Rick Scott

In Case You Missed It… Sen. Rick Scott Joins Coinbase Crypto Panel in Miami with House Whip Tom Emmer

Position: Senator Scott opposes a federal central bank digital currency (CBDC), advocates for reduced government regulation of cryptocurrency to enable innovation and competition, and supports the Clarity Act framework for digital-asset regulation.

MIAMI, Fla. – Yesterday, Senator Rick Scott participated in a Solana Policy Institute panel on the future of American cryptocurrency. U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), House Majority Whip, joined Senator Scott as a panelist. The conversation centered around legislation to ban a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), the Clarity Act, and the intersection of national security and cryptocurrency. The full discussion can be found HERE or by clicking the photo above. Senator Scott said, "Do not trust government. So, if you don't trust government, there's no way you should allow the federal government to have a digital currency… They'll use it to hurt you… They target people. That's what governments do." Senator Scott said, "In my business life, my biggest problem was always government. And the reason government is a problem is because there's uncertainty. When we don't have certainty, it makes it very difficult in business to actually do anything… We ought to allow competition and we'll get innovation and people will bring the technology back to the United States." ON MAKING AMERICA THE CRYPTO CAPITAL OF THE WORLD: Senator Scott said, "Government has just got to get the hell out of the way and let people go innovate. If there's new legislation we have to do or fix regulations or things like that, we should do that, but I think the business community will go and do that on its own. The public wants this. So now people are just going to be innovative. I think they will be way more innovative than they were with the internet, so I think this is a big opportunity."

Sen. Rick Scott, Reps. Elise Stefanik & Josh Gottheimer Introduce Bipartisan Bills to Limit Foreign Influence on American Universities

Position: The senators and representatives support legislation to block federal research funding for universities that operate branch campuses in adversarial countries or receive research funding from hostile foreign governments for national-security-related research.

NAPLES, Fla. — Senator Rick Scott and U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik and Josh Gottheimer introduced The Defending American Research Act and No Branch Campuses in Hostile Countries Act to prevent foreign interference by America's enemies in the higher education system. The two bills would block federal funding for universities that operate branch campuses in certain countries or receive research payouts from those countries. The Defending American Research Act amends the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to require institutions of higher education to certify, as part of an application for a research and development award, that such institution does not operate certain branch campuses in specified adversarial or high-risk countries. The No Branch Campuses in Hostile Countries Act amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 to bar institutions of higher education from receiving a federal research and development award for five years if they receive funding from specific foreign governments to carry out research and development tasks tied to national security or military applications including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum information science. Senator Scott said, "America has enemies and we need to start acting like it. Countries like Communist China and terror-supporting Qatar should not be able to use America's colleges and universities as outposts to spy on us, steal sensitive research and spread anti-American propaganda, but we've been letting them do it for years. This legislation is critical to America's national security and the future of our higher education system, neither of which should be for sale." Rep. Stefanik said, "Hostile foreign nations like China and Qatar have funneled millions of dollars to some of America's most prestigious universities. This funding has allowed these nations to promote harmful anti-American ideologies on college campuses and gain access to sensitive research with national security applications. Our legislation will prevent federal research dollars from padding the pockets of universities that continue to knowingly operate branch campuses in these nations or accept funds for national security-related research. These concrete actions will help defend American universities and students from hostile foreign influence." Rep. Gottheimer said, "We know adversaries like the CCP are exploiting our universities to access cutting-edge research and push their anti-American agendas. This bipartisan legislation draws a clear line: if you're taking money tied to hostile nations, you shouldn't be getting U.S. taxpayer dollars, full stop. It's about protecting our national security and standing up for American innovation." Read the full text of the No Branch Campuses in Hostile Countries Act HERE and The Defending American Research Act HERE.

Sen. Rick Scott in Wall Street Journal: Your Taxes Shouldn’t Help Platform Hasan Piker

Position: Senator Scott opposes federal funding for Yale University, arguing that taxpayers should not subsidize wealthy private institutions, particularly one that hosted a speaker he characterizes as advocating violence and antisemitism.

NAPLES, Fla. — This week, the Wall Street Journal published a letter to the editor by Senator Rick Scott responding to its earlier editorial about the decline of Yale University, which culminated in Yale hosting Hasan Piker, a left-wing socialist podcaster who has publicly called for the murder of Senator Scott and others. Senator Scott said, "America is $39 trillion in debt. Yale has a $44 billion endowment and is tax-exempt. The annual cost of attending Yale is roughly $94,000. Half of Americans earn less than $45,000 per year. You don't need an Ivy League degree to do that math. Why make Americans subsidize a wealthy private school that invites antisemitic socialists who advocate violence?" The letter can be found HERE or below: Last week, your editorial "Yale Takes Itself to Reform School" (April 20) said the university isn't what it once was. No kidding. Two weeks ago, Yale University hosted a debate with Hasan Piker—a socialist podcaster who sees successful entrepreneurs as a problem for which the solution is to take their money and kill them (in no particular order). Where socialism creeps in, decline always follows. Mr. Piker has said I should be killed. He has said America deserved 9/11. He wishes for the fall of the "American empire." Different views ought to be welcomed on university campuses, but is that the high-level thought of the supposed intellectual titans known to attend Yale? I hope not. These are the ravings of an America-hating, terrorist-supporting lunatic. While I'm glad the university at least acknowledged its academic decline in its recent report, failure demands accountability. The Florida taxpayer shouldn't have to foot the bill for any of it. That's why I'm calling on Congress to deny Yale federal funding. America is $39 trillion in debt. Yale has a $44 billion endowment and is tax-exempt. The annual cost of attending Yale is roughly $94,000. Half of Americans earn less than $45,000 per year. You don't need an Ivy League degree to do that math. Why make Americans subsidize a wealthy private school that invites antisemitic socialists who advocate violence? If Yale wants to host "intellectuals" who call for the murder of their political opponents, that's their choice. They just have no business receiving any of your tax dollars.

Sen. Rick Scott, Sen. Jeff Merkley Introduce Tibet Atrocities Determination Act

Position: Senators Scott and Merkley introduced legislation requiring the Secretary of State to make a formal determination on whether China is committing genocide or crimes against humanity against the Tibetan people. Both senators assert that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity in Tibet and call for accountability.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Rick Scott and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Tibet Atrocities Determination Act. April 29th is observed by the Tibetan Youth Congress as Martyr's Day to commemorate and honor the lives of Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Tibet. This legislation requires the Secretary of State make a formal determination on whether China is committing a genocide or crimes of humanity against the Tibetan people. Senator Rick Scott said, "Communist China is committing genocide in Tibet. There is no way around it. The regime in Beijing has engaged in systematic killings, torture, forced sterilization, forced displacement, government sanctioned kidnapping, and a myriad of other crimes against humanity in its oppression of the Tibetan people. This is par for the course for an evil regime that is simultaneously waging a genocide against the Uyghurs, suppressing Christianity, and locking up political prisoners like my friend Jimmy Lai. The bloodshed needs to end, and China needs to be held accountable for all of it. I am glad to be partnering with Sen. Merkley on this effort to hold the Chinese government accountable." Senator Jeff Merkley said, "In the face of China's continued assault on Tibetans—escalating cultural erasure, child separation, surveillance, imprisonment, and torture—America can't stand silent As the Chinese government continues to ignore the rights of the Tibetan people under international law, we must be clear that these crimes will not be ignored." After the 1949 revolution in China, the CCP moved to take control of Tibet, sending the PLA into the region in 1950 and cementing its authority through the 1951 Seventeen Point Agreement, which in practice ended Tibetan self-rule. Tensions continued to rise and came to a breaking point during the 1959 Lhasa uprising, which resulted in mass arrests and heavy loss of life. The Dalai Lama fled to India, along with many Tibetans who formed a lasting exile community that continues to document abuses. In the decades since, Chinese authorities have imposed tight restrictions on Tibetan religion and culture – closing or tightly regulating monasteries, imprisoning monks and nuns, punishing expressions of support for the Dalai Lama, and advancing "Sinicization" policies that place Tibetan Buddhism, language, and education firmly under state control. Reports from the U.S. State Department and human rights organizations also describe ongoing enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, and targeted repression of Tibetans, including the still-unresolved 1995 disappearance of the boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama. There have also been reports of a widespread boarding school system that separates Tibetan children from their families, limits Tibetan language and cultural education, and subjects students to political indoctrination and surveillance. Given the growing body of evidence, there is a compelling interest in examining whether the CCP's state-directed policies meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention, or otherwise crimes against humanity. Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

Sen. Rick Scott’s Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act Passes the House of Representatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Senator Rick Scott's bipartisan Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act (H.R. 5366) unanimously passed the House of Representatives by voice vote. Sen. Scott is co-leading the bill in the Senate with Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) is leading in the House, with original co-sponsors Representatives Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Jimmy Penetta (D-Calif.), and the late Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.). The bill provides meaningful and long-overdue tax relief for victims of hurricanes and other natural disasters and ensures victims of natural disasters have immediate access to tax relief for years to come. It was recently renamed the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act to honor Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who passed away in January of 2026. The bill would allow for tax relief for victims of federally declared disasters, including hurricanes and wildfires. The bill also extends victims' ability to make tax deductible payments from wildfire settlements, which often happen many years after a disaster, through January 1, 2027. Senator Rick Scott said, "Floridians are resilient in the face of natural disasters, and we always overcome them. While neighbors help neighbors and communities rebuild, we should be doing everything we can to make it easier on disaster victims in Florida and around the country to put their lives back together. We certainly should not saddle them with more uncertainty about their taxes. I am proud to support this bill to provide Americans critical clarity in the disaster relief process and honor the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa's extensive work on this issue. Let's finish the job and pass this bill." Senator Adam Schiff said, "Surviving a natural disaster can place an enormous financial burden on families. That's why it's critical we support victims of devastating disasters like the wildfires in California and across the country. I'm proud that this bipartisan effort with my colleagues Senator Rick Scott and Representatives Greg Steube and Mike Thompson is advancing through Congress. As we work to get this bill to the President's desk, we do so as a vital part of the late Doug LaMalfa's legacy. We need to ensure that those hit the hardest when disaster strikes receive the support and the tax relief they need to recover." Congressman Greg Steube said, "Floridians are far too familiar with the devastation and costly aftermath that natural disasters bring to their homes and communities. They should not be forced to face additional hardship and uncertainty by navigating a confusing and burdensome tax code after surviving such events. This bill ensures that disaster victims across the country can focus on rebuilding their lives while receiving the relief they deserve. Congressman LaMalfa spent years leading on this issue, and naming this legislation in his honor is a meaningful way to carry that important work forward." Full text of the bill can be found here.

Sen. Rick Scott Featured in Diario Las Américas on Letter to NBC Over Díaz-Canel Softball Interview on Meet the Press

Position: Senator Scott criticizes NBC News for providing Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel a platform on Meet the Press without adequate scrutiny of his regime's human rights abuses, including political imprisonment, denial of free elections, and authoritarian ties.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Senator Rick Scott was featured in Diario Las Américas regarding a letter he sent to leaders of NBC News and its parent company, Comcast, demanding answers after the network offered Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel a platform on its signature show, Meet the Press, without meaningful pushback. In the letter, Senator Scott calls out the network's editorial team, including host Kristen Welker, for making no serious effort to press the dictator on his regime's illegal imprisonment of political prisoners, denial of free and fair elections, and its close ties to other authoritarian regimes like China, Russia and Iran. The letter also builds on the Senator's ongoing efforts to both hold the Cuban dictatorship accountable and fight for the immediate and unconditional release of every political prisoner in Cuba — including a recent letter to President Trump urging him to expand pressure on Cuba's illegitimate Castro/Díaz-Canel regime. Read the full letter HERE or below. Read more in Diario Las Américas HERE. Dear Mr. Roberts, Mr. Conde, and Ms. Blumenstein: I write to you today to express my extreme disappointment in NBC's decision to invite Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel for a softball interview with Kristen Welker on your network's show, Meet the Press, on Sunday, April 12, 2026, —effectively providing him a platform on American news with no real pushback. For decades, the Castro/Diaz-Canel regime in Cuba has repressed the Cuban people, refused to hold free and fair elections, and denied its population economic opportunity under a brutal communist dictatorship. Geographically, this regime is the closest foreign adversary to our nation, just 90 miles from my home state of Florida. Your network's failure to adequately highlight the myriad crimes of the Cuban regime and hold Diaz-Canel accountable for them during that interview only lent more legitimacy to the regime to continue this legacy of murder, torture, and oppression. In Ms. Welker's interview of Diaz-Canel, she called it "an honor" to speak to him. She used him as a foil to President Trump to make Diaz-Canel seem like the victim of the United States, rather than as the despot he really is. The kid-glove treatment of a violent dictator immensely damaged the cause of freedom Cubans have demanded since the communist revolution. For example, Ms. Welker let Diaz-Canel filibuster her question about stepping down as dictator instead of pressing him on holding elections and letting the people decide the fate of the country. When Cubans demanded "Patria y Vida" in the July 2021 protests, the regime responded with murder, imprisonment, and torture for anyone daring to stand against the regime, including minors. Recently, the regime promised a so-called "mass pardon" of political prisoners, many from the 2021 protests, after diplomatic discussions with President Trump's administration; however, only one prisoner, Alexander Díaz-Rodríguez, has actually been freed from custody. After his release, photos made it evidently clear that he was tortured, malnourished, and denied medical care for cancer he was diagnosed with while unfairly imprisoned. This is the policy and legacy of the Castro/Díaz-Canel regime. I have enclosed these pictures for your awareness. This is the reality of the Díaz-Canel regime. It is not something any respectable news outlet should be papering over with softball interviews in good conscience. Ms. Welker also failed to force an answer from the Cuban despot on questions that I highlighted on behalf of our Cuban community. This included pressing him on: Through this journalistic failure to hold a dictator accountable on one of your network's most-watched programs, NBC tacitly legitimized the regime, which will in-turn leverage that legitimacy to further repress its citizens. I hope that in the future, your news organization will focus more on journalism that reflects the strong American legacy of a free and fearless press — rather than simply handing a megaphone to dictators.

In Case You Missed It… Sen. Rick Scott in the NY Post: Mamdani made Ken Griffin a target — and cemented NYC’s death spiral

Position: Senator Scott opposes wealth tax proposals and argues that high taxes on wealthy individuals drive them to leave states, harming state budgets and economies.

NAPLES, Fla. – Today, Senator Rick Scott published an op-ed in the New York Post arguing against wealth tax proposals pushed by blue state socialists like New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the death spiral ahead for New York if they keep villainizing their biggest tax base. In the op-ed, Senator Rick Scott wrote, "Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stood outside Ken Griffin's apartment building and grinned, 'Today we're taxing the rich.' He said it like he was declaring victory. It was actually a eulogy for one of the greatest cities in the world. 'Tax the rich' (or as de facto Democratic Party spokesperson Hasan Piker would probably put it, "Kill the rich") has become the rallying cry for a party that either doesn't understand the competitive landscape between states, or doesn't understand basic math.' The competition between states gets more intense every day. Blue states want to tax their way into prosperity, but it always fails. Mamdani can keep hosting photo ops outside billionaires' buildings. Meanwhile, the people funding his city's budget will keep doing what New Yorkers have been doing for years: They'll call the movers."

El Senador Rick Scott destacado en Diario Las Américas sobre una carta a NBC durante la blanda entrevista a Díaz-Canel en Meet the Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. – El Senador Rick Scott fue destacado en Diario Las Américas hoy, sobre una carta que envió a los líderes de NBC News y su empresa matriz, Comcast, exigiendo respuestas después de que la cadena ofreciera al dictador cubano Miguel Díaz-Canel una plataforma en su programa emblemático, Meet the Press, sin un cuestionamiento significativo. En la carta, el Senador Scott critica al equipo editorial de la cadena, incluida la presentadora Kristen Welker, por no hacer ningún esfuerzo serio por presionar al dictador sobre el encarcelamiento ilegal de presos políticos por parte de su régimen, la negación de elecciones libres y justas, y sus estrechos vínculos con otros regímenes autoritarios como China, Rusia e Irán. La carta también se basa en los esfuerzos continuos del Senador para responsabilizar a la dictadura cubana y también luchar por la liberación inmediata e incondicional de todos los presos políticos en Cuba — incluyendo una carta reciente al Presidente Trump instándole a ampliar la presión sobre el ilegítimo régimen cubano de Castro/Díaz-Canel. Lee la carta completa en español AQUÍ o en inglés arriba. Lea más en Diario Las Américas AQUÍ.