{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/2025/9/sen-rick-scott-leads-50-senate-colleagues-in-bipartisan-letter-encouraging-u-k-prime-minister-starmer-to-work-with-president-trump-to-free-jimmy-lai", "Sen. Rick Scott Leads 50 Senate Colleagues in Bipartisan Letter Encouraging U.K. Prime Minister Starmer to Work with President Trump to Free Jimmy Lai", "2025-09-17", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "FL", "Rick Scott", "S001217", "www.rickscott.senate.gov", "rickscott", "https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/press-releases/", "page_html", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, as President Trump kicks off his second state visit to the United Kingdom (U.K.), Senator Rick Scott led 50 bipartisan colleagues in a letter to United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer asking that he work closely with President Trump and the U.S. government to free pro-democracy leader and U.K. citizen Jimmy Lai, who is unjustly imprisoned by the Communist Chinese regime. The Senators ask that the U.K. explore all possible avenues and use every tool at its disposal to help secure Mr. Lai's freedom as he experiences deteriorating health conditions after five years of imprisonment.\n\nCosigners of Senator Scott\u2019s letter include: Senators John Thune, John Barrasso, Shelley Moore Capito, Jim Risch, Jeanne Shaheen, Jim Banks, Marsha Blackburn, John Boozman, Katie Britt, Ted Budd, Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Tom Cotton, Kevin Cramer, Mike Crapo, Ted Cruz, John Curtis, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, Deb Fischer, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Grassley, Bill Hagerty, Josh Hawley, John Hoeven, Jon Husted, Ron Johnson, John Kennedy, James Lankford, Roger Marshall, Mitch McConnell, Jeff Merkley, Ashley Moody, Bernie Moreno, Jerry Moran, Markwayne Mullin, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Gary Peters, Jack Reed, Pete Ricketts, Eric Schmitt, Tim Sheehy, Dan Sullivan, Tim Scott, Thom Tillis, Peter Welch, Roger Wicker, and Todd Young.\n\nRead the letter HERE or below:\n\nDear Prime Minister,\n\nWe are a group of sitting U.S. senators who support President Trump\u2019s commitment to saving the life of the unjustly imprisoned Jimmy Lai and securing his release. As Mr. Lai is a U.K. citizen, we ask that you support this most urgent mission by discussing Mr. Lai's plight with the president during his state visit to the U.K.\n\nLike our president, we share Mr. Lai\u2019s values and admire his struggle for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. We are encouraged by the U.S. and U.K. Governments' determination to free Mr. Lai. We know it will be difficult and that the U.K. will need to explore all possible avenues and use every tool at its disposal to secure Mr. Lai's freedom.\n\nThis mission is urgent. Mr. Lai is 77, diabetic, and has recently been put on a heart monitor. He has been wrongly imprisoned for five years, and every day he spends in prison increases his risk of an untimely death. We cannot let that happen.\n\nTime is running out for Mr. Lai. It is vital that the U.S. and the U.K. stand together in doing what is right.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-03-30T11:08:25Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/2025/9/sen-rick-scott-leads-50-senate-colleagues-in-bipartisan-letter-encouraging-u-k-prime-minister-starmer-to-work-with-president-trump-to-free-jimmy-lai"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7709860801696777, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}