Senator Scott Covers Daylight Saving Time, NDAA Blockade, Lindsey Graham and More

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Senator Rick Scott joined Pensacola's Morning News Tuesday with a wide-ranging interview — covering the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, a major daylight-saving time victory in the House, Democratic obstruction of the defense authorization bill, and a new piece of legislation aimed at protecting children from AI.

Remembering Lindsey Graham

Scott opened with personal memories of the South Carolina senator who died suddenly over the weekend. He recalled Graham coming to Florida in 2018 to campaign for Scott's Senate run at a time when most people didn't think Scott could beat incumbent Bill Nelson. Scott says Graham got on a plane and showed up when it mattered — and that kind of loyalty is something he will never forget. Scott noted that Graham's sister has been sworn in to finish the remainder of his term.

Daylight Saving Time — One Step Away

The House passed a daylight-saving time bill last night with more than 300 votes in a massive bipartisan showing — and Scott says if Senate Majority Leader John Thune calls it for a vote it will pass. The bill gives states the right to choose their preferred time standard year-round. Florida — where Scott signed the original request for congressional permission when he was governor — wants to stay on daylight saving time permanently so residents can enjoy sunlight after work. Scott says he will do everything he can to get it scheduled in the Senate and can't imagine it failing given how overwhelmingly it cleared the House. He credited Congresswoman Vern Buchanan for getting it across the finish line on the House side.

Democrats Block NDAA

Scott expressed deep frustration over Senate Democrats blocking the National Defense Authorization Act — a bill that has passed on a bipartisan basis every year for more than 60 consecutive years. He called the blockade grandstanding and says doing it in the middle of an active conflict with Iran is indefensible. He also warned about the downstream consequences — if a continuing resolution is used instead of a full budget any new military project would be frozen at prior year spending levels for months. He says none of this is about governing and all of it is about Democrats trying to generate political advantage ahead of November.

Safeguard Kids Act

Scott has filed the Safeguard Kids Act — a bill that allows schools to use existing federal education grant money for two specific purposes related to artificial intelligence. The first is teaching students about the risks of AI. The second is providing mental health counseling for students experiencing issues related to AI chatbot use. Scott says the bill creates no new spending — it simply gives schools the flexibility to direct money they already have toward AI safety education and mental health support. He says it is a logical common-sense measure and is optimistic about bipartisan support.

Jack Smith Surveillance

Scott revealed that his personal text messages were read and his tax returns were stolen and leaked during the Biden years as part of what he described as a broader pattern of political targeting. He is pushing for FISA reform to prevent future administrations from using surveillance tools against political opponents. He says what happened to him and others is exactly the kind of abuse the original FISA statute was designed to prevent and says the law needs to be updated to reflect how it has been weaponized.