Mel Martinez
Mel Martinez
Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz, usually known as Mel Martínez, is an American lobbyist and former politician who served as United States Senator from Florida and served as chairman of the Republican Party from November 2006 until October 19, 2007, the first Latino to serve as chairman of a major party. Previously, Martínez served as the 12th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush. Martínez is a Cuban-American and Roman Catholic. He announced he was resigning as...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth23 October 1946
CountryUnited States of America
I look forward to your tenure as chairman, ... When you are confirmed, as I'm sure you will be, it's critically important that you be independent. I think you realize that.
I will always vote on the side of freedom and our right to keep and bear arms.
I don't want to get people's hopes up. It's not going to be a dollar-for-dollar thing, ... it will help farmers recover and put people back to work.
But he hasn't been a visible leader, so he hasn't necessarily secured the Latino vote yet,
This administration is dedicated to serving the homeless ... and HUD is proud to be leading that effort,
I don't want to come to Washington to be just another vote. I want to lead on issues that are important.
From time to time, the irresponsible acts of the Cuban government remind us that this is far more than about the freedom of one country, but it really is about the stability and security of the region and the national security interests of the United States.
Senator Martinez is not driven by polls; he is driven by the needs of the state of Florida and its 17 million constituents.
Getting WRDA to the Senate floor for a vote is a high priority, ... This bill is bipartisan, it's widely supported and it's an urgent need that we have to satisfy.
It is proper that the federal government help alleviate short-term disruptions and price spikes such as those brought about by Hurricane Katrina.
I just didn't feel like I wanted to be part of a process that I didn't have any control over whatsoever.
Our focus needs to be on freeing dissidents and continuing to support the opposition movement within Cuba - not rewarding Castro and subsidizing and strengthening his totalitarian regime.
We heard clearly from the head of the American Petroleum Institute that expanding drilling in the Gulf will have no impact on the current price crisis,
We need a new Latin American policy that is bold - different. We need to focus on building civil society, focus on the lack of infrastructure. We need look at ways to foster economic opportunity. There needs to be a more comprehensive economic vision in the region.