April 7, 2017
Greetings,
This year is poised to be a blockbuster year. We have an historic opportunity to deliver on the promises Congress made to the American people - repeal Obamacare, pass fundamental tax and regulatory reform, and confirm a strong conservative to the Supreme Court.
I am happy to report that over the last two weeks, President Trump signed two bills I authored which are tremendous victories for the State of Texas.
The first bill, the bipartisan Cruz-Nelson NASA Transition Authorization Act, ensures the Johnson Space Center remains the crown jewel of NASA’s human spaceflight missions, makes a serious commitment to the manned exploration of space, and allows commercial space ventures to flourish, all of which will foster extraordinary economic growth and job creation throughout Texas.
The second bill, which I sponsored with Texas Representative and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady – returns discretion back to the State of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott to determine how best to implement the state’s unemployment insurance program. Both of these bills are significant victories for the Lone Star State.
Today we confirmed Justice Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, putting on the bench a constitutionalist who is committed to the rule of law. This is a victory for the American people.
Please read below for an update from this last week.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz: ‘Judge Gorsuch’s Confirmation Is a Critical Step to Defend Liberty for Millions of Americans’
Sen. Cruz issued the following statement after voting in favor of the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch as the next associate justice of the Supreme Court:
“Today’s Senate vote was a historic one. Ten, 20, 30 years from now, this vote will still be having an ongoing impact on the liberty and constitutional rights of millions of Americans.
“Today, the Senate followed through on a promise made to the American people more than a year ago, after Justice Scalia passed away. Justice Scalia was a lion of the law, and a hero to many. His death transformed November’s election into a referendum on the Supreme Court.
“President Trump promised to nominate a principled jurist in the mold of Justice Scalia, not a liberal judicial activist who would undermine the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And in November, millions of conservatives across this country showed up to protect the Constitution and protect that vacant seat for a principled originalist. Despite an unprecedented Democratic filibuster, today is a day that the Republican majority kept its promise to protect our fundamental rights, to protect free speech, to protect religious liberty, and to protect the Second Amendment. Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation is a critical step to defend the long-term liberty of millions of Americans, and for that reason, today is a day to celebrate.”
Read the full press release here.
Sen. Cruz Issues Statement on U.S. Missile Strikes in Syria
Sen. Cruz issued the following statement regarding tonight’s U.S.-launched missile strikes in Syria:
“Today, after eight years of Obama foreign policy failures, Syria is a humanitarian disaster. Bashar al-Assad is a monster, a puppet of Russia and Iran, and he has once again used chemical weapons against his own citizens, murdering innocent men, women, and children.
“Our prayers are with Assad’s victims, and with the victims of the ISIS and al Qaeda terrorists ripping Syria apart. And, as always, our support and prayers are with the brave Americans in uniform who carried out the military strike tonight.
“Any military action in Syria must be justified as protecting the vital national security interests of America – including decisive action to prevent chemical weapons from falling into the hands of radical Islamic terrorists – and I look forward to our Commander-in-Chief making the case to Congress and the American people how we should do so in the days ahead.”
Read the full press release here.
Sen. Cruz: The Only Thing Bad Actors Across the Globe Respect is Strength
Today, Sen. Cruz appeared on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” with Shannon Bream to discuss the U.S. missile strikes in Syria and his efforts to confirm Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.
Read the full press release here.
ICYMI: Praise for Two Cruz-Sponsored Bills Signed into Law in Last Two Weeks
Numerous conservative news outlets have taken note of Sen. Cruz’s two bills signed into law by President Trump in the last two weeks. Last week, President Trump signed legislation sponsored by Sen. Cruz and House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) that returns discretion back to the State of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott over how to best implement the state’s unemployment insurance program.
A week earlier, President Trump signed the Cruz-Nelson NASA Transition Authorization Act, cosponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), which ensures the Johnson Space Center remains the crown jewel of NASA’s human spaceflight missions and makes a serious commitment to the manned exploration of space, laying the groundwork for the mission to Mars, and enabling commercial space ventures to flourish, all of which will foster extraordinary economic growth and job creation throughout Texas.
A summary of news coverage can be found here.
Sen. Cruz Responds to the United Nations’ Targeting U.S. States on Matters of Free Speech
Sen. Cruz released the following statement in response to the United Nations’ recent targeting of U.S. states on matters of free speech:
“The hypocrisy of the United Nations is astounding. The United States does not need any lectures from the U.N. regarding free speech, free assembly, or any issue pertaining to safeguarding human rights, especially from appointees of the U.N. Human Rights Council. America’s Constitution is a model for protecting free speech – distinguished by its defense of speech others may find offensive or hurtful.
“The U.N. has no credibility or authority to target U.S. states for public shaming on matters of free speech or human rights when it has failed time and again to effectively tackle the great human rights challenges of our time. The U.N. has created a bureaucratic architecture of hatred and obsessive bias against America’s friend and ally the Jewish State of Israel. It has turned ostensible human rights institutions – like the U.N. Human Rights Council – into farces on matters of human rights, catering to some of the world’s worst human rights abusers. And it has been exposed for corruption and breach of trust in how its officials perform their duties.
“The United States is a free and open society with strong democratic institutions safeguarding the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of its citizens. Rather than attacking U.S. states for considering common sense laws to protect residents and property, the U.N. should look within itself and excise the rank hypocrisy which undermines its credibility on human rights in the eyes of freedom-loving people around the world.”
Read the full press release here.
President Trump Signs Into Law Cruz-Brady Bill to Disapprove Obama Administration Drug-Testing Rule for Unemployment Insurance
Last week, President Trump signed into law legislation sponsored by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) to disapprove and nullify a drug-testing rule issued by the U.S. Department of Labor in the final months of the Obama administration. The rule previously limited states’ congressionally intended discretion in implementing their unemployment compensation and unemployment insurance programs. The bill was originally introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Ways and Means Chairman Brady, and sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Cruz.
“Under the previous administration, the Department of Labor undermined the ability of states to conduct drug testing in their programs as permitted by Congress,” Sen. Cruz said. “This rule was yet another example of executive overreach by the Obama administration, and I commend President Trump for signing this resolution into law.”
Read the full press release here.
Texans in Washington D.C.
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