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March 4, 2016
Greetings,
Our Founding Fathers designed the Constitution to act as chains to bind the mischief of government and protect the liberties endowed to us by our Creator. Today, with a vacancy on the United States Supreme Court, those liberties hang in the balance. The sanctity of life, marriage, religious liberty, and the Second Amendment are at risk.
The American people must have a voice in deciding the next Supreme Court Justice, and accordingly, I will continue to fulfill my constitutional duty by advising that the Senate should not consider any replacement nominated by President Obama.
Please keep reading for an update on the latest in the Senate.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Joins Senate Judiciary Committee Letter Opposing Hearings for a Supreme Court Nominee
Last week, Sen. Cruz signed a letter with all Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans concerning the subject of potential hearings for a Supreme Court nominee. The members stated their intention to exercise their constitutional authority to withhold consent on any nominee to the court submitted by President Barack Obama to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.
“Justice Scalia was a lion of the law,” said Sen. Cruz. “He was someone I knew for 20 years. He was brilliant. He was principled. He singlehandedly changed the course of American law. I’ve said before, like Ronald Reagan was to the presidency, so Justice Scalia was to the Supreme Court.
“For 80 years it has been the practice that the Senate has not confirmed any nomination made during an election year, and we shouldn’t make an exception now.”
Read Sen. Cruz’s full release, including the letter in its entirety, here.
Sen. Cruz Joins More Than 200 Members of Congress in Filing Amicus Brief to Block EPA’s Attempt to Transform the Nation’s Electricity Sector
Last week, Sen. Cruz, along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.), and House Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), filed an amicus brief in State of West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, a case currently pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
The bipartisan brief was filed in support of more than 25 states, including Texas, seeking to block implementation of the Obama Administration’s “Clean Power Plan,” a set of regulations that would impose burdensome requirements on power plants. If enforced, these regulations will destroy jobs, harm the economy, and significantly increase electricity costs for Americans, especially low-income families.
The “Clean Power Plan” is yet another lawless attempt by this Administration to accomplish by executive fiat what it could not accomplish through Congress. As such, this brief serves as a reminder that the Constitution vests “all legislative Powers” in Congress and that the EPA can only do that which Congress authorizes it to do—nothing more.
Read the full release, including a copy of the amicus brief, here.
Sen. Cruz Continues Fighting for Internet Freedom
Sen. Cruz last week joined Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in introducing the Restoring Internet Freedom Act (S. 2602), which would repeal the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality rules that put the government in charge of determining Internet pricing, terms of service, and what types of products and services can be delivered. The bill also prevents the FCC from implementing similar rules in the future.
“So-called net neutrality leads to fewer choices, fewer opportunities, and higher prices for consumers,” Sen. Cruz said. “If the FCC turns the Internet into a regulated public utility, the innovation and creativity that has characterized the Internet from its dawn will inevitably be stifled. The Internet has long been a haven for entrepreneurial freedom, and the next generation of Internet-connected devices, apps, and services will generate trillions of dollars of global economic growth in the years ahead. I am honored to join Sen. Mike Lee in leading this effort to keep the Internet free from federal government regulation.”
Read Sen. Cruz’s full release here.
Sen. Cruz: It Is Wrong to Draft and Force Combat Service on Our Daughters
Sen. Cruz last week joined Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in introducing the Only Congress Can Change The Draft Act, establishing that only Congress has the power to modify or change the persons subject to Selective Service registration. This law would prevent the President and federal courts from mandating that women sign up for the draft and overriding the will of the American people and their elected representatives.
“Today, I joined Sen. Lee to ensure that only Congress has the ability to change the Military Selective Service Act,” Sen. Cruz said. “We have had enough with political correctness and social engineering by executive fiat, especially regarding our military. Political correctness is dangerous, and the idea that we would draft our daughters to forcibly bring them into the military and put them in close combat is wrong. It is immoral and we shouldn’t do it.”
Read the full release here.
Sen. Cruz Raises Concerns About ICANN’s Relationship with Authoritarian China
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz, along with Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Mike Lee (R-Utah), sent a letter to Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Chairman Dr. Stephen Crocker, outlining new concerns that ICANN may have a direct operational relationship with the Chinese government and its potential implications for an Internet transition that ICANN is expected to approve in Morocco next week.
Thursday’s letter to Dr. Crocker follows a letter Cruz, Lankford, and Lee sent to ICANN’S CEO Fadi Chehadé last month. The letter to Mr. Chehadé, regarding whom Sen. Cruz made a statement last week, stated serious concerns and requested information regarding his involvement with the World Internet Conference, organized by the Chinese government, a regime notorious for its censorship of the Internet and criminalization of forms of online speech.
“Last month, we sent you a letter stating our concerns regarding ICANN CEO Fadi Chehadé’s participation in the Chinese-government-sponsored World Internet Conference,” the senators wrote. “Mr. Chehadé’s participation resulted in an agreement to co-chair a high-level advisory committee for the conference, which could make ICANN complicit in the Chinese censorship regime. Since sending our letter, additional evidence has come to light suggesting that ICANN’s relationship with the Chinese government may be a systemic problem within the organization itself and not limited to a single individual.”
Read the latest letter from Sens. Cruz, Lankford, and Lee to ICANN officials in its entirety here. The statement Sen. Cruz made last week regarding Mr. Chehadé is available here.
A Regional Update from Southeast Regional Director Jessica Hart and Legislative Correspondent Elliott Mulkin
On Tuesday evening, Sen. Cruz’s Southeast Regional Director Jessica Hart, based in Houston, and Legislative Correspondent Elliott Mulkin, based in Washington D.C., visited Johnson Space Center in Houston to watch NASA astronaut Scott Kelly’s return to earth. From Mission Control, Hart and Mulkin, along with veteran astronaut and Johnson Space Center’s Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa and astronaut Kjell Lindgren, watched Kelly’s return after the year-long mission in space. Kelly was in great spirits, even smiling and giving two thumbs up. Sen. Cruz continues to look forward to working with NASA and JSC in connection with his role as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness.
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