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March 6, 2015
Greetings,
This week Texas celebrated its 179th anniversary of independence.
We remember the great pioneers who risked everything so Texans would be forever free.
Since then, the Lone Star State has offered millions of citizens the opportunities to work hard and provide for their families, and countless Texans have dedicated their lives to ensuring that is always the case.
Please keep reading for an update on the Senate.
Keep Texas strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Questions Whether Obama’s Amnesty is Hurting Legal Immigrants
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On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz questioned U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials on whether the agency is using funds from legal immigrants to subsidize President Obama's illegal executive amnesty, and raised questions about the degree to which the agency is complying with the recently issued federal court injunction.
Sen. Cruz inquired if there is any statutory measure that prevents the USCIS from using fees from legal immigrants to fund President Obama's illegal DAPA and DACA expansion programs.
The USCIS representatives refused to answer, stating, “I'm not qualified to make that kind of determination.”
Sen. Cruz responded, “My first concern [with the president's executive amnesty] is that it is contrary to federal law and unconstitutional, and as I noted earlier a federal district court has agreed that it is contrary to law and has accordingly enjoined it. But another major concern is a question of fairness. That executive amnesty benefits and in fact gives preferences to those who are here illegally, and it does so to the detriment of legal immigrants, of those who have followed the law and come here legally.”
Sen. Cruz presented two examples:
- If an immigrant entrepreneur wants to come to the United States and start a business, he must pay a fee of $1,500;
- If an immigrant investor wants to use capital to create American jobs, he is charged $6,230 under the immigrant investor pilot program.
And yet, those who broke the law and entered illegally and are applying for DACA or DAPA will not be charged any additional fees.
Sen. Cruz concluded, “I cannot think of any other fee program, any rational fee program, that allows those who break the law to be exempt from paying the fee, but if someone is foolish enough to actually try to comply with our immigration laws, to wait at home, to wait in line for years - sometimes decades - we smack them with a fee of $1,500 or $6,200, but those who are here illegally pay nothing. That strikes me as a program that is indefensible to the American people.”
The segments of Sen. Cruz’s questions are available here and here.
Sen. Cruz Introduces Health Care Choice Act
This week, Sen. Cruz introduced the Health Care Choice Act, which would remove Obamacare's costly insurance mandates and allow residents in one state the option to purchase a health insurance plan of their choice in any other state.
“Every last word of Obamacare must be repealed,” said Sen. Cruz. “And while we continue that fight, we must also send bill after bill to the President's desk to stop its harmful effects. The Health Care Choice Act will reduce costs, force insurers to compete for business and empower consumers to choose a health plan that meets their needs.
“The Administration has done absolutely nothing to prepare for an upcoming Supreme Court decision that could leave millions of Americans unable to afford insurance thanks to this failed law. Republicans must offer the American people alternatives that lower costs and break the status quo that favors big government and big health care business over hardworking Americans. The Health Care Choice Act is one step in that direction.
“This bill is a true market-based reform that will make health insurance more personal and affordable, giving consumers the freedom to select plans that fit their needs, anywhere from Alaska to Texas to Vermont.”
The Health Care Choice Act repeals the insurance mandates that have caused premiums and out-of-pocket expenses to skyrocket while degrading the quality of Americans' health care choices and enables insurance to be sold across state lines.
Read the full release here.
Sen. Cruz Discusses Stopping a Nuclear Iran with Elie Wiesel
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On Monday, Sen. Cruz participated in a panel discussion with Nobel peace laureate Elie Wiesel and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach regarding the dangers of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
In his remarks Mr. Wiesel said, “When evil begins its work, don't give it another chance.” In addition to highlighting the importance of preventing Iran from reaching nuclear capability, the event focused on Mr. Wiesel’s lifetime efforts to raise awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust, and the importance of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s upcoming speech to Congress.
Sen. Cruz said, “What matters is what we do right now to address the single greatest national security threat facing both the nation of Israel and the United States: what we do right now to ensure that in no circumstances will the nation of Iran be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons capability. The gravity of this threat cannot be overstated. With respect to the nation of Israel, I agree with Prime Minister Netanyahu that a nuclear Iran presents an existential threat to Israel.”
Read the full release here.
Sen. Cruz Responds to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Address to Congress
This week, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed Congress and delivered a clear message against any deal with Iran that would enable them to acquire nuclear weapons.
Sen. Cruz praised his remarks: “A few minutes ago, both houses of Congress heard remarks that were in every respect, Churchillian. Like a lion in winter, PM Netanyahu is speaking with a clarity and a gravity about the threat a nuclear Iran poses to the existence of the nation of Israel, and to the safety and security of America.”
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