Senator Marco Rubio represents the State of Florida. In 2000, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2012. He subsequently was elected Speaker. In 2010, he was elected to the U. S. Senate. He is now serving his third term in the Senate.
Senator Rubio is the son of Cuban immigrants. His father, who had a mobility disability, worked as a banquet bartender, while his mother split time as a stay-at-home mom and hotel maid. From conversations with his grandfather, Senator Rubio gained appreciation of and an interest in public service.
Senator Rubio has been recognized not only as an effective legislator, but the Lugar Center has also ranked him as one of the most bipartisan senators. The Senator serves as Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, as a senior member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, as former chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and as a member of the Committee on Appropriations and Special Committee on Aging.
Whether taking on federal rules that are barriers to our health and independence or tackling tough legislative initiatives, Senator Rubio has tirelessly championed a multitude of issues during his tenure in the Congress.
Senator Rubio has put himself out there on behalf of people with disabilities when we have needed a voice. Earlier this year, Senator Rubio, along with Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, led a congressional letter of inquiry to the National Institutes of Health. Following the removal of “lengthen life” from its stated goals, Senators Rubio and Duckworth sent this reply:
“We are concerned that eliminating the stated goal of lengthening life within the NIH’s mission statement without explanation or justification could have a negative impact on people’s existing attitudes towards the quality of life of people with disabilities.”
For a number of years each September, Senator Rubio has led and championed congressional recognition of National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month. Last September, together with Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, he helped lead a bipartisan resolution “to raise awareness, encourage for the research to develop better treatments, therapies and cures for spinal cord injuries.”
United Spinal truly appreciates Senator Rubio’s longstanding work on behalf of our community and wheelchair users. We are proud to honor Senator Rubio as a United Spinal congressional champion.
You can learn more about Senator Rubio’s accomplishments in his official biography.