Rep. Haridopolos Recognizes Marco Rubio on the House Floor

Rep. Haridopolos Recognizes Marco Rubio on the House Floor

<span>Rep. Haridopolos Recognizes Marco Rubio on the House Floor</span> <span><span>Kaley.Stidham@…</span></span> <span><time datetime="2026-03-04T19:43:44-05:00" title="Wednesday, March 4, 2026 - 19:43">Wed, 03/04/2026 - 19:43</time> </span> <div class="evo-press-release__body"><p dir="ltr"><strong>WASHINGTON, D.C.&nbsp;</strong><span>— Today, Congressman Mike Haridopolos (FL-08) delivered remarks on the House Floor recognizing the leadership and work of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.&nbsp;</span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><span><img src="//haridopolos.house.gov/core/misc/icons/e32700/error.svg" height="16" width="16" alt="Image removed." title="This image has been removed. For security reasons, only images from the local domain are allowed." class="filter-image-invalid" loading="lazy"></span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Click&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://youtu.be/RyAnyNZ0iq8"><strong><u>here</u></strong></a><strong> or on the image above to watch his remarks.&nbsp;</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Congressman Haridopolos’ remarks as prepared for delivery:&nbsp;</strong></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Thank you, Mr. Speaker.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on the recent speech given by our Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, a fellow Floridian who spoke to the world in Munich about the path to freedom in the 21st century. He spoke with clarity, strength, and even at times humor to paint a vision that we can all embrace.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Our transatlantic alliance faces both strain and opportunity. The United States and Europe are not merely strategic partners, as Secretary Rubio said so well. We are bound by history, culture, sacrifice, and a shared belief in liberty. Ours is not a temporary arrangement of convenience, but a partnership rooted in a shared civilization that has shaped the modern world.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>History teaches us something important: alliances endure not through sentiment, but through seriousness. They thrive when nations are confident, self-reliant, and clear-eyed about the challenges before them.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Today I want to speak about the renewal of the West, and how that renewal reflects the best traditions of American diplomacy. Traditions embodied by some of our great Secretaries of State: John Quincy Adams, William Seward, George Marshall, and James Baker. Each faced a fractured world. Each acted boldly. Each understood that American strength, wisely applied, could shape a more stable international order.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>The United States is a nation born in the European political tradition. Our constitutional order, our philosophy of rights, and our understanding of sovereignty all trace their roots back to this continent. When we say America and Europe belong together, we are not describing a temporary security arrangement; we are acknowledging a shared inheritance.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>But shared heritage does not excuse complacency. The lesson of the last several decades is clear: alliances weaken when economic foundations erode, when defense burdens fall unevenly, and when world leaders avoid hard conversations. A renewal of our alliance requires candid, honest dialogue.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>In what form should those conversations take? Secretary Rubio began that conversation in Munich. As a history teacher myself, I trust we will also look to the actions of some of our finest Secretaries of State as they served both their presidents and our nation.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em><strong>John Quincy Adams</strong></em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>After the War of 1812, John Quincy Adams recognized that America was fragile. The great powers of Europe were organizing themselves at the Congress of Vienna. It would have been easy for the young United States to be pulled into European alliances and European rivalries.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>But Adams, a former Massachusetts senator and diplomat who helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812, understood something profound: American strength depended first on national independence and economic resilience.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>As George Washington warned in his Farewell Address, we must avoid entangling alliances. As Secretary of State under President James Monroe, Adams negotiated the Adams-Onís Treaty, securing Florida (my home state) from Spain and clarifying American borders along the continent.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Later, in 1823, he helped craft what became known as the Monroe Doctrine: a declaration that the Western Hemisphere would not be subject to European recolonization.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>The lesson: America should not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy but neither should we allow others to define our destiny.</em></p><p dir="ltr"><em>That balance, strength without recklessness, independence without isolation, is deeply relevant today. When we insist on fair trade, secure supply chains, and recipro