is as good as we are going to get given the time constraints we face, and we have waited far too long. We cannot leave here on September 30, next week, without moving something forward, and I think this gives us the best chance to get it done. I urge my colleagues to support it as we go into the new week, and I urge the House Members to look at this and rally around it. We have to take action on this once and for all. This gives us the best chance of success. I am cautiously optimistic that we are going to be able to get this done over here. I say ``cautiously'' because I want people at home to understand that this provision for Zika is part of a much bigger product that involves funding the Federal Government, and there are all sorts of other issues that are still being debated. As we heard the minority leader and others who have already spoken today--I read it in the press--they are not big fans of the proposal that is on the table. There are broader issues at play that could potentially derail Zika, issues that have nothing to do with Zika funding. There are other issues being debated that could derail funding for Zika that have nothing to do with Zika but involve some of these other issues associated with the funding of the government. This is important enough for us to move forward. I don't think anyone wants to see a government shutdown, of course, but beyond that, I think we have to get moving on this funding. We have heard loud and clear that this has taken far too long. Let me say that if this money doesn't start flowing--because I have been really hard on the administration about spending the money that is already available to them, but now I can tell you that money is slowly dwindling. Here is the fact: If we don't get something done over the next few days, the research on the vaccines and other things are going to stop and come to a grinding halt. If we want to save money on Zika, if we want to save money on this issue once and for all, develop a vaccine. That is what needs to happen. That can't happen if the funding is being threatened or if the funding is not something they can count on to move forward. Also, these local governments and municipalities and the State of Florida have already expended significant amounts of money to deal with this issue, including the mosquito control efforts. So that is important. These cases are going to happen whether we fund it or not. That is why I wanted us to do this in April and in May and June and in July. It took too long. Here is where we are now. Better late than never. Let's get this done as soon as possible so that we can give assurance to our people back home that the Federal Government has stepped up and their elected representatives have done their job to deal with this issue once and for all. With that, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, despite my longstanding concerns about Saudi Arabia's record on human rights, and political and religious liberties, this resolution of disapproval would undermine America's relationship with a key security partner in the Middle East while doing nothing to address critical threats in the region. The Obama administration's disastrous nuclear deal and ransom payments to Iran have emboldened the regime's leaders to sow discord and instability in the Middle East, undermining the trust of our Sunni Arab partners, including Saudi Arabia. In its quest for regional hegemony, Iran is attempting to encircle Saudi Arabia by supporting operations in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen; yet this resolution does not address Iran's role in any of these conflicts, including Yemen, where Houthi elements have forced the elected government from Yemen's capital. This conflict is hindering our ability to combat ISIS and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. I urge the Saudi-led coalition to make every effort to protect civilians in Yemen, and I urge the Obama administration to continue assisting the coalition in limiting civilian casualties through targeting and other measures. But Iran must cease its direct and indirect support for those causing chaos and instability in Yemen. Rather than empowering our partners and standing up to our enemies, this resolution would send the wrong message at a time when our partners are already doubting American commitment and resolve.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I wanted to take a moment to thank a key member of my office who, after more than 4 years of service to the people of Florida, is leaving us tomorrow to pursue a new career opportunity. Rob Noel started in our office's communications shop, often rising before the sun to see what was in the news and to make sure my staff and I had the latest info on the issues of the day. Over time, his duties would grow, eventually becoming our speechwriter and deputy communications director. Rob is a talented writer and has been an invaluable part of our efforts to communicate the causes that are important to us, to shine a spotlight on injustices we see around America and the world, and to rally support for the ideas and solutions that we believe can make a difference for people. On behalf of myself, your colleagues, and the people of Florida, thank you, Rob, for your service. We wish you the best.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be recognized to speak as in morning business.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I wish to cover something that happened today. A revelation was just made a few hours ago at a hearing in the House. I will give the history of this. As we all know, after the President's opening toward Cuba, there was increased travel to Cuba, now including the opening of commercial travel to the island from the United States. Back in May, the Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security told the House Homeland Security Committee that new scheduled air service from the United States to Cuba, and vice versa, was not going to start until air marshals were allowed to be onboard those flights. In August, the TSA provided the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, as well as reporters, a statement . . . [and they said] that the United States and Cuba had ``entered into an aviation security agreement that sets forth the legal framework for the deployment'' of air marshals ``on board certain flights to and from Cuba.'' Today, at a hearing in the House, ``a top TSA official divulged [for the first time] . . . that Cuba has yet to agree to allow U.S. air marshals aboard scheduled airline flights between the two countries-- meaning there have been no air marshals on board thus far, despite'' the fact that the administration said there would be. So, basically, what we have here is an outright lie. Last month, to great fanfare, the Obama Administration announced that an agreement had been reached that there was going to be air marshals on commercial flights to and from Cuba, and today they confirmed that they weren't telling the truth. There was no agreement finalized. On most, if not all, of these flights there are no air marshals. This is endangering U.S. passengers. This is a startling admission from the administration, and it is a startling admission by the TSA to the American people that they lied. They told us these flights would not begin until they had reached an agreement with the Cuban Government to have air marshals and other security measures in place. Today, only because they were asked--only because they were asked--did they admit that this is not happening. It was incumbent upon the TSA to lock down a Federal air marshal agreement before these flights started taking off to begin with. That is what they told us they were going to do. That is what they said or implied was happening. Unless that question had been specifically asked today at that hearing, we would not have known about this. My friends, this is the latest example of an administration that is so intent on burnishing its legacy, on getting credit for this opening, that they are willing to throw everything else out the window. They already are ignoring the human rights violations. We have one of the leading human rights dissidents in Cuba on the verge of death because of a hunger strike, and this administration hasn't said a word about it. They don't do anything about it. They don't highlight that case. Instead, they are all celebrating and popping corks of champagne on these new flights, which they told us were going to be safe because they were going to have air marshals. Today, because they were specifically asked, we find out that it is not true. This is outrageous. The TSA under the Obama administration has lied to us about the status of the security. Last week, I filed a bill that would stop all commercial flights to Cuba until this agreement is in place, until adequate security is in place. Now we know for a fact that adequate security is not in place. These flights should be suspended until such time as this agreement is signed. I want us to think about what this means if it doesn't happen--what it means is these are now flights that are vulnerable. There is a reason why we have air marshals on flights. It is because of the experience of 9/11, of which we just commemorated the anniversary on Sunday. We now have flights 90 miles from our shores that could theoretically be commandeered, and we could have a repeat of that, particularly in South Florida, which is just minutes away from the airport in Havana. This is just unacceptable. Forget about how we feel about Cuba policy for a moment. They have lied to the American people. They have lied to this Congress, and they were only caught today because they were specifically asked about the status of this. This puts us in incredible danger. By the way, it is important for everyone to remember that years ago there were no metal detectors even at airports. They started putting metal detectors at airports 30 years or 35 years ago because of hijackings to Cuba. There is a reason. So now here we have this situation where theoretically some terrorist could travel from any country in the world into Cuba and then try to come into the United States, commandeer an aircraft, and I don't need to say what could happen next. I think this is an incredibly dangerous situation. I think we need to unite across parties, across the aisle, and, basically, say: No matter how you feel about Cuba policy, we all agree that travel to Cuba should be safe--no less safe than travel to the Bahamas, no less safe than travel to the Dominican Republic, no less safe than travel to Mexico. Why are we allowing the Cuban Government to conduct flights without the same conditions we have on allies of the United States? Cuba is not an ally of the United States. The Cuban Government hosts intelligence facilities for both the Chinese and the Russians. The Cuban Government harbors fugitives from American justice. The Cuban Government helped North Korea evade U.N. sanctions on missile technology and weapons. Yet we have allies in this hemisphere who have to comply with all of this, but not Cuba. This is absurd. The TSA has lied. It leaves this Nation vulnerable. Those commercial flights need to be immediately suspended until such time as these security measures are put in place. This is something that just broke hours ago, and I hope we can come together here and actually deal with it, irrespective of how we may feel about the issue of Cuba. Zika Virus Funding Mr. President, the Governor of Florida was here yesterday and again today to discuss Zika funding. I met with him personally yesterday, and we met with the majority leader earlier today to reiterate again its importance. Let me reiterate again the statistics. There are now, on the mainland of the United States, almost 3,000 cases. In combination with U.S. territories--meaning, primarily, the island of Puerto Rico--there are now close to 16,000 cases. In my home State of Florida alone, we are up to 799 cases, and 70 of those cases are locally transmitted, meaning that they were not Zika infections acquired abroad. They were either sexually transmitted or transmitted by a mosquito in the State of Florida. As to infections involving pregnant women in Florida, there are 86. That is combined, both travel and local transmission. It has taken this Congress far too long to act. Now, I believe the good news is that, given the conversations that are still ongoing, we are on the verge of getting something done on the fight against Zika. I remind everyone that the Senate did act on this issue back in May in a bipartisan way, and I would take this moment to point out that my colleague, Senator Nelson from Florida, has been great to work with on this and multiple issues--but on this in particular. I thank him for his partnership and hard work in this regard. I enjoy our partnership on many issues involving the State of Florida, including the water bill before the Senate, but on this issue of Zika in particular. But it is time for the rest of us to come together in the interest of our people. I know that right now all the headlines are about the impact this is having on Florida. But make no mistake, Zika is a national problem, and it requires a Federal response including funding to develop a vaccine that will eradicate this virus. So I do appreciate Governor Scott's efforts at the State level to combat Zika. It is long past time that this Congress follows suit. This is, by the way, Governor Scott's second visit to Washington to address Zika. I am not aware of any other Governor who has come up here for the same purpose. But I can assure you that if we fail to seize the chance to pass funding, we are going to see more Governors and more Americans from every State and territory beating down the doors here in Washington fairly soon. As I said earlier, there are almost 20,000 Americans that have now been infected, and I think it would be a tragic and terrible mistake to ignore their plight. We have a chance here to help to prevent even more people from getting infected, but to do so we have to act now. I want to point to one of the aspects of this issue that isn't talked about enough. We already understand the risk of microcephaly and what it means for unborn children. We understand the risk it poses to people in general. But I want to talk a little bit today about the economic impact of it. We can imagine that, as Zika outbreaks are being reported around the world and for the first time ever the CDC is actually designating areas of the continental United States as travel advisory areas that perhaps people should avoid, it begins to have an economic impact. I also don't need to remind people--although, maybe I should-- how important tourism is to the State of Florida. The evidence that this is having an impact on our economy is now far more than just anecdotal. I will quote extensively from an article in the Miami Herald a few days ago. In August, leisure airfare prices fell 17 percent year- over-year at Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International Airport, according to an analysis by Harrell Associates. Fares for top routes at the nation's other airports rose 4 percent over the same time period. So other airports saw a 4-percent increase in fares, and leisure airfare fell by 17 percent. People may think that this is good news for the consumer. But this is reflective of something--that demand is down and that the number of people wanting to travel there is down. This is not travel in general, because across to other airports it was up 4 percent. But in two airports in South Florida, it was down by 17 percent. That is evidence that this is having an impact on travel, both business and leisure. Here is more evidence: ``And hotel bookings in greater downtown Miami fell by nearly 3 percent in the first three weeks of August compared to last year. . . .'' As someone raised by parents who worked in the tourism sector-- primarily in hotels--if these numbers and trends continue, not only are these hotels going to get hurt, but the people working there are going to get hurt. There is a reason why this is happening. I will go to a couple more business aspects that we would think would go beyond simple tourism, just so we know this is not just about hotels and airports. There is a Bay Harbor Islands-based company that does wedding planning called Forever Events. The owners said that a couple from California spent several months planning a destination wedding in Miami and then cancelled it. Instead, they are getting married in California. A nanny service that provides babysitting for families staying at hotels and resorts, often because they are in town to celebrate weddings, said the cancellations started coming as soon as the first travel-related cases were discovered in February. They said that families told them that because their wives were pregnant, they were too nervous to travel to Miami. Business has plummeted by about 25 percent, she said, hurting her staff. Phones have gone quiet. . . . ``We used to get calls every couple of weeks for a mom coming in town having her baby and now we haven't gotten any in months. . . . No calls at all.'' The rationale behind all this, perhaps, is a Kaiser Family Foundation poll conducted in August, which found that ``48 percent of Americans would be uncomfortable traveling to Zika infection areas within the U.S., including Miami.'' So, again, this is not just something that is having an impact on our health care system, which is dramatic in and of itself, but it is having an economic impact as well, which is why it is so inexcusable that we didn't address this in April. We couldn't get final passage on this in May. I know the Senate did its part. It has gotten tangled up in all this election-year politics. All I would say to my colleagues is, we fight about so many things around here. We have so many issues we could have a debate over. There are some significant differences between our political parties. In election years, they become more pronounced. Let's have debates about those issues, but at least when it comes to public health and safety, can't we say that on this issue, we are not going to play politics. Let's put this issue aside and let's not entangle it in all the political stuff that is going on because in the end, this does not discriminate. This is an issue that affects anyone and everyone, potentially. That is what I hope is going to happen. We have taken far too long. Can you imagine going back at the end of next week or at the end of this month and explaining to people, not just in Florida but in America, that Congress once again couldn't get anything done on this? I would ask both sides to show a tremendous amount of flexibility. I know there are ongoing conversations now behind the scenes to get some resolution on this. There are so many other issues we could have an argument over. On this one, let's just come together; let's provide the funding. It is already less than what the President asked for, and I believe we will need more in the future. Let us come together, once and for all, and let's get this done in the Senate, and then let's work on encouraging our colleagues in the House to do the same so we have at least some good news to tell the American people at the end of this month. No. 1, your government didn't shut down; and, No. 2, Congress has finally provided funds, not just to help States and localities deal with Zika, not just to help health care facilities treat people with Zika, and not just to help people prevent Zika but to continue the research to develop a vaccine because once we have a vaccine, then I think this issue becomes very different. Then we have an answer with permanency to it. That is where I hope we are headed. That is why I encourage my colleagues to continue to work on it. Let's get this done once and for all. It is the right thing to do for America. It is the right thing to do for our people. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess under the previous order.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 13, 2016, at 2:30 p.m., in room SH-219 of the Hart Senate Office Building.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on September 13, 2016, at 2:30 p.m., in room SR-253 of the Russell Senate Office Building to conduct a Subcommittee hearing entitled ``Examining the Better Online Ticket Sales Act of 2016.''