The News with Sen. Cruz - June 18, 2013
Greetings,
After over five months operating out of a temporary office space, I've got some exciting news to share with you! Our Washington, D.C., office has just completed its move into our permanent office space in suite 185 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. If you come to Washington, please feel free to visit.
In addition, it was a busy week in the Senate marking up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), defending the religious liberties of our servicemen and women, promoting a freer Iran, and stopping continuous attempts to raise the debt ceiling with a simple partisan majority. I hope you'll take the time to keep reading and then share this update on Facebook and Twitter.
All the best,
Ted Cruz
WE'VE MOVED!
Up until last week, Sen. Cruz's office was located in temporary office space in the basement of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. If you would like to visit Sen. Cruz's Washington, D.C., office, please take note that the office has relocated to suite 185 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
DEFENDING THE INTEGRITY OF ELECTIONS
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. that the federal "Motor Voter" law (the National Voter Registration Act of 1993) preempted Arizona's commonsense requirement that a person must present concrete evidence of citizenship before they are allowed to register to vote.
Since the right to vote is a fundamental building block of our nation's democratic process and it is crucial that we have the measures in place to uphold the integrity of our elections, Sens. Cruz and David Vitter (R-LA) filed an amendment to S. 744, the Senate Immigration Reform Bill, that would close the loophole in the "Motor Voter" law that preempts states from enforcing requirements that would ensure those registered to vote are U.S. citizens. Read more about the amendment here and then share it with your friends.
MARKUP OF THE 2014 NDAA
Last week, Sen. Cruz participated in the Senate Armed Services Committee's markup of the 2014 NDAA. He introduced amendments that were adopted by the committee, that if passed by the full Senate would: protect the religious freedoms of servicemen and women, require the Pentagon to prioritize domestic military bases over foreign bases during any potential future Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, expand free and fair competition for military contracts, and enhance U.S. missile defense capabilities to protect all Americans.
Ultimately, Sen. Cruz voted against the committee's final bill, citing its failure to address the defense sequester and a provision which allows for the indefinite detention of American citizens without trial saying, "I was not able to in good conscience vote for the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act in committee. The language of the 2012 NDAA, carried over into the 2014 bill, represents an intolerable infringement of the Constitutional rights of American citizens. Nothing in the Constitution allows the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens on U.S. soil, and yet this bill perpetuates that purported authority. We must protect the Due Process rights of every American."
ENDING IRANIAN PERSECUTION
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz addressed the Senate floor to draw attention to the Iranian elections. He expressed concerns about the ongoing suppression of the Iranian people by its government and Iran's efforts to expand its influence in the region, particularly through its pursuit of nuclear capabilities.
Sen. Cruz also spoke on the fact that the people of Iran were heading to the polls to make a false choice; forced to select not the candidate of their choice, but from those chosen for them by the nation's Supreme Leader, who will surely continue his policies of political and religious oppression.
Sen. Cruz called for all Americans to join in "urging the regime in Iran to tear down the walls of political and religious persecution, to relieve the pain of unnecessary economic hardship, and to renounce the isolation caused by Tehran's aggressive and belligerent policies," in addition to reiterating his call for the release of the Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini. Watch and share Sen. Cruz's floor speech.
PREVENTING TRICKS TO RAISE THE DEBT CEILING
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz joined Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) in continuing to fight back against attempts to proceed to a budget conference that would allow the Senate to raise the debt ceiling with a simple partisan majority rather than the 60-vote threshold that would exist under regular order. Watch and share the discussion.
