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March 31, 2017
Greetings,
This week the Trump Administration issued an executive order rolling back a number of costly Obama-era regulations, including the Clean Power Plan, the rules for new power plants, and the methane rule. Excessive regulations like these slow the economy, and crush job creation. This is a significant victory for Texas and the nation and I am hopeful it serves as an initial, powerful early step in unleashing the American Energy Renaissance.
On Wednesday, I joined a majority of my colleagues in the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. I have been thankful for the opportunity to do my part in helping successfully usher Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation through the first stages of his confirmation, and urge my colleagues across the aisle to join in support of this brilliant and immensely talented judge when the full Senate takes up his nomination next week.
Throughout the week, I also had the pleasure of visiting with members of the Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Cattle Feeders Association, American Loggers Council, Texas Restaurant Association, and Texas AIPAC members where I discussed my priorities for the 115th Congress. I remain excited and optimistic about the opportunities before us to repeal Obamacare, implement fundamental tax reform and regulatory reform, and confirm Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
Please read below for an update from this last week.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz: ‘Judge Gorsuch Should be Confirmed to the Supreme Court and He Will be Confirmed to the Supreme Court’
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz joined his colleagues in the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Sen. Cruz urged his Democratic colleagues who were willing to confirm Judge Gorsuch ten years ago to do so again.
“Judge Gorsuch should be confirmed to the Supreme Court and he will be confirmed to the Supreme Court,” Sen. Cruz said. “On any objective measure Judge Gorsuch is impeccably well qualified for the court. Gorsuch has spent a lifetime in the law building a record demonstrating that he will make an exemplary justice. A decade ago when he was nominated to the Federal Court of Appeals, the Senate confirmed him by voice vote – not a single senator spoke out against him. If they supported his being on the Court of Appeals a decade ago, what’s changed? The universal assessment of Judge Gorsuch’s tenure as a judge is that he is a judge who follows the law without partiality to any litigant and without partiality to any policy outcome. That is what we want and deserve in judges.”
Read the full press release here.
Sen. Cruz Praises Coast Guard for Approving Presidio Bridge Permit
Sen. Ted Cruz issued the following statement praising the U.S. Coast Guard for advancing Texas’ Presidio International Rail Bridge permit process after urging action in a Senate Commerce Committee hearing last week.
“Reconstruction of the Presidio International Rail Bridge is an important project to the State of Texas,” Sen. Cruz said. “After burning to the ground in February of 2008, the Texas Department of Transportation developed plans with the Army Corp of Engineers for reconstruction – however the project was delayed due to bureaucratic red tape. I urged the Coast Guard to work with my office in expediting the reconstruction permit of the bridge – and I am grateful that they have moved the process forward by issuing a 30-day notice for permit approval.”
Texas Transportation Commissioner Jeff Austin III thanked Sen. Cruz for urging the Coast Guard to move forward with the reconstruction permit at the beginning of the Texas Department of Transportation Commission meeting this week.
“We are extremely grateful to Senator Ted Cruz for his swift action in speaking directly to Coast Guard Commandant, Admiral Paul Zukunft, to rectify the delays in our permit for the South Orient Rail Bridge,” Commissioner Austin said. “We look forward to seeing the process move forward and in continuing to work with Senator Cruz on behalf of Texans.”
Read the full press release here.
Sen. Cruz Introduces the Public Water Supply Invasive Species Compliance Act of 2017
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz introduced a bill to provide certainty to water agencies who supply water to Texans and to protect the water supply future of Texas. The legislation ensures that interstate water transfers between Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas will not be interrupted as a result of the Lacey Act, which affects trade in wildlife, fish, or plants across state lines. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) has filed companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“For the last several years, Texas water interests have faced regulatory barriers at every turn,” Sen. Cruz said. “With this legislation, water agencies who supply water to Texans will now have the confidence and clarity to continue providing water without interruption from Washington.”
Last month, Sen. Cruz addressed the 13th annual Texas Water Day, hosted by the Texas Water Conservation Association, where he reiterated his commitment to reducing federal regulations that impact Texas water rights and water conservation and returning more regulatory authority to state and local governments.
Read the full press release here. 
Sen. Cruz: ‘When We Think Boldly and Creatively We Can Unleash the Free Enterprise System’
Sen. Cruz delivered remarks at a luncheon hosted by the Federalist Society to discuss the role of economic liberty in the U.S. and what can be done to remove government barriers that restrict Americans’ full participation in the economy.
“What folks here understand is that jobs and economic growth, they come from the private sector, they come from entrepreneurs putting capital at risk and they come from small businesses,” Sen. Cruz said. “I can tell you in the Senate my number one priority is jobs and economic growth. The reason for that is simple, it is the number one priority for the Texans I represent. From East Texas to West Texas, from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande, Texans want more jobs, higher wages and more opportunity. Two-thirds of all new jobs come from small businesses, and if you want to see more jobs and economic growth there's a tried-and-true method - regulatory reform and tax reform. When we think boldly and creatively, we can unleash the free enterprise system.”
Read the full press release here.
Sen. Cruz: White House Action is a Win for Job Creation and Economic Growth
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz released the following statement praising the Trump Administration’s executive action to roll back a number of costly Obama-era climate regulations, including the Clean Power Plan, the rules for new power plants, and the methane rule:
“Today’s executive order is a huge victory for Texans and Americans in every corner of our nation. President Trump should be commended for rolling back these regulations that were intended to effectively eliminate coal power plants and drive up the price of certain key forms of energy. Excessive regulations like these, that pick winners and losers and force Americans to use certain types of energy, harm job creation and slow economic growth.
“All of us want clean water and clean air, but we shouldn’t have to choose between a clean environment and a healthy, growing economy. The previous administration’s effort to regulate our energy sector by executive fiat should be a lesson that regulations that impact the lives of every American should be approved by Congress, not imposed by the unelected bureaucracy. In fact, Congress should return much of the environmental rulemaking and regulation to the states, whose regulators are closer to the people and have a better understanding of their own state’s economy and environmental conditions.
“Over the last eight years, regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions cost more than $457 billion, which is more than $3,350 per household. The United States should be focusing on pro-growth policies that encourage competition and create consumer choice. This action by the president today is a significant and powerful step in unleashing the American Energy Renaissance.”
Read the full press release here.
Texans in Washington D.C.
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