Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., had harsh words on Wednesday for the current state of politics, criticizing in particular the very body in which he serves. The Senate, Rubio said, is incapable of passing legislation to solve the nation's problems.
"Too oftentimes in the United States Senate especially, most of the votes we take are nothing but messaging points," Rubio said in a speech at the Latino Coalition's Annual Economic Summit in Washington. "Bills are brought to the floor that people know are not going to pass for one purpose alone, and that's to give people talking points on the Sunday evening shows.
"Our people deserve better. It's not like we don't have major issues to confront, but they are not being confronted. The only thing that's being done in the Senate these days is creating material for television commercials in the fall, and it's sad."
Rubio, a first-term senator, has sometimes defied the body's partisanship to either oppose his party or to work with Democrats on legislation, a rare venture in today's Congress. He is drafting a Republican version of the Dream Act, which would create a visa "“ although not a path to citizenship "“ for the children of undocumented residents who attend college or serve in the military.