Sen. Cruz: Tax Relief is Crucial to Texas' Recovery
Discusses priorities for Hurricane Harvey recovery in press conference with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner
HOUSTON, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today joined Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner for a press conference. There, they discussed their efforts and priorities for Hurricane Harvey recovery, including the tax relief legislation sponsored by Sen. Cruz and signed into law late last year benefitting victims of the hurricane.
Still photos of Sen. Cruz’s visit may be viewed here. Watch Sen. Cruz’s opening remarks here.
“All of us in the wake of Hurricane Harvey saw Texans come together,” Sen. Cruz said. “We saw the city of Houston unite, and we saw Texans from across our state unite. From the first moments when the hurricane came into the Gulf of Mexico and was beginning land fall, up until the search and rescue, throughout the crisis, through the process of rebuilding that continues today, we saw the very face and the very spirit of Texas, and of my hometown of Houston. I think the Mayor [Sylvester Turner] has done a tremendous job leading our city during this very challenging time. During the Hurricane, the Mayor and I were speaking on the phone on a daily basis coordinating city resources, with county resources, with state resources, with federal resources, and we all came together to get through this crisis. That’s who we are as Texans, and it is encouraging going forward.”
“I want to talk about something that has happened that’s very positive for the city of Houston,” Mayor Turner said. “Senator Cruz introduced a Hurricane Tax Relief bill which became law. […] The law allows a huge number of people and businesses in the entire Houston area to cut the amount of federal income taxes they pay for 2017. That means Houstonians will have more money in their pockets to get their lives and possessions back to normal.”
The Cruz-Cornyn-Rubio tax relief bill provides additional tax deductions and waives penalties for withdrawals from tax-advantaged accounts for those in storm affected areas, allowing storm victims to keep more of their money as they work to rebuild. The bill also includes tax credits for small businesses that kept paying their employees, even if those employees were unable to come to work or the business was shut down, during the storms.
For more information on hurricane relief resources available, visit cruz.senate.gov or houstontx.gov.
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