By Marco Rubio

This Friday, as the sun sets, the Jewish community will join together to observe the holiest day of the year in the Jewish faith, Yom Kippur. As Jews around the world partake in deep prayer and repentance on this Day of Atonement, it is my prayer that their journey toward spiritual renewal be a blessed and holy one. While this day is a solemn one, we pray it brings them the reprieve of acceptance and forgiveness, and the joys of family and fellowship.

This day serves as a reminder to us all, regardless of faith or denomination, of our many shared values. It is a reminder of the universal desire to overcome our shortcomings and partake in a noble journey toward self-improvement and self-awareness. Today, may Americans everywhere call to mind the values our nation holds dear – including our commitment to family and faith, as well as the freedom to celebrate both.

On this High Holiday, we pray especially for our friends in Israel as they continue to face great challenges. May this day be met with lasting peace in the Jewish state, and let it remind us of our commitment to protect and defend our allies there.

I wish the Jewish community peace and blessings this Yom Kippur, and may this sacred day seal a promise for a year of health and happiness for all.

By Marco Rubio

As I reflect on the legacy of dedication and service that belongs to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces, I feel great pride in their accomplishments as well as reverence for the sacrifices that have been the price of those accomplishments. Today, as we mark POW/MIA Recognition Day, we dedicate ourselves to honoring all American prisoners of war and those missing in action.

As Americans, we never forget the promise made to all who wear or have worn our nation's uniform that, even if they are lost, our nation will never stop looking for them.  More than 83,000 Americans remain missing in action today.  To those missing a relative serving in our armed forces, I pray for the swift and safe return of your loved one. I also pray that you feel the gratitude and support of the American people, who live with tremendous pride and appreciation for the service that your family has offered our nation.

Today we also remember those who were prisoners of war or missing in action that our nation has since lost. These Americans and their families have paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom, and we remain indebted to them. Their sacrifices have built this nation and ensured that its promise lives on for future generations to inherit.

By Marco Rubio

Hundreds of rockets have been fired at Israel in recent days from Gaza. The attacks have significantly disrupted daily life in many parts of the country as Israelis of all ages have been forced to huddle in shelters as warning sirens sound. There have even been reports of weddings and bar and bat mitzvahs interrupted by rocket fire as the guests had to run for cover. As during past trials, the Israeli people are showing themselves to be courageous amid the uncertainty and threats. 

The Israeli government has shown great restraint, and went to great lengths to try to avoid this confrontation. However, Hamas was intent on starting this conflict. While I am pleased by the apparent success of the U.S.-supported Iron Dome system in preventing significant rocket strikes on populated territory thus far, Israel cannot rely solely on this defensive shield. No country should be expected to put its citizens through the situation that millions of Israelis face. Israel has the right to take actions to defend its people, including striking rocket launch sites and the leadership of Hamas. I fully support those efforts.

Unfortunately, the Obama administration, aided by many in the mainstream media, has chosen this crisis as an opportunity to continue its criticism of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. It is shameful that a senior White House official would choose a moment of crisis to deliver a public diatribe in Israel against the government’s handling of relations with the Palestinians. Even if it wasn’t apparent to the Obama administration until recently, the events of recent days show once and for all that Israel does not have a serious partner for peace. Terrorists cannot be moderated by “technocratic” governments. Hamas cannot be turned into a legitimate political actor through backroom deals based on Hamas’ supposed weakness.

Instead of directing ire at our ally, Israel, U.S. officials should instead be sending a clear message to Palestinian President Abbas: If you are serious about peace, you should support Israel’s right to exist and renounce violence and terror instead of partnering with bloodthirsty killers.

Instead of facilitating Abbas’ narrative about the supposed technocratic nature of this government, the administration should state clearly that U.S. assistance will be suspended unless the government meets the requirements of U.S. law. This is the choice that Abbas needs to make. He cannot continue to have it both ways.

I hope that these events will cause the administration to rethink its entire approach to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. This is not about punishing all Palestinians. It is about recognizing the reality of the situation on the ground. It is about clearly stating to moderate Palestinians, and there are many of them, that they are not well served by leaders who are not willing to make courageous decisions for peace. It is about American leadership that recognizes America’s unique role in the world and matches it with the will to support our allies and oppose our enemies. It is about supporting Israel in its hour of need. 

In an op-ed for the Sun Sentinel, Senator Rubio urges the U.S. Department of Education to end its baseless investigation into the Florida Bright Futures scholarship program, highlighting the program’s fundamental purpose: to assist promising students with rising costs of higher education based solely on merit. Excerpts from the piece are below:

For over two decades, Bright Futures has helped thousands of students finance their education at our state's colleges and universities. Its promise has been simple: for high-school students who achieve a certain grade point average, standardized test score and coursework, the state gives scholarships covering all or most of their college tuition.

The program has been entirely merit-based, using the most objective standards available.

…

If people believe the wrong priorities are being set, our political process provides avenues to advocate for legislative changes or elect representatives who do share their priorities. That's what makes this federal intrusion unnecessary.

A federal civil rights investigation is a serious matter that should be reserved for instances where deliberate violations of civil rights are clearly occurring.

…

We had many vigorous debates about the program and its future during my time in the legislature, including whether its changing standards were leaving out too many students. The criticism that existed then, as it does now, was that this program had the effect of transferring money from Florida lottery players that tend to be poorer to students who tended to come from wealthier families.

It was a valid concern, and one we made efforts to address by prioritizing more need-based grant and loan programs, as well as the underlying factors that made it harder for students to achieve the Bright Futures academic eligibility standards. It reinforced in me the belief that our K-12 education system should provide greater freedoms to parents to help their kids escape failing schools, expanded learning and mentoring opportunities for at-risk kids.

But ultimately, these choices, debates and arguments belong at the state and local level. It's one thing to question one's policy priorities, but it's another matter to suggest that the architects of a scholarship program — one that has already helped thousands of Hispanic and African-American students — may be guilty of discriminating against these communities.

If people want to debate the underlying merits of the Bright Futures standards, I can respect that. And if someone wants to scrap Bright Futures entirely because they believe there is simply no infallible and completely objective way of setting eligibility standards for it, they should make that argument before the state legislature.

But encouraging the federal government to interfere and decide for us would set a dangerous precedent that all Floridians will one day come to regret.

Read the entire op-ed here.