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January 15, 2016
Greetings,
This week, President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address, and once again, he demonstrated how out of touch he is with reality. We have had at least eight ISIS-inspired attacks on innocent Americans, including law enforcement, yet the President refuses to acknowledge the root cause of these attacks, radical Islamic terrorism. Rather than taking the opportunity to condemn the catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal, President Obama neglected the 10 American sailors Iran took hostage on Tuesday.
We need strong American leadership to combat radical Islam. I remain committed to taking basic steps to protect our country and the American people.
Please keep reading for an update on the latest in the Senate.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Responds to Refugee Arrests in Texas and California Tied to Terrorism
Following the terrorist-related arrests of two refugees in Houston and Sacramento last week, Sen. Cruz urged congressional leadership to immediately take up and pass legislation he has filed to protect America against the threat of radical Islamic terrorists entering the United States as refugees. Sen. Cruz also called for a retroactive assessment of refugees who have been admitted to our country.
Read the full release here.
Sen. Cruz Responds to President Obama’s Final State of the Union
Sen. Cruz issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s final State of the Union address on Tuesday:
“The speech tonight surprised nobody. It was more of the same. It was, sadly, less a State of the Union than it was a state of denial. President Obama demonstrated just how out of touch he is. He would have us believe that global warming is our greatest threat, our military is as strong as it can be, the economy is working for American families, and that the key to alleviating poverty is more government dependence.
Read Sen. Cruz’s full statement here.
House Passes Senate Resolution Disapproving Obama Administration’s Waters of the United States Rule
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S.J. Res. 22, a joint Congressional resolution of disapproval for the Waters of the United States Rule (WOTUS) that Sen. Cruz cosponsored in the Senate. The resolution is awaiting the president’s signature.
“The Obama Administration continues to wage a war on jobs, making it harder and harder for hardworking Americans to provide for their families. This rule is unconstitutional, plain and simple. The EPA’s new WOTUS rule is costly and tremendously harmful to families, farmers, and ranchers in Texas and across the country and would allow the federal government to determine what one can and cannot do with your own property,” Sen. Cruz said upon passage in the Senate.
Read Sen. Cruz’s full statement on this legislation here.
Cruz, Sessions Excoriate Administration Immigration Stonewall as Another 41 Terrorists Are Identified Inside U.S.
On Monday, Sen. Cruz and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) sent a letter today to the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State, and the Attorney General demanding the immigration history of 113 individuals recently implicated in Islamic terrorism inside the United States. Sens. Cruz and Sessions first demanded information on the immigration histories of 72 of these terrorists five months ago, but the Administration has failed to provide the requested info, continuing to stonewall the request, even after a follow-up letter was sent subsequent to the San Bernardino terrorist attack.
“On August 12 and December 3, we sent letters requesting that you provide basic information regarding the immigration histories of 72 individuals in the United States who have been identified as having an affiliation with Islamic terrorism. It has now been approximately five months since we sent our first letter, and we still do not have the requested information – despite the occurrence of a terrorist attack in San Bernardino carried out by a Muslim migrant and the child of Muslim migrants,” Sens. Cruz and Sessions wrote.
“We have now identified an additional 41 individuals, bringing the total to 113 individuals who have been implicated in Islamic terrorism in some manner since early 2014. Of these 113 individuals, at least 14 were initially admitted to the United States as refugees…the American people are entitled to information on the immigration history of terrorists seeking to harm them.”
Read the full release and letter here.
Sens. Cruz, Coons, Graham, Whitehouse Rally Bipartisan Support for American Victims of Iranian Terrorism
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Bank Markazi v. Peterson, a landmark case where over a thousand American victims of Iranian terrorism are seeking to recover nearly $2 billion in assets held by Iran. When the Supreme Court first announced it would hear this case, Sen. Cruz joined with Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), filing a bipartisan amicus brief to express support for the plaintiffs in their recovery efforts. The United States Senate also submitted an amicus brief on this case.
Specifically, the Cruz-Coons-Graham-Whitehouse brief defends Congress’ ability to legislate and act with specificity when considering foreign relations and combatting international terrorism, which is currently under scrutiny in Bank Markazi v. Peterson.
The filing of both amicus briefs followed a hearing chaired by Sen. Cruz last November that focused on the federal government’s deplorable track record when it comes to supporting victims of Iranian and Palestinian terrorism.
Read the full release and amicus briefs here.
Sen. Cruz Op-Ed in The Washington Times: “Terror on the March”
Last week, Sen. Cruz penned an op-ed for The Washington Times, reflecting on the terror attack at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris one year ago and calling for leadership against the rising threat of radical Islamic terrorism.
“We need clear American leadership to combat radical Islam. We need leaders who will identify the enemy we face, so that we know exactly who and what we are fighting. No more Orwellian doublespeak like ‘countering violent extremism.’ No more euphemisms like ‘workplace violence.’ The United States, and indeed the free world, is at war with radical Islamic terror. The sooner the Obama White House acknowledges that fact, the closer we will be to having a strategy to defeat it,” Sen. Cruz wrote.
Read the full op-ed here.
A Regional Update from State Field Director and North Texas Regional Director Jason Wright and West Texas Regional Director Shea Woodard Hall
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz’s State Field Director and North Texas Regional Director Jason Wright and West Texas Regional Director Shea Woodard Hall visited Amarillo, where they discussed Sen. Cruz’s legislative accomplishments with the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and other community leaders.
Wright and Hall also met with Amarillo Mayor Paul Harpole and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association to discuss issues important to the Amarillo community.
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