Sen. Cruz Applauds Passage of PACT Act
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released the following statement after voting to pass the PACT Act and help our nation’s veterans:
“I’m proud to support the PACT Act and all our nation’s veterans. While I ultimately supported the bill, because we need to take care of our veterans who have sacrificed so much to keep us safe, I’m disappointed that we couldn’t come together to fix the Democrat-created budget gimmick that will allow Congress to subsequently spend another $400 billion in pork, on top of and completely unrelated to the laudable funding in this bill for veterans harmed by burn pits. Now it’s up to Republicans to clean up this mess by lowering the discretionary cap — so that we protect every penny of veterans funding but prevent unrelated pork — when Republicans retake the majority. Having the back of our nation’s veterans doesn’t just mean making sure those who served get the care they rightly deserve. It also means stopping the Democrats’ irresponsible spending spree and curbing inflation and price increases that hurt all Americans, including our veterans.”
Throughout his career, Sen. Cruz has advocated for veterans:
· He fought to fund disability payments for veterans after Harry Reid and Obama shut down the government.
· He fought on behalf of the religious liberty of veterans to prohibit the sale or transfer of the Mount Soledad veterans’ memorial.
· He fought to defund Obamacare and use the funds to restore cuts to military pensions.
· He fought on behalf of veterans following reports of mismanagement and misconduct at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
· He lobbied to give the Purple Heart to victims of the terrorist attack at Fort Hood.
· He successfully added a provision to the Military Construction and Veterans’ Affairs Appropriations bill requiring the VA Secretary to provide Congress with a plan to address the long wait times for veterans seeking health care at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. The final bill, with the amendment included, passed the Senate unanimously.
· He lobbied the Department of Veterans Affairs to address the long wait times for veterans seeking health care in San Antonio and to address the improper scheduling practices and extended wait times for veterans seeking health care across the entire State of Texas.
· He toured Texas with Concerned Veterans For America, reaffirming his commitment to bringing accountability to the VA, and expanding veterans’ choices.
· He introduced the VA AID Act to streamline VA claims processing and ensure the appropriate benefits are sent to eligible low-income, senior veterans in a timely manner.
· He introduced the VA Information Technology Restructuring Act to modernize the VA IT infrastructure in a manner that will better equip it to ensure our veterans receive the utmost quality health care.
· He co-introduced the Veterans’ Health Care Integrity Act, which would ensure the VA complies with its own veteran health care appointment scheduling policies by making annual certification a statutory requirement.
· He cosponsored the Military Widow’s Tax Elimination Act to ensure that military spouses receive full Department of Defense (DOD) and VA survivor benefits.
· He co-introduced with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) a bipartisan resolution designating April 18, 2019 as “Military Retiree Appreciation Day” to commemorate the life-long service of military retirees.
· He co-introduced a bill to rename the U.S. Postal Office in Mission, Texas as the “Mission Veterans Post Office Building.”
· He introduced the Veterans, Employees, and Taxpayers (VET) Protection Act, which would ensure union activity does not undermine the service and care of our veterans and is not subsidized by taxpayers.
· He lobbied the VA to improve Texas VA medical centers.
· He lobbied President Biden against raiding veteran programs to deal with the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.
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