Sen. Cruz: ‘I’m More Committed Than Ever to Fighting for the People of Texas, and Every American Family, for a Better Tomorrow’
Reflects on the past year and looks ahead to 2022
HOUSTON, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) this year led the fight against an administration that created crisis after crisis, including: an inflation crisis, an energy crisis, a border crisis, a supply chain crisis, a crisis in Afghanistan, and a debt ceiling crisis.
Reflecting on this past year, Sen. Cruz said:
“Despite the substantial challenges we faced this year, Texans and Americans across the country took a stand for their neighbors, for their communities, and for their nation.
“It’s impossible to forget the catastrophic scenes that took place over the course of the year—from the tragedy of the Afghanistan evacuation to the flood of human trafficking on our southern border. Yet, for all the devastating setbacks this year, I’ve never been more confident in the resolve of the American people to take our country back and restore sanity. We are united in that common cause to save the country we know and love.
“I’ve met parents standing up against the indoctrination of Critical Race Theory, brave service members and law enforcement officials risking their lives every day to keep us safe, and working class Americans crying out for relief from petty authoritarians who are trampling on their rights. It’s because of them and their fighting spirit that I’m confident there are brighter days ahead for the State of Texas and for our country.
“As we bring in the New Year, I’m more committed than ever to fighting for the people of Texas, and every American family, for a better tomorrow.”
Read more below about Sen. Cruz’s fight against federal overreach, Democrats’ reckless, out-of-control spending, President Biden’s radical nominees, and the administration’s policy of surrendering to our adversaries while abandoning our allies. Watch Sen. Cruz’s 2021 highlights here.
Sen. Cruz’s 2021 Highlights:
Fighting Unlawful COVID-19 Mandates
- PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Cosponsored the Official Challenge to Biden’s Vaccine Mandate with Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), which would stop President Biden’s vaccine mandate on private employees under the Congressional Review Act.
- Led his colleagues on an amicus brief in U.S. Navy Seals v. Biden, in which 26 Navy SEALs and other Navy service members with sincere religious objections to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine are challenging the administration’s vaccine mandate for the Navy.
- Supported a resolution of disapproval to halt President Biden’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services vaccine mandate for virtually all healthcare employees and prevent any similar rule from being proposed in the future.
- Introduced the ‘Parental Rights Protection Act’ to prohibit the federal government and any entity at the federal, state, and local level that receives federal funding, including school districts, from requiring COVID-19 vaccines for minors.
- Cosponsored the ‘COVID-19 Vaccine Dishonorable Discharge Prevention Act’ alongside Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) to prohibit the Department of Defense from dishonorably discharging service members for choosing not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
- Introduced the ‘No Mask Mandates Act’ & ‘No Vaccine Mandates Act’ to end the Biden administration’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mask mandate for all Americans—regardless of vaccination status.
- Introduced the ‘No Vaccine Passports Act,’ which is the first and most sweeping bill introduced in the Senate to prohibit federal vaccine mandates, tracking persons based on vaccination status and denying essential liberties based on vaccine status. In addition, it would provide all employees with protections against employment-based vaccine mandates by extending current Civil Rights protections.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Calls Out Biden Admin for Unlawful COVID Mandates on Healthcare Workers
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Grills United CEO Over Vaccine Mandate: ‘Your Employees are Being Mistreated’
WATCH: Cruz on the Senate Floor: Pelosi Mask Mandates are Unprecedented, Abusive
Stopping Putin’s Pipeline
- Secured a long-awaited vote on Nord Stream 2 sanctions in return for releasing 32 holds on President Biden’s nominees—nominees Sen. Cruz placed holds on as a part of his commitment to using all of his leverage and prerogatives as a U.S. senator to force the administration to follow the law.
- Introduced an amendment to the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to stop the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. The amendment imposes mandatory sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, the Kremlin-owned company in charge of Putin’s malign pipeline project.
- Sought to pass new legislation imposing sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and objected to a motion to confirm several of President Biden’s nominees over the issue.
- Proposed legislation to immediately impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in response to the Biden administration’s refusal to impose existing Congressionally-mandated sanctions. After Senate Democrats blocked the bill, Sen. Cruz renewed his objections to President Biden's State Department nominees.
- Sent a letter calling on President Biden to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG pursuant to and as mandated by the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, and outlined a path for clearing the nominees he had holds on in exchange for the administration meeting its legal and statutory obligations to impose sanctions.
- Led the fight against President Biden’s wrong assertion that sanctions cannot stop Nord Stream 2 construction because the pipeline is almost done, and that sanctions are ‘counterproductive’ to foreign relations.
- INFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Announced in March that he was following through on a commitment he made to the State Department to lift Nord Stream 2-related holds he had placed on two Biden administration nominees after Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement warning companies constructing Nord Stream 2 that they face devastating U.S. sanctions and must immediately abandon their work,
WATCH: Sen. Cruz on Biden-Putin Pipeline: Nord Stream 2 is a Multibillion Dollar Gift to Russia
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Warns: If Nord Steam 2 Goes Online, There’s a Risk Russian Tanks Could Roll into Ukraine
Fighting to Secure Our Border and Defend South Texas Communities
- Led a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) with 18 of his Senate colleagues to see the ongoing crisis at the border firsthand in Mission, Texas. Sen. Cruz and his colleagues toured the border with the National Border Patrol Council, joined a muster with border patrol agents ahead of their nightly patrol, and inspected the Donna tent facility.
- INFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Urged President Biden and Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Alejandro Mayorkas to comply fully with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring the DHS to re-implement and enforce the ‘Remain in Mexico’ program, and requesting information to ensure that administration is taking the necessary steps. The Biden administration later resumed the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy.
- Introduced the ‘Securing the Homeland from International Entrants with Life-threatening Diseases Act,’ or SHIELD Act, to codify the previous administration’s public health order under Title 42 that required U.S. border officials to promptly remove illegal immigrants to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- Sent a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, voicing concerns about a caravan of over 3,000 illegal immigrants approaching the U.S. and urging the Biden administration to enforce federal immigration laws to address the border crisis on the Southwest border.
- Demanded press access for a tour of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, a facility housing illegal immigrants awaiting processing after leading a CODEL to the southern border. This letter came after the administration had repeatedly thwarted press access for border facilities.
- Returned to the border in September for a briefing by Del Rio Sector Border Patrol Interim Chief Agent in Charge Robert Garcia and command staff at the Del Rio International Bridge to see President Biden's man-made crisis firsthand as over 10,000 illegal immigrants flooded into Del Rio due to overcapacity at immigration housing facilities.
- Grilled DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a Judiciary hearing on the Biden administration’s immigration policies that have directly resulted in the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the southern border.
- Introduced the ‘Stop the SURGE Act’ to pressure President Biden, his administration, and congressional Democrats to address the unprecedented man-made crisis on the South Texas border and their political decisions that directly created it. This legislation would establish new ports of entry in 13 communities across the country and mandate that all illegal aliens encountered at Border Patrol Sectors in Texas be transferred to these new ports for processing.
- Urged the Democrat-led Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing and invite the Mayor of McAllen, Texas, Javier Villalobos, to testify on the ongoing humanitarian, national security, and public health crises on our southern border after illegal crossings in July hit an all-time high.
- Voiced support for Gov. Abbott’s appeal of the president’s denial of a federal emergency declaration as a result of the unprecedented crisis on the southern border.
WATCH: Cruz: The Crisis at the Border Is the Direct Consequence of Pres. Biden’s Policy Decisions
WATCH: Cruz Across Texas: Brave Men & Women of the Border Patrol Work Day & Night to Combat Border Crisis
Fighting Government Overreach
- INFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Sent a letter to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Charles Rettig expressing concerns regarding the IRS’s denial of tax-exempt status for a Texas nonprofit, Christians Engaged, a decision which the IRS later reversed.
- Led opposition to S.1., Democrats’ ‘Corrupt Politicians Act’, which failed to advance in the Senate. This dangerous bill would implement a federal takeover of elections.
- Introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to impose term limits on Members of Congress.
- Introduced legislation to repeal an overly broad and poorly-crafted provision in the Democrats’ infrastructure bill that imposes new reporting requirements on many participants within the emerging blockchain industry. Sen. Cruz had previously introduced an amendment to eliminate this proposal during Senate debate, but Democrats blocked it from receiving a vote.
- Led a bipartisan hearing in which he discussed how Britney Spears’ ongoing conservatorship highlights the need for states to ensure their conservatorship process protects the fundamental rights of their citizens.
- Led a bicameral amicus brief with his Republican colleagues in the case of 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, calling for the Supreme Court to review a circuit court decision that prohibits a Colorado business owner from exercising her free speech and religious liberty rights.
- Led an amicus brief for New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, a case currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief argues that New York’s laws making it extremely difficult to carry a firearm outside the home violate the Second Amendment’s guarantee of the right to bear arms.
- Sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding a meeting with the Commandant of the Marine Corps to account for the campaign attacking Fox News host Tucker Carlson and a plan to prevent other military units from being similarly mobilized against the speech of American citizens.
- Cosponsored a bill to prevent the IRS from being used as a political weapon against conservative non-profit groups.
- Cosponsored the ‘Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act,’ a bill to prevent the implementation of Democrats’ plan to give the IRS access to the banking transaction information of virtually every American.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz on the Senate Floor: Washington Bureaucrats are Trying to Kill Crypto
WATCH: Sen. Cruz: Defeating the Corrupt Politicians Act is a Victory for the American People
Fighting Back Against Radical Biden Nominees
- INFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Led the fight against President Biden’s nomination of David Chipman to be director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives. After Sen. Cruz and his colleagues’ efforts, President Biden withdrew this misguided nomination.
- Voted against and led the charge against the confirmation of Rachael Rollins as U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts due to her radical and dangerous policies while serving as District Attorney for Suffolk County.
- Urged his colleagues to vote against President Biden’s nominee for Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, Barbara Leaf, and slammed the Biden State Department and Ms. Leaf for hiding dangerous political decisions from Congress and the American people.
- Voted against Kristen Clarke for Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and led the charge against her nomination due to her radical record.
- Voted against President Biden’s nominee for Under Secretary for Defense for Policy, Colin Kahl, for his history of conspiracy theories, virulent opposition to Israel, and allegations of weaponizing leaks against opponents.
- Voted against President Biden’s nominee for Associate Attorney General, Vanita Gupta, and led the charge against her nomination due to her radical record.
- Voted against President Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, and led the charge against his nomination due to his lack of qualifications.
- Voted against the confirmation of Judge Merrick Garland for Attorney General.
- Voted against Commerce Secretary nominee, Gina Raimondo, outlining Democrats’ embrace, led by President Biden, of the Chinese Communist Party.
- Voted against the confirmation of President Biden’s nominee, Alejandro Mayorkas, to be Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In a Dear Colleague letter, Sen. Cruz outlined a long list of ethical, legal, and policy failures throughout Mr. Mayorkas’ public service tenure.
- Voted against the confirmation of Linda Thomas-Greenfield, President Biden’s nominee for Ambassador to the United Nations, due to concerns about her pro-China advocacy.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz’s Q&A with Commerce Secretary Nominee Gina Raimondo at Senate Commerce Committee Hearing
WATCH: Sen. Cruz to Vanita Gupta: ‘Your Record is One of an Extreme Partisan Advocate’
WATCH: Cruz Calls Out Biden U.N. Nominee Linda Thomas-Greenfield for Embracing Chinese Communist Party
Fighting for Our Service Members and Texas Military Communities
- SIGNED INTO LAW: Secured 16 wins in the NDAA that champion Texas military communities as a pillar of America’s national security and advance America’s defense capabilities against our adversaries, including:
- The CADET Act, which Sen. Cruz introduced to mandate an end to current policies that forced female students in America’s military academies to either permanently withdrawing from those academies or giving up their children, should they become pregnant. Under the CADET Act, military academies will treat pregnancies in line with the rest of the military, without changing cadet and midshipmen benefits or responsibilities;
- Prohibiting further reductions through 2023 of B-1 bombers, many of which are based in Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene;
- Preventing a reduction in our nuclear arsenal;
- Fully funding the B-21 program;
- Supporting procurement for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps of 85 F-35 aircraft, which are made in Fort Worth;
- Supporting additional funding for MQ-4 UAV’s, which are made in Red Oak Texas;
- Fully funding the Army’s Future Vertical Lift program;
- Expressing the sense of the Senate that the continued development of the ground-based strategic deterrent (GBSD) is necessary and in the national security interest of the United States;
- Authorizing the purchases of Iron Dome, Arrow, and David’s Sling to support Israel.
- Fort Hood received two new barracks buildings.
- Ensuring that Joint Base San Antonio has two new Dormitories for recruits, that Lackland Air Force Base and Ft. Sam receive two new Child Development Centers, that there are improvement to medical facilities and vehicle maintenance facilities, and Kelly Field improvements.
- Sheppard Air Force Base received a new Child Development Center.
- Ensured the final NDAA did NOT include:
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- A provision calling for the drafting of women, an effort Sen. Cruz led the fight against.
- A provision allowing for the dishonorable discharge of military members for not receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, an effort Sen. Cruz led the fight against.
- A provision allowing red flag laws, which would have infringed on the Second Amendment rights of Americans, specifically our service members.
- Continued leading the ‘Military Justice Improvement and Increase Prevention Act’ alongside Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, which moves prosecutions for sexual assault and harassment from the chain of command to independent, trained professional military prosecutors. Select provisions from this legislation were passed in the NDAA.
- Introduced the ‘VA AID Act’ to streamline U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs claims processing and ensure the appropriate benefits are sent to eligible low-income, senior veterans in a timely manner.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Honors Fallen Hero Lance Corporal David Espinoza on the Senate Floor
Fighting for Fiscal Sanity
- Voted against the second debt ceiling increase.
- Voted against Democrats’ second continuing resolution.
- Voted against the first debt ceiling increase and called out Democrats for using their self-made debt ceiling crisis as a political pawn to avoid taking accountability for more reckless, out-of-control spending.
- Sent a letter along with 45 of his colleagues promising they will not vote to increase the debt ceiling, ‘whether that increase comes through a stand-alone bill, a continuing resolution, or any other vehicle.’
- Sent a bicameral letter with members of the Texas delegation to the Biden administration expressing concerns regarding the Disproportionate Share Hospital Payments and Uncompensated Care Pool provisions in the ‘Build Back Better Act’ as well as the Biden Administration’s rescission of Texas’ 1115 waiver.
- Introduced the ‘Capital Gains Inflation Relief Act,’ legislation to ensure an individual’s cost basis in a capital asset receives the same fair and equitable treatment as other areas of the tax code by indexing the basis for inflation.
- Voted against the Continuing Resolution to fund the government through December 3.
- Voted against Democrats’ wasteful, ‘bait-and-switch’ infrastructure bill.
- Led the fight against corrupt earmark spending in the Senate Republican Conference and urged colleagues to uphold the ban on pork-barrel earmark spending.
- Sent a letter to House appropriations leadership urging them to not revive the corrupt practice of earmarks—a spending practice that was rightfully banned under a past Republican Congress.
- Voted against the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID bill spending bonanza.
- Voted against Democrats’ budget package.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz on the Senate Floor: ‘Why are We Bankrupting Our Kids and Grandkids?’
Fighting for the Resiliency of Texas Communities and Texas Energy Producers
- INFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Secured $10 million of federal funding by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would be allocated to the Packery Channel Restoration Project in Corpus Christi, Texas. Since the destruction of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Packery Channel’s southern wall has remained damaged, and local leaders have fought for the necessary funds to complete full restoration.
- SIGNED INTO LAW: Secured adoption of his bipartisan amendment with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in the infrastructure bill designating Interstate-14—an interstate that will run from the Permian Basin all the way to the Atlantic through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. This connects military bases and makes it easier to move goods and services, including the output from the shale revolution driven by the Midland-Odessa area.
- INFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Secured a federal disaster declaration after writing to President Biden in support of Governor Abbott’s request amid severe winter storms across the State of Texas in February.
- Sent a letter to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby in response to news that the company will be cutting service for airports in College Station and Killeen, Texas. In the letter, the lawmakers urge the company to resume flights to the area due to the vital role the cities play in American national security and Department of Defense partnerships as well as the growing economies of the communities.
- Introduced legislation to eliminate certain new taxes on everyday household chemicals to lower the cost of home products and increase American manufacturing competitiveness.
- Led the bipartisan, bicameral effort urging President Biden to provide funding for the construction of six congressionally authorized deep draft navigation projects in Texas, four of which received previous funding and are currently under construction.
- Wrote to President Biden describing the actions that the administration can take to ease energy prices and reduce energy shortages this winter. Solutions proposed by the Sen. Cruz and his colleagues include lifting the ban on oil and gas lease sales on federal lands and waters, accelerating Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Army Corps permitting and interagency coordination to approve pipeline projects, and ending the regulatory uncertainty that is stifling investments in energy.
- Wrote to Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Shalanda Young raising concerns about the FY 22 Army Corps budget. The budget seemingly attacks the fossil fuel industry in the United States and prohibits funding port projects connected to fossil fuels. If the language is implemented, it could halt all current work on several port projects critical to Texas and the nation.
- Wrote to President Biden in response to his administration halting border wall construction in the Rio Grande Valley and in doing so, halting construction of an essential levee wall needed to provide safety and security for the residents of Hidalgo County before a busy hurricane season.
- Introduced legislation that would ensure Americans continue to have access to liquefied natural gas transported by rail. The bill effectively codifies a June 2020 Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration rule allowing the bulk transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail.
- Introduced legislation to promote American energy security by cutting red tape and expanding abundant, clean natural gas exports to U.S. allies.
- Sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter with other members of the Texas Congressional Delegation to the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar, drawing attention to Mexico’s discriminatory actions that violate the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and urging Ambassador Salazar to directly engage with senior Mexican officials to ensure fair trade for Texas agriculture and energy producers.
- Led a bipartisan coalition to reinstate U.S. Department of Agriculture citrus inspections from foreign nations to ensure Texas farmers are given a level playing field.
- Penned an op-ed for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram detailing big business’ discrimination against the Texas oil and gas industry in the name of climate change and the Texas legislature’s fight to protect energy jobs against the woke mob with the passage of SB 13.
WATCH: Cruz on Fox: We Need To Make Sure Texas Power Grid Failures Never Happen Again
Fighting to Advance American National Security Interests
China
- PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Secured adoption of an amendment in the ‘Endless Frontiers Act’, which facilitates cooperation with our close friends and allies-Israel, Taiwan, and Five Eyes nations-and excluding nations that engage in discriminatory boycott, divestment, and sanctioning efforts against the Israel and Jews living anywhere in Israel.
- PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Secured adoption of two of his initiatives in the ‘Strategic Competition Act’ to hold accountable Chinese officials who are responsible for the genocide of the Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
- PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Secured adoption of his amendment requiring the Secretary of State to rescind prohibitions that limit our Taiwanese allies from displaying symbols of their sovereignty, such as the Taiwanese flag or military insignia, when they conduct business with the United States, which incorporates language from Sen. Cruz’s ‘Taiwan Symbols of Sovereignty Act,’ or Taiwan SOS Act, and his ‘Reassurance for Official Contacts,’ or Taiwan ROC Act.
- Called out the Chinese Communist Party’s actions to silence and disappear tennis star Peng Shuai, and commended the Women’s Tennis Association for threatening to cut off association with China in response.
- Introduced the ‘Circumspectly Reducing Unintended Consequences Impairing Alliances and Leadership Act of 2021, or ‘CRUCIAL Act, which creates a 10-year exemption for member countries of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue—Australia, Japan, and India—from U.S. sanctions passed in 2017 that would undermine unity against China.
- Sent a letter to President Thomas Bach of the International Olympic Committee in opposition to the 2022 Winter Olympics being hosted in Beijing amid the ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs, widespread censorship, and espionage conducted by the Chinese Communist Party.
- Introduced the ‘Reassurance for Official Contacts,’ or ROC Act, which would prohibit the Biden administration from reinstating 2015 Obama administration policy guidelines that prohibited the display of the Taiwanese flag by their service members and diplomats.
- Introduced the ‘Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act of 2021,’ a bill to stop adversaries from acquiring land near military bases, which they use to finance their regimes and put military installations at risk.
WATCH: Team Biden’s Rush to Embrace Communist China
Western Hemisphere
- SIGNED INTO LAW: Secured final passage of the ‘Reinforcing Nicaragua’s Adherence to Conditions for Electoral Reform Act,’ or RENACER Act, legislation he joined Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in introducing that would dramatically increase the United States’ response to the continued use of repressive tactics by Daniel Ortega and his government to intimidate, inhibit, or arrest every aspiring opposition candidate ahead of Nicaragua’s scheduled elections on November 7.
- PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Secured Senate passage of his bipartisan bill to rename the street outside of the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C., ‘Oswaldo Payá Way,’ after the Cuban dissident. The bill was introduced in June.
- PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Secured unanimous approval of a bipartisan resolution Sen. Cruz cosponsored, which condemns last year’s fraudulent legislative elections by the Maduro regime. The bipartisan resolution also denounces the lack of free, fair, and transparent elections in Venezuela, as well as the continued erosion of the nation's democracy and the rule of law.
- Sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for increased efforts to secure the immediate release of political prisoners targeted by the Ortega regime, urging the Biden administration to expand its use of sanctions authorities granted under the NICA Act and the RENACER Act to designate Ortega as well as his regime's top military brass.
- Introduced the ‘Preserving Accountability for National Assets Act of 2021,’ or PANA Act. The bill creates a Venezuelan Restoration Fund made up of assets seized from individuals convicted of corruption in connection to the regimes of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. The funds would be used for buildup of Venezuelan democracy and civil society.
- Introduced the ‘Transparency to Rehabilitate United States Treaties with Mexico Act of 2021,’ or TRUST With Mexico Act, to hold Mexico accountable for potential violations to the U.S.-Mexico Treaty of Mutual Legal Assistance. The bill also requires a description of assets of General Salvador Cienfuegos, who was arrested in October 2020 in Los Angeles by U.S. authorities and indicted for corruption charges linked to his support of the H-2 Cartel, but was ultimately released by Mexican authorities.
Middle East
- Visited Israel in the aftermath of the recent violent escalation by Iran-controlled terrorist groups including Hamas to see and hear directly what the Israelis need to defend themselves and to show the international community that the United States stands unequivocally with Israel. Sen. Cruz condemned the attacks, and in the early days of the conflict announced his intention to visit Israel in order to assess the country’s national security needs.
- INFLUENCED THE ADMINISTRATION: Introduced a resolution approving two arms sales to Israel that the Biden administration notified Congress of on May 5, as Democrats voiced their disapproval.
- Sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken in response to President Biden's plan to send a reported $75 million in general economic support payments from the United States Agency for International Development and the U.S. State Department into territories controlled by the Palestinian Authority and the Iran-backed terrorist group Hamas.
- Introduced the ‘Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act,’ a bill that urges the U.S. Department of State to use its statutory authority to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
- Introduced legislation to impose human rights sanctions on the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the regime’s President-elect, Ebrahim Raisi.
- Cosponsored a bill calling for President Biden to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome missiles.
- Introduced the ‘Israeli Sovereignty Reassurance Act of 2021,’ or ISRA, legislation to prohibit the State Department from reversing the U.S. recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
- Sent a letter to President Biden and demanded answers from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on information regarding the humanitarian crisis created by the rushed and catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Secretary of State Antony Blinken then confirmed before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Biden administration facilitated the transport of Afghan men trafficking child brides and other sexual abusers into the U.S. as part of President Biden's botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Questions Sec. Blinken on Catastrophic Afghanistan Withdrawal
WATCH: Where are the adults?
Fighting for Parental Rights in Education and Educational Freedom for All
- Secured a vote on his amendment to prohibit federal funding for any institution of higher education that discriminates against Asian Americans in the admissions process, which was cynically blocked by Democrats.
- Demanded the Department of Justice (DOJ) not interfere with local school board meetings or threaten the use of federal law enforcement to deter parents’ free speech when DOJ issued a memorandum suggesting federal law enforcement may need to assist policing local school board meetings.
- Sent a letter to Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland raising serious concerns and questions over a possible conflict of interest between AG Garland, whose son-in-law reportedly runs an educational organization that sells Critical Race Theory (CRT) to schools, and Garland’s recent memorandum directing the Federal Bureau of Investigation to pursue parents who oppose CRT.
- Introduced the ‘END CRT Act,’ which would prohibit federal funding for any agency or recipient of federal funding to teach Critical Race Theory in workplace training.
- Sent a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona demanding the agency provide information about why they have launched an investigation for allegations of racial and gender discrimination at the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, Texas.
- Introduced the ‘Parental Rights Protection Act’ to prohibit the federal government and any entity at the federal, state, and local level that receives federal funding, including school districts, from requiring COVID-19 vaccines for minors.
- Led the fight to fully reopen schools and called on Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and the Biden administration to follow the science and get America’s schools fully reopened so students can safely resume in-classroom learning.
- Introduced an amendment to Democrats’ pork-laden COVID spending bill that would provide grants for children at schools that do not commit to reopening to 5-day-a-week, in-classroom instruction for the remainder of the current school year. If schools chose not to reopen, Sen. Cruz’s amendment would have ensured the money would go to parents in the form of a family scholarship program—up to $10,000 per child—to guarantee parents have a choice to send their kids to a school that is open. Sadly, Democrats predictably sided with their liberal base rather than taking action to help get children back in the classroom.
- Re-introduced the ‘Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act’ to expand elementary, secondary, and vocational education opportunities for students by providing a federal tax credit to encourage individuals and businesses to donate to nonprofit scholarship funds.
- Introduced a bipartisan resolution alongside Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) declaring the last week of January ‘National School Choice Week’ and penned an op-ed for FoxNews.com highlighting his efforts to expand school choice and slamming teachers union bosses for keeping schools closed amid the pandemic.
WATCH: Sen. Cruz Introduces Amendment To Provide Scholarships To Help Get Children Back in the Classroom
Fighting to Support Law Enforcement
- PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Secured passage of the ‘Donna M. Doss Memorial Act,’ which renames the U.S. Border Patrol Station in Rocksprings, Texas in Agent Doss’s honor, who served more than fifteen years in the Border Patrol when she was killed in the line of duty on February 2, 2019.
- PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Secured passage of the National Police Week resolution, led by Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), honoring the men and women of law enforcement and offered an amendment, which passed unanimously, to a law enforcement bill further expressing respect for law enforcement officers across the country who serve with ‘valor, dignity, and integrity.’ Sen. Cruz accepted a friendly amendment by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) slightly altering the language to emphasize that officers who serve with valor, dignity and integrity ‘deserve the gratitude and respect of Congress.’
- Delivered remarks on the Senate floor in support of law enforcement and called out congressional Democrats and members of the Biden administration for leading the charge to defund the police as crime rates rise in major cities.
WATCH: Cruz Commemorates National Police Week, Secures Passage of Amendment Honoring Police Officers
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