Sen. Cruz Wraps Up Week Two of Virtual Statewide Tele-Tour

HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today completed another week of his statewide tele-tour across 27 cities to connect with communities combatting COVID-19 and the economic devastation that has followed.

Sen. Cruz, who has been tapped to join President Trump's bipartisan task force to re-open the economy, kicked off this week with phone calls and video conferences with members of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce, Abilene Chamber of Commerce, San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, and Texas Bankers Association on Tuesday. During the discussions, Sen. Cruz reiterated the importance of getting the economy moving again and helping Texans safely return to work.

In an interview with Lubbock's KCBD News Channel 11, Sen. Cruz said:

"Keeping the economy shut down for weeks - if we allow that to turn into months, we're going to see human lives lost, we're going to see real devastation, from poverty from dreams shattered from family businesses put out of business from people whose savings are lost. And that's going to lead to mental health issues that's going to lead to depression, it's going to lead to substance abuse, it's going to lead to increased suicide.

"All of those are very real public health threats as well. And so our objective needs to be to protect the most lives possible. That means targeting on the on the on those sick and those particularly vulnerable to be sick. But it also means helping people be in a position where they can provide for their family and have the security the economic security that comes from that."

On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz spoke with members of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership, Texas Border Coalition, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce, and San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.

In an interview with the Valley's Sergio Sanchez, Sen. Cruz emphasized the danger of continuing the economic shutdown:

"We have got to get Texans back to work and I think that is a critical priority. [...] For young, healthy people, we need to get them back in their jobs, back driving, back working, back going out, and there may be changes at least for the short term, things like masks and gloves and PPE, things like restaurants reconfiguring their dining rooms to spread them out to allow social distancing, to mitigate the spread but the harms and the lives that will be lost if we continue to freeze the economy is unacceptable. I am very glad both the President and the Governor are laying out this week, plans to get us back to work because that's what we need to be doing."

"The answer is not to just keep shoveling money at this. The answer is to get through the crisis. We need testing, we need widespread testing to defeat the virus and protect people's lives and then [we've] got to stop freezing the economy. Our country can't sustain weeks and weeks and months and months on end of everyone stopping working and just printing money. We got to stop that because that would do immeasurable damage to the country."

On Thursday, Sen. Cruz spoke with members of the North Texas Commission, the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, El Paso Chamber of Commerce, and Odessa Chamber of Commerce. And on Friday he wrapped up week two with the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, Austin Chamber of Commerce, and the Brazos Valley Council of Governments.

Here's what news outlets are saying:

KVEO: Senator Cruz speaks with RGV commerce to discuss the economy, small businesses
"Senator Ted Cruz is hosting a virtual tour discussing the latest developments of COVID-19 and his most recent online stop was here in the Rio Grande Valley. Tuesday, Senator Cruz spoke with The Rio Grande Valley Partnership about what help is needed for the people of South Texas. ‘We need much more wide spread testing, PPE, emergency medical equipment, but we need to get out there and get vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, now that's on the public health side, on the economic side, we got to get people back to work,' said Sen. Cruz."

KXAN: Senator Ted Cruz joins task force to reopen economy
"Cruz says the consequences of the shutdown are dire, listing the 22 million - and counting - Americans who've filed for unemployment in the past four weeks. ‘Congress took unprecedented action to provide emergency relief from this economic devastation, but as we have seen, that relief can only go so far,' said Cruz. ‘There are reasonable steps we can and must take now - based on the science and public health guidance - to begin safely reopening the economy and helping the American people return to work, from increasing the production of personal protective equipment to making testing more widely available.'"

Daily Wire: Cruz Sounds Alarm: We Must Get Americans ‘Back To Work' Or Even Worse Devastation To Come
"In an interview Tuesday, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz declared that ‘it is time for Texans to get back to work' and warned that if we let the widespread shutdowns drag on, we will see not only more ‘economic devastation' but major public health consequences.'"

WATCH: Cruz Speaks With Sergio Sanchez on KURV Radio About COVID-19 Relief, PPE, & Re-opening the Economy

Fox News: Ted Cruz on how coronavirus has changed his daily routine
"‘I'm at my home in Houston, Texas. Because of social distancing guidelines, I'm not able to travel to and from D.C. or around the state. But [last] week, I launched a tele-tour of Texas to connect with communities across the Lone Star State who are on the front lines combatting COVID-19' Sen Cruz said."

WATCH: Senator Ted Cruz on KCBD: ‘It is time for Texans to get back to work'

The Hill: Reopening economy emerges as new political battleground
"‘It is time for Texans to go back to work,' Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told a local news station on Wednesday. ‘Because the consequences of this economic shutdown are serious and dire.'"

The Hill: GOP chairman warns: Without more coronavirus testing, hard to go back to work, school
"Some Republican lawmakers have warned that the economic damage being sparked by the coronavirus and the subsequent "social distancing" restrictions outweigh the health impact. The United States currently has more than 630,000 confirmed cases and more than 27,000 deaths. ‘We've got to deal with the economic devastation of all of the people who are hurting and I'll tell you it is time for Texans to go back to work,' Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told a local Texas TV station on Wednesday.'"

WATCH: Sen. Cruz on the Rick Roberts Show Explains the Need to Safely Re-Open the Economy

Newsweek: Republican Senators Call For Quick Reopening of Parts of the Economy
"‘It may be that when people go back to work that they wear a mask and gloves for some period of time to limit the spread of disease,' Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas told a local TV station. How cities open, he added, ‘needs to be dependent upon the particular facts and circumstances in the particular region.'"

For more information about Sen. Cruz's statewide tele-tour, click here.

For more information about Sen. Cruz's #CombatCOVID19Challenge, click here.

For COVID-19 information and additional resources, visit www.cruz.senate.gov/coronavirus/.

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