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February 17, 2017
Greetings,
This week I introduced legislation to give Congress the ability to free consumers and small businesses from harmful regulations put in place by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The unaccountable power and magnitude of the CFPB has made it harder for small businesses to thrive. Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, and provide good-paying jobs to hardworking Texans.
I also introduced the Expatriate Terrorist Act (ETA) to ensure that any American who forfeits their country to intentionally join ISIS will have their citizenship stripped and won’t be able to use a U.S. passport to come back and commit acts of terrorism on American soil. This is a crucial step to keep our country safe and secure.
Throughout the week I had the opportunity to meet with Texans visiting Washington D.C., including Johnson Space Center director, Dr. Ellen Ochoa, city council members and business leaders from San Antonio, and members of the Texas Trucking Association.
Please read below for an update from this last week.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz, Rep. Ratcliffe Introduce Legislation to Abolish the CFPB
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz and Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) introduced legislation to reverse unaccountable overreach at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The pair of bills (S. 370 and H.R. 1031) would help advance Republicans’ broader Dodd-Frank reform efforts by tackling Title X of the law.
“Don’t let the name fool you, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau does little to protect consumers. During the Obama administration, the CFPB grew in power and magnitude without any accountability to Congress and the people, and I am encouraged by the actions President Trump has begun to take to roll back the harmful impacts of an out-of-control bureaucracy,” Sen. Cruz said. “The legislation that Rep. Ratcliffe and I are introducing today gives Congress the opportunity to free consumers and small businesses from the CFPB’s regulatory blockades and financial activism, which stunt economic growth. While there’s much more to do to scale back the harmful regulatory impositions of Dodd-Frank, this legislation takes a critical step in the right direction.”
Read the full press release here.
Sen. Cruz: Americans Who Join ISIS Or Other Terrorist Groups Should Have Their Citizenship Revoked
This week, Sen. Cruz introduced the Expatriate Terrorist Act (ETA) of 2017, which would allow the U.S. government under certain circumstances to revoke the citizenship of Americans who knowingly join or provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations such as ISIS. Rep. Steve King, (R-Iowa), is sponsor of companion legislation in the U.S. House. The ETA would close a loophole that currently permits revocation for Americans who join foreign states, but not for those who join non-state terrorist groups. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) are Senate cosponsors of the ETA, which Sen. Cruz originally introduced in 2014.
“The Expatriate Terrorist Act will ensure that any American who forfeits their country to intentionally join ISIS will have their citizenship stripped and won’t be able to use a U.S. passport to come back and murder American citizens,” Sen. Cruz said. “I’m glad to join with my House colleague, Rep. Steve King on this important effort and I hope that Congress will come together to pass this bill as we work to once and for all acknowledge the real threat of radical Islamic terror and take the steps necessary to keep our country safe.”
Read the full release here.
Sens. Cruz and Gardner Submit Letter Urging Financial Sanctions Against North Korea
Sens. Cruz and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that expresses grave concerns regarding continued aggression from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and urging him to execute the full extent of financial sanctions and targeted financial measures allowed under current law. The letter was also signed by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and David Perdue (R-Ga.).
“As Kim Jung-un has exposed his willingness to increase ballistic missile testing with the ultimate goal of achieving nuclear breakout, the potential for this regime to attain a developed and capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) poses an imminent threat that cannot be ignored,” the senators wrote. “North Korea’s test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile this past weekend demonstrates advancement in fuel and launch technology, underscoring the necessity of faithfully executing the law to meet this growing threat.”
The senators’ letter lists ten actions that, if fully enforced and implemented, could more effectively cut off North Korea’s access to the hard currency it uses to finance its illicit nuclear program.
Read the full press release here.
Sen. Cruz Meets with Secretary of the Air Force Nominee
This week, Sen. Cruz met with President Trump’s nominee to become the Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Heather Wilson. Sen. Cruz and Dr. Wilson discussed the relationship between the United States Air Force (USAF) and Texas and the exceptional contributions the pairing provides to our overall national security.
“I was very pleased to meet Dr. Wilson and hear her thoughts on the many challenges facing the United States Air Force. She is a serious candidate to become our next Secretary of the Air Force and I enjoyed our very constructive conversation. I welcomed her understanding of the many programs and USAF equities in the state of Texas and her appreciation for our state’s unwavering commitment to the Air Force and the level of investment Texas makes in its military communities. We discussed many ways that Texas can continue to partner with the Air Force including saving the USAF money by consolidating the Battlefield Airman training program in San Antonio, the historic strategic bomber capabilities that are available to the B-21 Raider by locating it at Dyess AFB, and the need to meet our future air superiority needs by purchasing sufficient numbers of the world’s premier fighter aircraft, the F-35. I look forward to seeing Dr. Wilson again at her Armed Services Committee hearing and furthering this dialog.”
Read the full release here.
Texans in Washington D.C.
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