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Sen. Cruz on Delivering for the Lone Star State

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) upheld his unwavering commitment to advancing pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-freedom policies, and driving real and enduring change for Texans and the nation this year.

Reflecting on the past year, Sen. Cruz said, “As the Senator for the great state of Texas, I am proud of what my team and I have accomplished this year to deliver on the Lone Star State’s top priorities of freedom, economic prosperity, and security. In the Senate, I led the fight to create more opportunities for hardworking Texans, counter the Biden administration’s radical agenda, and defend our nation against adversaries, while standing firmly with our allies. I was also proud to advance and enact many bipartisan solutions to deliver meaningful results for American families and businesses.

“As the Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, I led the charge to invest in American aviation safety, hold Big Tech accountable, and drive innovation to keep America competitive.

“As we enter the new year with Republican leadership in Congress and the White House, I am confident that we will deliver on the issues the American people entrusted us to change. I will remain steadfast in my commitment to safeguard your freedoms, strengthen our economy, and produce more high-paying jobs for hardworking Texans.”

Sen. Cruz’s 2024 Highlights:

Delivering for Texas

  • Sen. Cruz was the first elected Republican member to be awarded the Key to the City of Laredo for his leadership in streamlining the presidential permitting process and securing permits to build and expand four major international bridges in South Texas, including two in Laredo.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced legislation to enhance support for American diplomats seeking to secure Mexican compliance with the 1944 Treaty on Utilization of Waters of the Colorado, Tijuana, and Rio Grande Rivers, and to ensure future deliveries of water by Mexico are predictable and reliable.
  • Sen. Cruz championed a provision providing support for South Texas agricultural producers suffering from Mexico’s blatant failure to meet its obligations under the 1944 Treaty on Utilization of Waters of the Colorado, Tijuana, and Rio Grande Rivers. This funding will provide immediate relief for hardworking Texans.
  • Sen. Cruz visited Jamaica Beach, Galveston, and Brazoria Counties to survey the damage caused by Hurricane Beryl and speak to impacted Texans. He joined government officials at a press conference in Texas where he pledged federal support demanding that a disaster declaration be issued immediately to expedite the process of rebuilding.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to CenterPoint Energy President and CEO, Jason Wells, reiterating his call for an after-action report from CenterPoint about what went wrong during Hurricane Beryl, and what the company would do to improve its response to future storms.
  • Sen. Cruz and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) introduced the Regional Impact of Disasters and Emergencies Relief (RIDER) Act to improve access to and delivery of federal relief to disaster-struck communities. This bipartisan, bicameral bill would amend existing law to better address the on-the-ground experiences of communities affected by major disasters.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the bicameral Wildfire Victim Tax Relief and Recovery Act to provide tax relief for victims of this year’s Panhandle wildfires which burned more than 1.2 million acres, destroyed homes, and killed over 12,000 head of cattle.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced two amendments relating to wildfire relief to enhance the ability of disaster aid agencies, including FEMA, to assist individuals affected by the 2024 wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma.
  • Sen. Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) introduced the bipartisan Fire Ready Nation Act, to help emergency managers and firefighters better predict, respond to, and prepare for wildfires.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Livestock Indemnity Program Enhancement Act to help Texas livestock producers recover from wildfires in the Texas Panhandle.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced legislation that would reverse the final rule issued by the Fish & Wildlife Service’s listing the Sagebrush Lizard under the Endangered Species Act undermining the utilization of land for oil and gas production in the Permian Basin. 

Boosting Jobs and the Economy

  • SIGNED INTO LAW: Sen. Cruz’s bipartisan bill, the I-27 Numbering Act, was signed into law generating more jobs, greater economic development, and better transportation for Texans in communities across the Lone Star State.
  • Sen. Cruz secured a presidential permit for the Laredo 4/5 International Bridge (Bridge 4/5) in Webb County massively increasing trade with our neighbor to the south, boosting the resiliency of our supply chain, and supporting good-paying jobs across the Lone Star State.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the No Tax on Tips Act to exempt tips from being subject to federal income tax.
  • Sen. Cruz and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) cleared their bipartisan legislation through the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee to make the federal procurement process easier to navigate for small businesses and new government contractors.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Protecting Innovation in Investment Act to protect Americans’ affordable access to financial markets.

Protecting Our Independent Judiciary and Combating the Weaponization of Government

  • Sen. Cruz led an amicus brief in the case of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos arguing that a lawsuit filed by Mexico in U.S. federal court against American firearms manufacturers, for crimes committed by Mexican cartels in Mexico, is a violation of American sovereignty and threatens the Second Amendment.
  • Sen. Cruz led proceedings, in the Senate Judiciary Committee, to block radical Biden administration judicial nominee, Sarah Netburn, over her consequential decision to house a biological male serial rapist in a women's prison. Sen. Cruz also prevented radical terrorist sympathizer Adeel Magi from being confirmed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals andprevented radical leftist Karla Campell from being confirmed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • SIGNED INTO LAW: Sens. Cruz and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) introduced the Federal Judiciary Stabilization Act to transition ten temporary judgeships to permanent status to maintain the current level of access to the federal court for millions of Americans across the nation. The bill passed through Congress.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to the CIA Director requesting information related to whistleblower allegations disclosed on the CIA’s investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to the Acting Secret Service Director regarding the Secret Service’s handling of the investigation related to the discovery of cocaine at the White House on July 2, 2023.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter calling on the Department of Education Inspector General to investigate the Education Secretary over a potential violation of the Hatch Act and other federal laws.
  • Sen. Cruz sent an oversight letter to the Department of Justice regarding the political prosecution of Dr. Eithan Haim, a trans-procedure whistleblower, who exposed a Texas hospital’s gender transition procedures being performed on children as young as eleven-years-old.

Pushing Back on the Left’s Woke Agenda

  • Sen. Cruz introduced the No Bailouts for Campus Criminals Act, which would prevent any convicted violent rioter or protestor on college campuses from having their student loans forgiven.
  • Sen. Cruz filed legislation to halt efforts by the Biden administration to start a central bank digital currency (CBDC).

Freeing American Energy and Dismantling Burdensome Environmental Regulations

  • PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Sen. Cruz secured bipartisan support for his resolution disapproving of and reversing the Department of Energy’s rule on gas furnace efficiency standards, which would effectively ban non-condensing gas furnace models through.
  • Sen. Cruz and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) introduced The Distribution Transformer Efficiency & Supply Chain Reliability Act of 2024 which would bolster the American transformer supply chain by setting realistic energy efficiency standards that help stabilize domestic transformer manufacturing to meet increasing demand without exacerbating existing supply chains or undermining American steel production.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Protect LNG Act which would ensure that a court cannot vacate a previously authorized LNG permit, clarifies the venue for LNG lawsuits before federal courts, and mandates that courts grant expedited decisions in relevant cases.
  • Sen. Cruz and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), introduced the bipartisan Orphan Well Grant Flexibility Act to empower states to maximize their flexibility within the Energy Policy Act of 2005 as they close abandoned oil wells.
  • Sen. Cruz filed and led a bicameral amicus brief defending the economic and energy security of Texas and America and urging the D.C. Circuit to reverse the current environmental process which cedes American energy dominance to adversarial nations.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced bipartisan Congressional Review Acts in the Senate and House to block the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandates.
  • Sen. Cruz filed a bicameral amicus curia brief in the D.C. Circuit in support of state and industry challengers of the EPA’s “Good Neighbor” rule, which burdens American power production and burdens states with misguided air regulations.
  • Sen. Cruz filed a bicameral amicus brief against the Biden-Harris Federal Highway Administration’s final rule on greenhouse gas emissions on highways. 
  • Sen. Cruz introduced a bicameral Congressional Review Act Joint Resolution of Disapproval to nullify the Federal Highway Administration rule imposing greenhouse gas emissions performance measures on state departments of transportation and metropolitan planning organizations.
  • Sen. Cruz led a bicameral coalition in sending a letter calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator to rescind the Biden administration’s proposed standards for passenger cars and light-duty trucks.
  • Sen. Cruz filed the Illegal Red Snapper Enforcement Act, which would help develop field test kits for the Coast Guard allowing law enforcement officers to confiscate illegally caught red snapper before it is imported into the United States.  

Backing Law Enforcement

  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Counter Secretary Negligence In Protecting Election Runners (SNIPER) Act to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to determine a presidential candidate’s eligibility for new or enhanced United States Secret Service (USSS) protection in a timely, impartial, and transparent manner.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Officer John Barnes Act to ensure timely support for our nation’s law enforcement officers and their families in times of crisis by addressing delays in receiving benefits from the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program (PSOB).
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Protect and Serve Act, which would make it a federal crime to knowingly cause, or attempt to cause, bodily injury to a law enforcement officer.
  • Sen. Cruz announced that his guest for President Biden’s State of the Union address would be Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez, a man who has been at the front lines of the worst illegal immigration crisis in American history.

Combating the Drug Crisis and Increasing Healthcare Access

  • Sen. Cruz and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced the IVF Protection Act to ensure that states do not prohibit access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) services.

Defending the Right to Life

  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to the Washington D.C. Mayor and Metropolitan Police Department Chief to provide notice of their obligations to preserve evidence for future Congressional oversight hearings regarding the likely abortion of full term babies in violation of federal law.

Championing Our Military and Veterans

  • SIGNED INTO LAW: Sen. Cruz secured bipartisan, bicameral support under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for his Updating National Flag Use to Reaffirm Liberty (UNFURL) Act amending the U.S. Flag Code to allow uniformed military servicemembers to participate in the ceremonial unfurling of large American flags at sporting events.

Advocating for Our Students

  • Sen. Cruz secured bipartisan support for his Eyes on the Board Act which would require schools receiving federal broadband funding through the E-Rate program to block access to subsidized services, devices, and networks.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced a resolution designating January 21st – January 27th, 2024 as National School Choice Week.

Standing Up to America’s Enemies and Adversaries, While Standing with Her Allies

  • Sen. Cruz was recognized for his dedicated contributions to making the world a freer place and received the ‘The Sinai Award’ for his dedicated contributions to making a tangible difference in the fight for freedom and security.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Transparency in Reporting of Adversarial Contributions to Education (TRACE) Act to enhance transparency for parents regarding the influence of foreign funding in schools by the CCP and other foreign adversaries who continue to target American educational institutions.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary urging heightened precautions along the U.S.-Canada following an increase in the number of refugees Canada will allow to enter on temporary resident visas from Israel and the Palestinian Territories, including Gaza and the West Bank.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Securing Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2024 to preserve sanctions mandated under the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act (PEESA) that immediately halted construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
  • Sen. Cruz filed legislation to allow American victims of terrorism to sue international organizations that support those terrorists, such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provided resources to Hamas terrorists ahead of the horrific October 7th attack on Israel.
  • PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Sen. Cruz and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), joined a bipartisan coalition to introduce and secure passage of a resolution supporting Taiwan’s commitment to democratic elections and institutions, despite ongoing threats from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Standing with Israel

Countering the Iranian regime

  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan demanding answers regarding the White House’s Drone Task Force. The Biden administration has allowed over $100 billion to flow to the Iranian regime, and the regime has used that money to fund terrorism, including the production of “suicide drones.”
  • Sen. Cruz secured a vote on an amendment that would have prohibited the Biden administration from issuing waivers giving Iran access to escrowed accounts, including  $10 billion for electricity provided to Iraq.

Countering Communist China

Supporting freedom and opposing oppression in Central and South America

  • Sen. Cruz advocated for the release of 135 political prisoners, including 13 individuals affiliated with the Texas-based religious organization, Mountain Gateway, who were being wrongly detained by Nicaraguan authorities.

Fighting to Secure the Southern Border

  • Sen. Cruz was named one of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement’s (NICE) 2024 Congressional Champions of Interior Enforcement for his leadership in securing the southern border.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced The Justice for Jocelyn Act to improve the detention and tracking of illegal aliens entering the United States.
  • Sen. Cruz and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg penned an op-ed calling on leaders to set partisan differences aside and to work together towards practical solutions to protect our children from predators who enter the country illegally such as the Justice for Jocelyn Act.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security demanding answers about the growing presence of the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Texas and across America.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Visa Integrity Preservation Act, which would close a loophole in current immigration law that the Biden-Harris administration exploited to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants who have entered the United States without inspection or overstayed a visa.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced a resolution denouncing the Biden administration’s disastrous open border policies for allowing more than nine million illegal immigrants to cross into the United States.
  • Sen. Cruz penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal arguing that Senate Democrats violated Senate rules by ending impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
  • Sen. Cruz penned an op-ed in the Houston Chronicle on how the failed Senate border deal provided political camouflage for Democrats instead of addressing the humanitarian and security crisis.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Keeping International Land Ports of Entry Open Act, preventing President Joe Biden from closing commercial ports of entry and diverting Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) staff from facilitating lawful commerce to processing illegal aliens.

Sen. Cruz’s 2024 Highlights as Ranking Member on Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee:

Investing in the Safety and Efficiency of American Aviation

  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Safe and Secure Transportation of American Energy Act to protect American energy from attacks, or the threat of attacks, by radical environmentalists.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the NO FAMS at the Border Act, which would put federal air marshals back on airplanes as the Biden administration has sent hundreds of federal law enforcement officials to the border to help illegal aliens entering the country.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the bipartisan Fair Qualifications for Pilots Act that would prevent medical discrimination against operators of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) by prohibiting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from imposing onerous medical requirements.

Holding Big Tech Accountable

  • PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Sen. Cruz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) secured passage of their Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks (TAKE IT DOWN) Actwhich would criminalize the publication of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including AI-generated NCII (commonly referred to as “deepfake” revenge pornography), and require social media and similar websites to have in place procedures to remove such content within 48 hours of notice from a victim.
  • Sen. Cruz and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced the bipartisan Kids Off Social Media Act, to set the minimum age of 13 to use social media and to prevent social media companies from feeding algorithmically-boosted content to users under the age of 17.
  • Sen. Cruz released an investigative report showing how online service providers are weaponizing their terms of service to deny conservative access to essential business technology causing conservative groups to lose out on thousands of dollars in revenue.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter asking the CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, to fulfill the commitment Zuckerberg made to “personally look into” how often Instagram’s child sexual abuse material screen warning screen was displayed and the number of times users presented with the warning screen clicked “See results anyway.”

Empowering America’s Technological Innovation

  • SIGNED INTO LAW: Sen. Cruz and Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act received wide bipartisan, bicameral support and was signed into law, expediting the process of constructing semiconductor manufacturing plants by removing burdensome environmental reviews and permits for microchip projects received widespread bipartisan support.
  • PASSED THE U.S. SENATE: Sen. Cruz and Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) secured bipartisan support to pass the Source Code Harmonization And Reuse in Information Technology (SHARE IT) Act which requires government agencies to share custom-developed source code with each other to avoid duplicative contracts to build software.
  • Sen. Cruz led a bicameral coalition calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to abandon its “net-neutrality” draft order— an illegal power grab that would expose the broadband industry to an oppressive regulatory regime under Title II of the Communications Act and punish American consumers by choking off investment, innovation, and competition.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2024 to spur job growth, economic prosperity, and significantly increase commercial access to a mid-band spectrum to protect American taxpayers and prioritize national security.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Satellite and Telecommunications Streamlining Act to update the FCC’s application process to remove regulatory barriers that threaten investments in the U.S. commercial satellite industry.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced the Protecting Innovation in Investment Act to protect Americans’ affordable access to financial markets.
  • Sens. Cruz and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced the bipartisan Modernizing Access to Our Public Oceans (MAPOceans) Act that would digitize and map public information about federal fishing restrictions in the ocean to ensure fishery information is easily and centrally accessible for anglers and boaters. 

Enforcing Executive Branch Accountability

  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to the Attorney General requesting the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate whether foreign organizations had failed to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) pursuant to efforts to influence U.S. AI policy.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter calling for the administration to withdraw and halt its unlawful and discriminatory guidance for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) ‘Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program.’
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter urging the NTIA to pause its unlawful Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) activities.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter calling out the Biden-Harris administration for spreading misinformation about broadband in the U.S. in a letter to the U.S. Census Bureau and the NTIA.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter questioning the Biden-Harris administration's collaboration with the RAND Corporation, a think tank with Big Tech ties, citing RAND’s previous involvement in both the drafting of the Biden-Harris Artificial Intelligence (AI) Executive Order and efforts by the government to censor online speech.
  • Sen. Cruz led a group of his colleagues in demanding answers regarding the implementation of the Department of Commerce’s (DOC) new financial management system, which has disrupted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) weather forecast operations, delayed aid money for fishery disasters, and left agency employees without reimbursement for official travel expenses.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding its ineffective management of airport security and vetting of illegal aliens, raising serious concerns about whether DHS and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have adequately protected against rising security threats caused by the Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies.
  • Sen. Cruz sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) following an alarming report that the FTC is suing U.S. companies for millions of dollars using a fringe, left-wing legal theory of discrimination and basing such allegations on a discredited and congressionally rejected computer model that stereotypes a person’s race based on their name.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced a provision to the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations Act aimed at holding the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accountable for allowing Chinese swimmers, who tested positive for banned performance-enhancing drugs, to compete at the Summer Olympics.
  • Sen. Cruz laid out a plan to protect Americans from hidden tax hikes on their phone bills by reforming the FCC’s Universal Service Fund (USF).
  • Sen. Cruz led an amicus brief opposing the Biden administration’s decision to expand the FCC’s E-Rate program to fund Wi-Fi on school buses aimed at funding children’s unsupervised access to social media.
  • Sen. Cruz introduced a Congressional Review Act joint resolution of disapproval to nullify the FCC’s so-called “Digital Discrimination” order giving the federal government control over nearly every aspect of the broadband industry while exposing companies to expansive, indeterminate, and crippling liability under a “disparate impact” standard.

Fighting for Texas Commerce, Science, and Transportation

  • Sen. Cruz introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to overturn a new Biden-Harris administration regulation that would effectively ban gas-powered automobiles and force American consumers to buy electric vehicles.
  • Sen. Cruz secured a major victory for Texas’s energy industry after the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) granted a license to construct a deepwater port to Houston’s Enterprise Products’ Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) bringing more jobs to Texas and greater energy security to America and our allies.

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