Rubio is on the following committee. One would hope he was familiar with science.
Subcommittee on Science And Space: The Subcommittee has responsibility for science, engineering, and technology research and development and policy; calibration and measurement standards; and civilian aeronautical and space science and policy. The Subcommittee conducts oversight on the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Funny thing about that, I had drinks with two Scientists last month and I asked them both their opinions on the age of the Earth.
The PhD in Analytic Chemistry said it's hard to know for sure but the current vetted evidence says it's 4.5 billion years old. When I asked about the 6000 year "literal interpretation of the Bible" he said that it should be considered in context and with a grain of salt.
The PhD in Geophysics said that Carbon dating is the current method and that it puts the age of the earth at "just over 4.5 billion" and when I asked the same question he said, "Carbon dating is the linchpin. The fundamentalists don't believe in it and strangely enough they have a valid concern. But until it's been proven otherwise, this is what we're going with."
Then they turned the tables on me and asked me my opinion. I told them that I had always been taught 4.5 billion years and my amateur studies in Astronomy have confirmed this. Then they subjected me to a defense of my opinion and they both told me that my reasoning was as inconclusive as theirs.
It was an interesting evening and quite an insight into the process of Scientific "proof."
Now why is Rubio an idiot again? (outside of his political opportunism and you'll get no argument from me on that)