Sen. Cruz Issues Statement in Support of National Defense Authorization Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today issued the following statement regarding his support for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA). Sen. Cruz secured six key measures relating to Texas’s and America’s national security priorities, including major investments in Department of Defense and Department of Energy installations in Texas.

Upon the bill’s passage in the Senate, Sen. Cruz said, “I am proud to support this year’s NDAA, which will equip our service members with the resources they need to defend our national security here at home and abroad. I was honored to push across the finish line six provisions in the bill, including a measure to ensure that existing B-1 bomber wings, one of which is at Abilene’s Dyess Air Force Base, remain in service through at least 2026 unless replaced by newer B-21 bombers, preserving our long-range strike capabilities.

“It also requires the Biden administration to expedite permitting decisions for four cross-border bridge projects in Texas. The city of Laredo and the counties of Cameron, Maverick, and Webb are eager to build new bridges or expand existing ones spanning the Texas-Mexico border, but the Biden administration has been holding up the permits. Expanding bridge capacity across south Texas would attract significant investment in the region and support much-needed economic development, which is why there’s widespread community support for these projects.

“Crucially, the bipartisan amendment that I led along with Sen. Manchin (D-W.Va.) to prevent the sale of our nation’s emergency crude oil stockpile, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, was adopted. We know China has been amassing the largest stockpile of crude oil in the world. Nevertheless, last year the United States sold off part of our reserves to China. This amendment, which will put a stop to the Biden administration’s sale of our reserve to U.S. adversaries, passed with a strong bipartisan vote of 85-12.

“I’m also proud that another bipartisan amendment I pushed for, along with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), that will help remove burdensome environmental permitting review hurdles for chip manufacturing plants is included in the NDAA. This effort will benefit both job growth in Texas and our nation’s economic security as we work to bring critical manufacturing back to our shores.

“In addition, I’m pleased that the NDAA includes my bipartisan legislation that I authored with Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) to improve transparency for consumers with respect to home appliances and devices that contain video or audio recording capability.

“Further, this NDAA includes language I authored that ensures that corrupt officials responsible for building and maintaining Putin’s pipeline, Nord Stream 2, are held accountable.

“While there are a number of victories in this bill, I’m disappointed that my AMERICANS Act, which would give service members dismissed from the military for expressing concerns over the COVID-19 vaccine the ability to seek reinstatement or a discharge status upgrade to restore some of their hard-earned benefits, was not included in the NDAA. This shouldn’t have been controversial. The military is struggling with recruitment and retention, yet it kicked out more than 8,400 service members over Biden’s vaccine mandate. I will continue to fight until the AMERICANS Act becomes law and we deliver justice to wrongfully dismissed servicemen and women.

“I’m a firm believer in peace through strength, and a strong, well-equipped military is a necessary component of that strategy. This year’s Senate NDAA includes funding for critical military construction projects in Texas and will help ensure the continued success of Texas’s military communities while enhancing our national security. I remain committed to fighting for our brave service members in Texas and across the country who put their lives on the line to defend our nation.”

BACKGROUND:

This year’s NDAA also provides funding for seven military construction projects in Texas, including:

• $113 million for construction and land acquisition at the Red River Army Depot;
• $74 million for a rail yard spur at Ft. Bliss;
• $35 million for an analytic gas laboratory at the Pantex plant in Amarillo;
• $20 million for an F-16 mission training center at Joint Base San Antonio;
• $18.25 million for microgrid and backup power development at Ft. Cavazos;
• $16 million for Joint Reserve Base Ft. Worth; and
• $6 million for aircraft maintenance and a hangar addition for the National Guard in Ft. Worth.

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