Marco Rubio

I do not believe that in your testimony you mention Iran a single time.

How do we justify that?

And yes, we sanctioned one company. There are multiple companies from China, China-related companies, who we have just as much evidence against.

All I can say is that what this looks like from watching it is that what we are basically involved in here is a provocation-response cycle with North Korea.

I do not understand. From 2009 to 2016, why did we wait to act against these persons? And the only conclusion one could draw is that beyond the issue of sanctions, we have here the issue of pressure because of the broader situation with…

I think everyone can see what this is. I mean, we are afraid to press the case against too many Chinese companies because of the broader situation between China and the United States.

No American should have to live in the conditions that we've seen at Windsor Cove and Eureka Gardens.

I introduced the Housing Accountability Act with Senator Rubio to give tenants a voice.

HUD clearly needs to do a better job to find these problems before they reach a boiling point.

I challenge the owners of these properties to spend a week in their own buildings.

So, basically, there have been instances and multiple cases at Eureka Gardens where the tenant complained too much, the management company would suddenly come up with a reason to evict you, and that got around, everybody knew if you…

Well, I thank you for your indulgence. I thank you all again for being here today, and I think there will be a broader conversation one day about the structure of the program in general, but right now we want to make the program we have in…

The structure of the program incentivizes poor maintenance.

What Senator Rubio and Senator Nelson have uncovered is a perfect illustration of what the systematic evidence shows about the performance of the Section 8 new construction program.

I hope we can continue working together, across party lines--this is not a partisan issue--to investigate GMF, and to pass legislation to fix HUD's faulty inspection process.

If HUD is falsely certifying the living conditions at these many properties for one organization, then it is probably doing the same for many other entities we have yet to hear about.

Senator Nelson and I have also introduced legislation that would enact a tenant survey, in order to better identify problems in properties like GMF's.

These slum lords cause the problems but HUD has enabled it, and the twin vices that so often afflict massive Federal safety net programs, bureaucracy and corruption, have prevented the kind of action necessary to protect the tenants and…

What I have discovered in Florida, however, is that HUD has compromised the integrity of these standards.

HUD has enabled fraud and abuse to continue, all while taxpayer money continues to flow into the pockets of these slum lords.

When Senator Nelson and I visited Windsor Cove Apartments in Orlando, we saw standing water in apartments, and damaged roofs, collapsed ceilings.

I saw crumbling staircases, exposed electrical wires, boarded-up windows that would trap a child inside if there was a fire.

Global Ministries Foundation are slum lords. They operate these facilities at the bare minimum.

I imagine, in my view or from what I have read, that they come in three strains.

If that is how they feel about that, getting them to prioritize and actually do something about child marriage at that level of government I would imagine is a heavy lift.