ICYMI: Sen. Cruz Visits Austin Airport Following FAA Victory
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In Case You Missed It: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, visited Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Tuesday to discuss the impact of the wins he secured for Texas in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. On the ground in Texas, Sen. Cruz also highlighted his new legislation, the IVF Protection Act.
Read what Sen. Cruz had to say about his legislative efforts to CBS Austin here or below:
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Senator Ted Cruz visited Austin Tuesday, stopping at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to highlight the upcoming impacts of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.
The bill, which was recently signed by President Biden, is expected to bring safety and technology upgrades to the airport.
It invests $4 billion dollars into airports across the country, including ABIA.
It addresses staffing shortages, enhances safety on runways, and gives ABIA nearly $2 million dollars more every year for infrastructure projects.
“The first priority for aviation has to be safety," said Sen. Cruz. "The most important thing is that we land safely.”
The bill directs the FAA to hire the maximum number of air traffic controllers, to help with ongoing staffing shortages.
“It invests billions of dollars in technology to prevent accidents," said Sen. Cruz. "We’re here at Austin Bergstrom airport. As you know, last February there was a near miss that was really frightening.”
The bill also invests in technology in the air traffic control tower for better monitoring of planes while they are in the air.
Sen. Cruz is leading efforts on legislation to protect access to IVF or in vitro fertilization across the nation.
It comes at a time when states struggle to figure out how the procedure fits into a post-Roe v Wade landscape.
“It’s brought hope it’s brought love to so many families," he said.
Now, senators Ted Cruz and Katie Britt are working to protect access to the IVF Protection Act.
Introduced last week, the legislation would make states ineligible to receive Medicaid funding if they ban access to the procedure.
“It’s to put into federal law an ironclad protection so that parents if you choose to use the technology of IVF to have a family, you can rest assured knowing that rights going to be protected,” he said.
The push to preserve access comes as the Texas Supreme Court considers hearing a case that could have impacts on IVF in the state, and a move by Alabama lawmakers in response to its state supreme court declaring embryos a protected human life.
CBS Austin asked Sen. Cruz if he thought his touting Texas' abortion ban, which critics say takes away a woman’s rights, and him now supporting a woman’s right to choose with IVF is a confusing message for voters.
He responded with: "I don’t think so at all. I am strongly pro-life. I also believe in the rights of the voters to make determinations to decide on an issue that is contested.”
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