The News with Sen. Cruz - November 21, 2014
This week, President Obama announced he will unilaterally grant amnesty to millions who have entered the country illegally. This is unconstitutional and it is lawless. His actions defy the people who have spoken in overwhelming numbers against amnesty.
I will keep working to uphold the rule of law and work towards implementing a system that welcomes immigrants to our nation in a safe, legal manner.
Please keep reading for an update on the latest in the Senate.
All the best,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Publishes Op-Ed: Obama is not a Monarch
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz penned an op-ed in Politico in response to President Obama’s plan to illegally grant amnesty. See excerpts below:
“The Constitution designs a system of checks and balances for our nation, and executive amnesty unilaterally decreed from the White House would seriously undermine the rule of law.
“Our founders repeatedly warned about the dangers of unlimited power within the executive branch; Congress should heed those words as the President threatens to grant amnesty to millions of people who have come to our country illegally.
“To be clear, the dispute over executive amnesty is not between President Obama and Republicans in Congress; it is a dispute between President Obama and the American People. The Democrats suffered historic losses in the midterm elections largely over the prospect of the President’s executive amnesty.
“President Obama was correct: his policies were on the ballot across the nation in 2014. The elections were a referendum on amnesty, and the voters soundly rejected it. There was no ambiguity.
“Undeterred, President Obama appears to be going forward. It is lawless. It is unconstitutional. He is defiant, and angry at the American People. If he acts by executive diktat, President Obama will not be acting as a president, he will be acting as a monarch…”
“If the President announces executive amnesty, the new Senate Majority Leader who takes over in January should announce that the 114th Congress will not confirm a single nominee--executive or judicial--outside of vital national security positions, so long as the illegal amnesty persists.
“This is a potent tool given to Congress by the Constitution explicitly to act as a check on executive power. It is a constitutional power of the Majority Leader alone, and it would serve as a significant deterrent to a lawless President.
“Additionally, the new Congress should exercise the power of the purse by passing individual appropriations bills authorizing critical functions of government and attaching riders to strip the authority from the president to grant amnesty.”
Sen. Cruz Speaks for Internet Freedom in Austin
Last week, Sen. Cruz spoke at the Capital Factory in Austin, Texas about the future of the Internet.
“Today, with the Internet, anyone can put up a website, get a PayPal account, get FedEx, and you have nationwide distribution,” said Sen. Cruz. “What an incredible, transformational, innovative shift that has empowered people—all driven by freedom. In Texas, we are fond of saying ‘Don’t mess with Texas.’ The simple message I want to convey, that we should remember, that members of Congress should remember, that policy members should remember, is ‘Don’t mess with the Internet.’ Given the freedom that has enabled this to develop, the worst thing that could happen is letting a whole bunch of politicians come in and regulate every aspect of what you are doing. The reason the Internet has had the dynamism, the opportunity, the freedom, the diversity, is because it hasn’t been plagued by excessive regulation.”
In his remarks, Sen. Cruz outlined four principles that should be kept in mind to protect Internet freedom:
- First, we must abandon the idea of further taxing Internet access and sales.
- Second, we should dismiss all plans to give nations hostile to human rights and democracy more influence over Internet policy.
- Third, we must promote growth in the technological sector, a consistent bright spot for the U.S. economy. And one of the biggest regulatory threats to the Internet is net neutrality.
- Fourth, we must recognize that our constitutional rights are digital rights, too. Sen. Cruz concluded, “I would encourage you the only way to preserve that freedom is to speak out against those in Washington who want to increase their power to regulate and tax where they got no business.”
Earlier that week, Sen. Cruz published an op-ed advocating to keep the Internet free. Read the full op-ed here.
Sen. Cruz Stands with Israel Against Palestinian Terrorism
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz released a statement in response to the brutal terrorist attack at Kehilat Yaakov Synagogue in Jerusalem Tuesday morning:
“Evil was unleashed in Jerusalem today, as two Palestinian terrorists armed with handguns, knives and hatchets attacked a morning prayer service. They worked at close range, shooting into the crowd and hacking at heads and arms of worshippers with their axes while shouting ‘Allahu Akbar.’ Witnesses reported that the blood of the victims ‘flowed like water.’ Some dozen people, including two policemen, were wounded in the onslaught before the terrorists were neutralized, and four men lay dead. Prayer shawls and tefilin have become shrouds for the devout, whose only crime was the peaceful practice of their Jewish faith.
“Israel mourns for Rabbi Moshe Twersky. For Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg. For Rabbi Kalman Levine. For Rabbi Aryeh Kupinsky. But Israel does not mourn alone, for all four were not only Israeli—Rabbi Avraham Goldberg was a dual Israeli-UK citizen while Rabbis Moshe Twersky, Kalman Levine and Aryeh Kupinsky were all dual Israeli-US citizens. “These men were not victims of a senseless tragedy, they were deliberately targeted in carefully-planned attack. The Palestinian terrorists, incubated in a culture of violence and hate, were intent on killing Jews and they singled out men of deep religious faith who would not be armed to ensure maximum casualties. Their despicable actions have been hailed as ‘heroic’ by Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Fatah that are actively inciting these attacks.
“All our friends in Israel have our sympathies in the aftermath of this atrocity, but they need more than that. They need an unequivocal statement of solidarity, a recognition that America is not a disinterested bystander in this battle. Our citizens are dying too, targeted by these same vicious murderers, and our good friend and ally should have not only our prayers but also our unequivocal support as the Israeli people continue the fight against the terrorists who have declared war on both our nations.”
