Sen. Cruz Addresses Congressional Pastors’ Briefing, Meets with Richardson City Officials and Chamber of Commerce

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today addressed the Congressional Pastors’ Briefing, following a meeting in his D.C. Senate office with Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker, city officials and members of the Chamber of Commerce.

In his remarks at the Congressional Pastors’ Briefing, Sen. Cruz discussed the recent religious liberty victories achieved, including the story of Col. Leland Bohannon. In November of last year, Sen. Cruz penned a letter to the Air Force, urging they defend the religious liberty of Col. Bohannon.

“Col. Bohannon is a highly decorated and experienced combat pilot, and in May of last year, while stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, a non-commissioned officer under his command was set to retire,” Sen. Cruz said. “Several certificates and awards were prepared in advance of the retirement ceremony for him to sign, and he proceeded to endorse each one of them — except for a certificate of spouse appreciation, which he felt would cause him to affirm a definition of marriage contrary to his faith. Col. Bohannon submitted a formal request for a religious accommodation, and while this request was pending, Major General Sami Said signed the certificate in his place. The retiring service member nonetheless took offense at Col. Bohannon’s beliefs and the compromise that had been arranged, and filed a formal Equal Opportunity (EO) complaint, which an EO investigator then deemed substantiated. As a result, Col. Bohannon faced a potentially career-ending action. Along with seven of my fellow Senators, I wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force, urging her to review the case and to respect Col. Bohannon’s First Amendment rights. We succeeded: just this April, the Secretary of the Air Force declared that the Colonel ‘had the right to exercise his sincerely held religious beliefs and did not unlawfully discriminate when he declined to sign the certificate.’ He has been fully cleared of any wrongdoing. Cases like this show that, no matter which administration is in power, we always need to be vigilant.” 

Watch his full remarks here.

In his meeting with Richardson city officials and members of the Chamber of Commerce, Sen. Cruz discussed the victories achieved in 2017, including historic tax cuts and reducing the burden of federal regulations, which is expanding opportunity for Texans across the Lone Star State, and the importance of trade to the economy of Texas.

“It was a pleasure to meet with Mayor Voelker, Richardson city officials, and members of the Chamber of Commerce here in Washington, D.C.,” Sen. Cruz said. “We had productive discussions about pro-growth policies that will stimulate further economic opportunities in Richardson and across the Lone Star State, and ultimately produce more jobs for hardworking Texans.” 

Sen. Cruz with Mayor Voelker, Richardson City officials, and Members of the Chamber of Commerce

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