Cruz News: September 30, 2018

September 30, 2018

Greetings,

This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. There, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford was given a full and fair opportunity to tell her story, and Judge Kavanaugh was given a full and fair opportunity to defend himself. That was the right thing to do. I expressed my concerns over Senate Judiciary Democrats’ inaction and delay in handling the allegations presented before the committee. Both individuals involved in these allegations, Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh, have had their good names dragged through the mud. There is no doubt that failure to handle these allegations properly has hurt them, their families, their reputations, and their personal lives. The American people are a fair-minded people; they can set aside the partisan warfare of Washington, D.C. and look to substance and facts. That is the charge the Judiciary Committee sought to fulfill when it considered and voted on Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination, and I am hopeful the full Senate will do the same.

I was pleased to see three of my bipartisan bills advance to the Senate floor this week. Sen. Doug Jones’ (D-Ala.) and I worked together on the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018, which requires the thorough review and declassification of government records related to unsolved criminal Civil Rights cases. While the Civil Rights movement triumphed in securing for millions of people their rightful share in the American Dream, far too many violent crimes committed against black families went unsolved. Our bill attempts to address this by disclosing case records, so that the public may access these files and document the events. Additionally, two of my bills addressed our national security interests, including the Nicaraguan crisis and use of human shields by terrorists. All three of these bills are strong, bipartisan measures that seek to promote American strength abroad, and defend freedom and justice here at home.

Texas has not been exempt from the horror of school shootings, and in the wake of these violent attacks, students, teachers, school boards, and communities across the nation have sought a solution. I’ve met with local law enforcement officials, and the victims and survivors of the Santa Fe High School, Alpine High School, and Sutherland Springs church shootings. Like many Texans across the state, I believe the number one thing that will make our schools safer is having more armed police officers on campuses. On Wednesday, I introduced the School Security Enhancement Act with my colleague Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). This bill expands the use of Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grants for measures that reinforce school safety infrastructure and technology. Expanding the use of these grants will empower our community leaders and education officials with the resources they need to strengthen our schools, hire school safety officers, and keep our children safe.

The entire State of Texas continues to stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans in North and South Carolina as the floodwaters of Hurricane Florence begin to recede. Many of our brave Texas law enforcement and first responders are answering the call to help with the recovery and relief efforts. As the Lone Star State continues to rebuild from the unprecedented devastation from Hurricane Harvey and the south Texas flooding, we must also take all steps necessary to prepare our homes and families for any future weather event. For those seeking preparedness information and resources, please refer to the federal and state resources listed here.

Please read below for an update from this last week.

Keep Texas Strong,

Ted Cruz

Sen. Cruz, member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, participated in a hearing on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. Read more...

Sen. Cruz commended Washington, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and D.C. Councilmembers for introducing legislation similar to his Hidden Figures Way Designation Act. Read more...

Sen. Cruz issued a statement applauding the Trump administration’s decision to conduct regular arms sales to Taiwan. Read more...

Sen. Cruz joined Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), David Perdue (R-Ga.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and John Cornyn (R-Texas) in introducing the Venezuela Humanitarian Relief, Reconstruction, and Rule of Law Act of 2018. Read more...

Sen. Cruz applauded the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for voting to report a measure built on his bipartisan bill, the STOP Using Human Shields Act, which would impose sanctions on terrorists who use civilians as human shields, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and their enablers. Read more...

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to report bipartisan legislation, built in part on the Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (S. 2265), co-authored by Sens. Cruz and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), to hold President Daniel Ortega and his regime accountable for its human rights abuses and corruption in Nicaragua. Sen. Cruz issued a statement applauding the vote. Read more...

Sens. Cruz and Doug Jones’ (D-Ala.) Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018 was reported by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs with strong bipartisan support. Read more...

Sens. Cruz and John Cornyn (R-Texas) released statements after their bill, the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act, unanimously passed the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Read more...

Sens. Cruz and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced the School Security Enhancement Act, which allows local communities to utilize Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grants for measures that reinforce school safety infrastructure and technology. Read more...

Sen. Cruz, member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation participated in a hearing titled, “Examining Safeguards for Consumer Data Privacy.” Read more...

Three bills led by Sen. Cruz addressing international and domestic issues advanced in the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations markups Wednesday with strong bipartisan support. Read more...

The full press releases may be viewed here.