Cruz News: April 15, 2018

April 15, 2018

Greetings,

On Tuesday, I questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a joint Senate hearing on whether Facebook considers itself a neutral public forum and the pervasive pattern of bias and political censorship demonstrated by it and other social media platforms. In radio interviews with KTSA’s Michael Berry and WOAI’s Joe Pags, I discussed the unprecedented power and influence social media has in our political discourse, and the legal implications for censorship.

This week, I delivered remarks and participated in a Q&A with members of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT), where I discussed my efforts to make the middle class tax cuts permanent and pass Dodd-Frank reform. There is a real sense of energy and optimism as people are looking to invest capital, grow their businesses, hire more people, and raise wages. Additionally, on Wednesday I met with members of the Texas Cattle Feeders and Texas Corn Producers, where we discussed our shared priorities for NAFTA modernizationand my efforts to reach a win-win solution to address skyrocketing RINs costs, for the benefit of both corn farmers and refinery workers. On Thursday, I had the pleasure of meeting with members of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce in my D.C. office, where we discussed the pressing issues facing businesses in the Panhandle and across the Lone Star State. 

In a press conference hosted by Americans for Tax Reform, this week I announced my intention to introduce a bill to encourage more investment in capital and promote economic growth by ending capital gains taxes on inflation, which would expand economic growth, encourage investment, and create more opportunities for hardworking Texans.

On Wednesday, President Trump signed into law the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act, which I proudly co-sponsored. The new law seeks justice for victims of sex trafficking and ensures that websites which knowingly facilitate this horrible crime will be held liable.   

My Senate office continues to work to ensure swift and effective service to Texans and Texas communities in need of federal assistance following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. If you need additional information or assistance during the recovery and rebuilding process, please do not hesitate to contact my office or use the federal and state resources listed here.

Please read below for an update from this last week.

Keep Texas Strong,

Ted Cruz

Sens. Cruz, Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) penned a letter to President Trump urging him to direct his trade negotiators to take a much broader view of the economic potential of NAFTA negotiations, and advance the Republican economic growth agenda by prioritizing American jobs and competitiveness. Read more...

Sens. Cruz and John Cornyn (R-Texas) released the following statements after President Trump announced his intention to nominate David Morales to fill a judicial vacancy on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Corpus Christi. Read more...

Sen. Cruz, member of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a joint hearing entitled: "Facebook, Social Media Privacy, and the Use and Abuse of Data." Read more...

Sen. Cruz, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned General Darren W. McDew on military vulnerabilities with U.S. Transportation Command [TRANSCOM], including cyber threats to commercial and space assets. Read more...

Sen. Cruz member of both the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a joint hearing, raising questions whether Facebook considers itself a neutral public forum and emphasizing that many Americans believe Facebook is engaged in political bias and censorship. Read more...

Sen. Cruz issued the following statement regarding the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) announcement that Texas will receive $5 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds for unmet needs and mitigation efforts following Hurricane Harvey and previous flood events. Read more...

Sen. Cruz penned an op-ed for FoxNews.com following his exchange on Tuesday with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, where he asked whether Facebook considers itself a neutral public forum, and discussed how many Americans believe Facebook is engaged in political bias and censorship. Read more...

Sen. Cruz sent the following letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan regarding China’s growing influence around the world, and urged particular examination of the expanding relationship between China and the Guelleh government in Djibouti. Read more...

Sen. Cruz participated in a Q&A moderated by Thomas A. Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, at Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide With Next-Gen Connectivity, the first event in Charter Communication's "Think Forward" series. Read more...

Sen. Cruz delivered remarks and participated in a Q&A with members of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas (IBAT). Read more...

Sen. Cruz appeared on KTRH’s ‘The Michael Berry Show,’ and WOAI’s ‘The Joe Pags Show’ to discuss his exchange earlier this week with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Read more...

Sen. Cruz met with members of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce during their annual ‘DC Days’ fly-in. Read more...

Sens. Cruz, Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) penned the following op-ed for CNN.com regarding their letter to President Trump urging him to direct his trade negotiators to take a much broader view of the economic potential of NAFTA negotiations, and advance the Republican economic growth agenda by prioritizing American jobs and competitiveness. Read more...

Sen. Cruz, member of the Senate Commerce Committee, participated in a Senate Commerce Committee hearing. Read more...

Sen. Cruz, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today questioned Secretary of the Army Mark Esper and General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the Army regarding the Army’s FY2019 budget submission given the accelerated modernization of Russia and China’s militaries and the modernization efforts of the United States military as outlined in the National Defense Strategy [NDS]. Read more...

Sen. Cruz announced in a press conference with Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) his intention to introduce a bill to end capital gains tax on inflation, which will expand economic growth and encourage more investment into the economy, helping create more opportunities for hardworking Americans. Read more...

Sens. Cruz, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) applauded the passage of a bipartisan resolution honoring the legacy of  Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá on the sixth anniversary of his death, and calling for an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding it. Read more...

The full press releases may be viewed here.