The News with Sen. Cruz - October 3, 2014
Some Texans have expressed concern about the terrible outbreak of Ebola in Africa and the confirmed case here in Texas. It is deeply troubling. This week I spoke with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, who assured me that they are working diligently to prevent it from spreading any further.
We must be attentive, but I am confident that the remarkable Texas medical community will take all precautionary steps to keep Texans safe, and I am proud of the soldiers from Ft. Hood fighting the virus in Africa. We pray that the spread of this virus is quickly halted.
Respectfully,
Ted Cruz
FAA Should Take Precautions To Prevent Spread of Ebola
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz sent a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta inquiring what measures the FAA is taking to prevent additional cases of Ebola from coming to the United States.
“Due to the Obama Administration's unclear approach to addressing the threat of the Ebola virus, Americans – particularly the Texans who have possibly been exposed – deserve specific answers to how the administration is addressing travel to and from the countries impacted by the disease,” Sen. Cruz said. In his letter he adds, “It is imperative that the FAA take every available precaution in preventing additional cases from arriving in the United States.”
Sen. Cruz submitted the five following questions to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
- What training is currently provided to airline carriers and their crew members to identify the symptoms of infectious diseases, such as Ebola, before a passenger boards a flight?
- What specific action has the FAA taken since the first cases of the Ebola virus were reported in West Africa in March 2014?
- Does the FAA intend to take any steps to limit or suspend air travel to countries that have experienced a significant Ebola outbreak?
- Once a case has been confirmed will passengers receive notification that they traveled on the same flight as an Ebola patient?
- Does your agency have any projections, studies or reports for how many additional Ebola cases may arrive in the United States due to air travel? If so, what additional steps is your agency taking to limit the spread of this infectious disease?
The full letter may be viewed here.
Sen. Cruz Statement on Ebola
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz released the following statement about the Ebola diagnosis that was confirmed in Dallas.
“All of us are deeply concerned about the terrible outbreak of Ebola in Africa and the fact that there is now one confirmed case here in Texas. Our prayers are with those who are suffering. Earlier today I spoke with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and she offered her assurances that HHS and the CDC are acting vigorously to take every medical step to contain and stop the spread of the Ebola virus," said Sen. Ted Cruz. "Vigilance is still very much required, but present information seems to indicate that a more widespread outbreak in America remains unlikely. I am proud of our soldiers from Ft. Hood fighting the disease in Africa and the exceptional medical staff we have in Texas working to limit its spread, and I would urge those in the Dallas area and statewide to heed close attention to information being distributed by the medical community.”
Sen. Cruz Pens Op-Ed on Obama’s Failed ISIS Policy
On Sunday, Sen. Cruz wrote an op-ed in Politico responding to President Obama’s admission that the United States underestimated ISIS. President Obama’s willingness to make concessions to the Islamic Republic in pursuit of a deal, while innocent Americans languish in their prisons, suggests he is underestimating the threat of a nuclear Iran as well:
On Sept. 26, 2012, an American pastor named Saeed Abedini who was visiting family and fellow Christians in Tehran was dragged out of the private home he was staying in and hauled away to jail by Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Friday marked the second anniversary of his imprisonment, and for the last two years he has been beaten, abused and subjected to solitary confinement for weeks on end in Iran’s most notoriously dangerous prisons for the crime of professing his Christian faith
Pastor Saeed isn’t the only American suffering at the hands of the Iranian regime. Marine veteran Amir Hekmati is also in prison. Retired FBI agent Robert Levinson is still unaccounted for. Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian has been detained without public charges since July.
As they languish, nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States continue. Since the famous cell phone call from President Rouhani to President Obama last September, diplomats representing both countries have travelled from Geneva to Vienna to New York to negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, matters have gotten steadily worse for the Americans suffering in that country.
Sen. Cruz: Abbas Is Wrong
Last week, Sen. Cruz rebuked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ remarks at the U.N. General Assembly, which slanderously accused Israel of conducting a “war of genocide” during the recent conflict in Gaza.
“Israel's action in Gaza was the just self-defense of a sovereign nation against relentless attacks by radical Islamic terrorists," Sen. Cruz said. “The United States would and should do the same under those circumstances. Rather than bandying baseless accusations against Israel in the United Nations, the Palestinian Authority would do better to expose Hamas' vicious use of civilians as human shields, which is an actual war crime.”
