Sen. Marco Rubio officially has a new job and a whole lot of ambition to go with it.
On Wednesday afternoon Vice President Joe Biden swore Rubio in to the Senate. A couple hours before that, the Miami native laid out many of his priorities and some of his plans for how to change the country's course.
"I believe this country is headed in the wrong direction," Rubio said. "I believe both parties are to blame. I want to go to Washington, D.C. to stand up to the direction it's taking our country and offer a clear alternative."
When Rubio says he wants to "offer a clear alternative," it isn't just rhetoric. He's cautioned his own party against being of the "party of no," and attempts to set an example by offering real ideas.
"First of all, I think there's plenty of waste in federal government and I don't think we're going to have to look far to find it," he told reporters just before being sworn in.
He suggests rolling back discretionary spending to 2008 levels.
He also wants to take the politics out of the earmark system and find a better way to prioritize which projects get funded.
But cutting waste, discretionary spending and earmarks, are only part of his larger goal: reigning in the national debt.
"It cannot be continued to be put off," said Rubio. "The rest of the world and our creditors and our economy are looking at the decisions being made in Washington and they want to know right off the bat, 'are the people we just sent up there serious about dealing with this debt issue? Because if they're not, then we've got big problems.'"
Like his Republican colleagues, Rubio also wants to repeal "Obamacare," but offers commonsense ideas to address the health care problem. He wants to get a system in place that would allow people more choice over their health care options and let them pay for it with tax-free dollars. He would also create incentives for states to tackle tort reform, and allow businesses to pool together to purchase insurance from any company in the country.
As he stood, ready to walk down the aisle of the Senate floor with Sen. Bill Nelson and former Sen. Mel Martinez, Rubio's expression alternated back and forth from a beaming smile to a solemn stare -- perhaps reflecting the sober reality of the new responsibilities he'll face over the next six years in the U.S. Senate.
Lane Wright can be reached at lane@sunshinestatenews.com or 561-247-1063
