Senator Rick Scott Fights to End Birth Tourism from Communist China, but Democrats Block Legislation

Senator Rick Scott Fights to End Birth Tourism from Communist China, but Democrats Block Legislation September 23, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last night on the Senate Floor, U.S. Senator Rick Scott tried to pass his Stopping Adversarial Foreign Exploitation of Kids in Domestic Surrogacy (SAFE KIDS) Act by unanimous consent. Senate Democrats blocked the bill despite a series of recent legacy media headlines highlighting exploitation of birth tourism by citizens of America’s enemies – specifically Communist China. Watch Senator Scott’s full speech by clicking HERE or on the image above. Senator Rick Scott said, “In July, I came to the floor and warned about Chinese birth tourism based on a story in my home state of Florida. It was a real story hurting one of my constituents, and I wanted to raise the alarm. I warned this body months ago of this national security threat. Here's what has happened since: this story from my state, and others like it, have made national headlines. The Wall Street Journal , New York Magazine , and CBS News have all run major stories about birth tourism since I last brought this to the floor. We can’t ignore it anymore, and we know it is not a conspiracy theory.” “American citizenship is not for sale, and our enemies cannot be allowed to buy it. This country, its sovereignty, and its future are worth protecting. Everyone in this chamber should believe that and support this bill.” This is the second time this year Senate Democrats have blocked Senator Scott’s bill. BACKGROUND The SAFE Kids Act prevents adversarial nations, including Communist China, from using American surrogates to obtain U.S. citizenship for their children and traffic infants abroad. It is the first bill of its kind to curb this practice and establish accountability for brokers who facilitate commercial surrogacy contracts with America’s foreign adversaries: Communist China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea. International commercial surrogacy raises serious national security and human trafficking concerns, but there are currently no U.S. laws on the books to address these issues. The SAFE KIDS Act addresses a gap in U.S. surrogacy law by: Invalidating any commercial surrogacy agreement that is entered into with citizens of a foreign adversarial nation; and Creating a misdemeanor for brokers—not surrogates—who knowingly or recklessly facilitate a prohibited commercial surrogacy agreement with citizens of a foreign adversarial nation. Read more about Communist China’s birth tourism in America: The Wall Street Journal : A Florida Surrogate, a Father in China, and the Babies Caught Between CBS News : "Who do we hand the baby to?" Loopholes and shady practices taint U.S. surrogacy industry New York Magazine : Whose Babies are these? The New York Post : Meet the US Army vet running a California baby factory for Chinese nationals to have American kids ### https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/2026/9/senator-rick-scott-fights-to-end-birth-tourism-from-communist-china-but-democrats-block-legislation