From his seat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Florida Senator Marco Rubio scored a win as the United States Senate passed a bill that focuses on the Middle East.

Teaming up with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans, Senator Rubio introduced the “Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act.”

Rubio’s office noted that the “legislation would make improvements to defense and security assistance provisions in the Middle East, bolster the U.S.-Israel strategic alliance by authorizing security assistance to Israel over a 10-year period pursuant to the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding, reauthorize the United States-Jordan Defense Cooperation Act of 2015, provide new authorities for sanctions against Syria’s Assad regime and its supporters, and empower state and local governments in the United States to counter the anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement’s discriminatory economic warfare against the Jewish state.”

Rubio echoed in his office’s remarks, expressing his gratitude for lawmakers “putting politics aside and supporting this critical bill of bipartisan measures that will keep America and our allies safer and more secure.”

He further explained that “it is in America’s national security interests to ensure that our allies in the Middle East like Israel and Jordan remain secure amid the region’s growing destabilizing threats posed by Iran and Syria’s Assad regime. Additionally, this bill will hold the Assad regime and its supporters accountable for the continued human rights violations against the Syrian people.”

Also, Rubio noted that he is looking forward to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi taking up the legislation in the House.

Newly-elected Senator Rick Scott voted in favor of the bill as well, commenting that “supporting Israel should never be a partisan issue, and I was shocked Chuck Schumer held this bill up. I’m glad the Democrats saw the light and finally allowed this bill to move forward.”