Biography & Current Office
Rick Scott
Rick Scott is a Republican senator from Florida who has served in the Senate since 2019 after serving two terms as governor of Florida, according to Congress.gov and the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
The Senate Special Committee on Aging identifies Scott as chairman, with Kirsten Gillibrand as ranking member. The committee focuses on issues affecting older Americans and conducts oversight and investigations in that area.
On July 29, 2026, Scott and Gillibrand released a bipartisan committee report on artificial intelligence and older Americans and held a hearing on AI-enabled fraud, deepfakes and voice-cloning scams. This profile treats those actions as committee oversight work, not as a claim rating.
On September 17, 2026, Baldwin and Scott jointly asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate how Amazon’s Alexa for Shopping and Walmart’s Sparky AI assistants handle “Made in USA” product-origin information. Reuters reported that their letter cited a Columbia Law School study; this profile records the oversight request separately from any FTC finding or enforcement action.
Current / reviewed roles
- Chairman — Senate Special Committee on Aging
- U.S. Senator — Florida
Committees & Leadership
Current and reviewed institutional roles
- Senate Special Committee on Aging — Chairman
Claims & Evidence
Evidence tracker
2026-09-17 · Congressional oversight / Artificial intelligence / Consumer protection
Baldwin and Scott ask FTC to investigate Amazon and Walmart AI shopping assistants over “Made in USA” claims
PUBLIC RECORD / OVERSIGHT REQUEST — NOT RATEDNo numerical FactFlag Meter score is assigned to this congressional oversight request.
What is being said
In a September 17 letter to the FTC, Baldwin and Scott said the retailers’ AI shopping assistants could mislead consumers and undermine American manufacturing by suppressing or failing to flag product-origin information, and they urged the agency to investigate and consider enforcement if warranted.
What the record shows
Reuters reported the bipartisan letter and said it relies on a July Columbia Law School Center for Law and the Economy study. The Columbia report states that its tests found Alexa for Shopping and Sparky could detect potential “Made in USA” mismatches but did not consistently surface or flag them. Amazon, Walmart and the FTC had not immediately responded to Reuters when its report was published. The senators’ letter and the underlying study are evidence supporting a request for regulatory scrutiny; they are not an FTC adjudication or proof that either retailer committed a violation.
Response / rebuttal
Reuters reported that Amazon, Walmart and the FTC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the September 17 letter. The Columbia study represents the researchers’ findings and methodology, which the senators cited in seeking an FTC investigation.
Limits / uncertainty: The FTC had not announced a result or enforcement action in the sources reviewed for this update. FactFlag therefore records the senators’ request and the study’s findings as attributed claims, not established regulatory violations. Any later agency response, company rebuttal, investigation or enforcement outcome should be added separately.
NOT RATEDNo automatic rating is assigned merely because this person holds office. Sourced claim reviews appear here when a specific, fact-checkable statement warrants one.
