Rubio Urges Secretary Austin to Bolster Bilateral Security with Brazil to Combat CCP's Malign Influence

Press Release

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging him to expand U.S. bilateral security cooperation with Brazil in order to counter the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Western Hemisphere.

"Brazil is an important U.S. ally and security partner with key capabilities that is willing to work shoulder-to-shoulder with our forces to ensure the security and stability of the southern Atlantic Ocean and the broader region," Rubio said. "As such, I strongly urge you to prioritize and pursue options to expand this relationship and support initiatives to make the region safer from the CCP's malign influence. As we have seen many times, this influence includes corruption, vaccine extortion, deceitful lending practices, party-to-party training, environmental threats, and challenges to sovereignty."

Rubio is the Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues.

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