Our Road to Recovery
Greetings,
This week, I returned to Washington, D.C. with my colleagues in the Senate. With more than 75,000 American lives lost to COVID-19, small businesses facing bankruptcy, and blue-collar energy jobs hanging in the balance, we have an important job to do in order to protect public health, get people safely back to work, and get the economy back on its feet.
Going forward, I’ve outlined four critical priorities that Congress should focus on in response to the three crises our country is facing – the public health crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, the economic crisis, and an energy crisis that is greatly affecting Texas.
First, we need to re-open our economy and get Americans back to work. The unemployment rate has soared to 14.7 percent – with nearly 20 percent of the American workforce out of a job. There are reasonable steps we can and must take now, including increasing the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) to making testing more widely available, to begin safely re-opening the economy. These steps will also get people back on the road, which will help our struggling energy producers and the hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers whose livelihoods hang in the balance. I’m glad to see that here in Texas, we’re working to take those steps. On Friday, I had the pleasure of getting my hair cut at Salon à la Mode in Dallas. Shelley Luther, the salon owner, was wrongly imprisoned when she refused to apologize for trying to earn a living and feed her family. Shelley took a stand for liberty and common sense, and I was proud to stand with her and all the small business owners who are working to keep their customers and employees safe, while minimizing the spread of this disease.
Second, we need to push pause on spending and not allow Speaker Pelosi to hijack discussions going forward. We cannot simply spend our way out of these crises or give into Democrats' unreasonable demands, like handing a blank check to fiscally irresponsible states. We should instead focus on fixing any issues in the existing assistance programs and work to deliver on four key health priorities.
Third, we need to cut taxes and lift regulations to help grow the economy out ofthis crisis. Every regulation that has been waived during these crises should remain waived. We should also eliminate both the employer and employee side of the payroll tax for the rest of the year, which will put more money into Americans' pockets.
Fourth, we need to recognize that China bears responsibility for endangering millions of lives and hold them accountable. China is our greatest geopolitical threat; it's time we act like it. To that end, I’ve introduced several pieces of legislation to counter U.S. dependence on China, censorship of Chinese citizens, coercion ofHollywood, Chinese propaganda aimed at American schools, China’s efforts to intrude into America’s airwaves, and spying on Americans. Watch my interview with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on how the U.S. must hold China accountable here.
This weekend, we celebrate Mother’s Day. My mom, Eleanor, overcame enormous obstacles in her life and is my very best friend. My wife, Heidi, is the love of my life – beautiful, brilliant, and a wonderful mother to our daughters. While the pandemic prohibits many of us from celebrating our mothers the way we would like, we are still grateful for their steadfast love, strength, and encouragement. To the moms of the world, we say thank you!
While we’ve got a long road ahead of us on the path to recovery, together, we will get through these difficult days. The strength and resolve of the American spirit will get us through these crises – which shines brightly in the #CombatCOVID19Challenge, a social media challenge I launched with Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. To learn more about the challenge and how you can get involved click here.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
ADDITIONAL updateS FROM SEN. CRUZ
For more information and additional resources, visit www.cruz.senate.gov/coronavirus/. Please read below for an update from this past week.
WATCH: Stronger Together: America's Recovery
Sen. Cruz Supports Local Dallas Business Owner Standing for Liberty & Justice As Texas Begins Re-Opening Economy
As Texas begins to re-open its economy, Sen. Cruz today got a haircut at Salon à la Mode to show his support for salon owner Shelley Luther, who was wrongly imprisoned when she refused to apologize for trying to earn a living and provide for her family amid the coronavirus pandemic. Luther, who was released from jail last night following an order from the Texas Supreme Court, safely re-opened her salon in accordance with Texas law this morning. After his haircut, Sen. Cruz spoke with reporters. Watch the full press conference here. Photos may be viewed here. Read more…
WATCH: Sen. Cruz: I'm Proud to Stand With Shelley Luther
Sens. Cruz, Cramer, Sullivan, Colleagues: President Trump, Continue To Stand With America’s Energy Producers And Blue-Collar Workers
Sens. Cruz, Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), along with colleagues in the House and Senate, this week penned a letter to President Trump urging him to prevent Wall Street banks, that have already benefitted immensely through government-backed loan programs, from discriminating against America’s energy producers. Read more…
Together, With Prayer, Courage, and Generosity We Are Going to Get Through These Difficult Days
America has always been a prayerful nation. In times of joy and in hardship, Americans have reverently turned to prayer for peace, comfort, and strength. Created after two world wars and an economic collapse, and with the Cold War only just beginning, the National Day of Prayer was a bipartisan call to men and women of all faiths to pray for America. Read more…
Sens. Cruz, Cotton, Colleagues Urge President Trump to Pause Immigration, Protect American Jobs
Sens. Cruz, Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) today sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to extend and expand his April 22, 2020 Proclamation on immigration. In the letter, they ask President Trump to suspend all new guest worker visas for sixty days, and to suspend certain categories ofnew guest worker visas for at least the next year, or until unemployment has returned to normal levels. Read more…
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Discusses Pandemic Authoritarianism, China’s Coronavirus Coverup w/ Tablet Magazine
Sen. Cruz Calls on Congress to Focus on Getting Americans Back to Work and Holding China Accountable
Sen. Cruz appeared on Fox News' 'Tucker Carlson Tonight,' the Hugh Hewitt Show, and CNBC's 'Squawk Box,' to discuss the next steps Congress must take to get the more than 30 million Americans who have filed for unemployment safely back to work, the economy back on its feet, and to counter China's censorship and hold them accountable for the spread of this deadly coronavirus. Read more…
READ: Sen. Cruz in The Hill: A Blueprint for Our Economic Recovery
Sen. Cruz outlines four critical priorities that Congress should focus on in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis that has followed in his latest op-edin The Hill. Read more…
Sen. Cruz on Fox News: We've Got to Treat China Like the Threat It Is
Sen. Cruz, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, appeared on Fox News' 'Justice with Judge Jeanine' and 'Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo,' where he called for a fundamental reassessment of the U.S.-China relationship. Read more…
Sen. Cruz Pushes to Expand Emergency Relief for U.S. Chambers ofCommerce
Sen. Cruz announced his intention to introduce legislation to ensure Chambers ofCommerce have access to emergency relief funding provided under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Read more…
WATCH: #CombatCOVID19Challenge: Together We Will Defeat COVID-19
The strength and resolve of the American spirit will get us through these crises. Men and women from all walks of life are supporting their communities as we all work to combat this pandemic and ultimately defeat it together. You can join the #CombatCOVID19Challenge today! Watch here…
Sen. Cruz: To Weather Perfect Storm, American Energy Producers Need Critical Access to Capital Now
To help America's energy producers weather the perfect storm they’re facing, Sen. Cruz has called on Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to immediately establish a new lending facility - a lifeline - that will provide immediate emergency liquidity for oil and gas businesses. Read more…
Sen. Cruz Calls on Attorney General Barr to Investigate Local Officials Abusing Power, Targeting Religious Communities
In response to a disturbing trend of pandemic authoritarianism, Sen. Cruz, chairman ofthe Senate Judiciary's Subcommittee on The Constitution, called on Attorney General Bill Barr to investigate state and local officials who target and discriminate against religious communities under the guise of protecting public health. Read more…
Sen. Cruz, Colleagues to President Trump: Reject State Bailouts
Sens. Cruz, Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the Administration to reject states' efforts to receive taxpayer dollars for non-coronavirus related expenses, particularly bailouts for underfunded pension plans. Read more…
Sen. Cruz Cosponsors Bipartisan Senate Bill to Help Families of First Responders Lost to COVID-19 Access Public Service Benefits
As America's first responders face perils on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, Sens. Cruz, Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and a bipartisan group of senators are working to ensure families of public safety officers lost to COVID-19 can quickly access survivor benefits. Read more…
Sens. Cruz, Cornyn, GOP Colleagues Send Letter to FBI and ATF on Firearms Background Check System during Coronavirus Pandemic
Sens. Cruz, John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Senate colleagues sent a letter on Monday to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Acting Director Regina Lombardo encouraging them to protect peoples' Second Amendment rights during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more…
