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December 18, 2015
Greetings,
This week, we witnessed the Washington Cartel in action yet again – working for big businesses and lobbyists, rather than the American people – this time in the form of a $1.1 trillion, 2,000-plus page spending bill. This big-government bill demonstrates that we have a government of the lobbyist, by the lobbyist, and for the lobbyist.
There is profound disappointment among the American people because we keep winning elections, and then we keep getting leaders who don’t do anything they promised. This institution should not operate at the beck and call of lobbyists in Washington. This institution, the majority and minority leader, arm-in-arm again, should not team up against the American taxpayers.
I voted against the bill today in the Senate, and, although it ultimately passed Congress, I will continue to oppose this sort of cronyism that is bankrupting our kids.
Please keep reading for an update on the latest in the Senate.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Votes Against Spending Bill Funding President Obama’s Agenda
Today, Sen. Cruz voted against the $1.1 trillion, 2,000-plus page spending bill that was passed by the U.S. House at approximately 9:30 a.m. today and subsequently rammed through the Senate after being hastily merged with tax extender provisions.
Following the bill’s passage in the Senate, Sen. Cruz said, “What we’ve seen in Congress today is profoundly disappointing. This spending bill does not honor the promises we made to the men and women who elected us. It funds Obamacare. It funds Planned Parenthood. It funds executive amnesty. It fails to protect our national security and stop Syrian refugees from coming to this country. It fails to do anything to stop the Iranian Nuclear Deal. And what does it do? It jacks up yet more low-skilled immigration, which will only drag down wages, kill American jobs, and hurt working men and women… This is the Washington Cartel in action, and it’s precisely why the American people from coast to coast are so volcanically frustrated.”
Read the full release here.
Cruz, Palazzo Pass the Emergency Information Improvement Act
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz released a statement after the House passed S. 1090, the Emergency Information Improvement Act, that works to increase and safeguard the availability of critical information during times of emergency and crisis. It passed the Senate in September of this year under the co-sponsorship of Sen. Cruz and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
“When disaster strikes, it is critical that the American people have access to real-time emergency information that can save lives. Texas understands the seriousness of these threats more than most states, as it has made 90 major disaster declarations since 1953 and routinely prepares for tornadoes, floods, wildfires, and hurricanes. Public radio and broadcast stations can play a significant role providing critical information during and after natural disasters and terrorist attacks. The Emergency Information Improvement Act will help eliminate any ambiguity in current law by allowing critical service communications facilities to quickly make necessary repairs and prepare for the next disaster,” Sen. Cruz said. “I commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers for passing this legislation, and look forward to sending this bill to the President’s desk.”
Read the full release here.
House Passes Red River Private Property Protection Act
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Red River Private Property Protection Act, authored by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas). Sen. Cruz is an original cosponsor of this bill’s companion legislation in the Senate, authored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
“Strong property rights are a cornerstone of our most basic freedoms. Unfortunately, BLM continues to seek control of privately-owned lands along the Red River. We must protect landowners from federal overreach, and I applaud the House for passing Rep. Thornberry’s legislation that will prevent the federal government from unlawfully encroaching upon private property rights. I call on my colleagues to pass the Senate companion bill that Sen. Cornyn and I introduced in June,” Sen. Cruz said.
Read more here.
Sen. Cruz Op-Ed in Politico: ‘The Republicans in Congress Are Surrendering to Obama’
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz penned an op-ed for Politico, outlining the reasons he will not support the latest last-minute $1.1 trillion spending bill passed by Congress today and expected to be signed into law by President Obama.
An excerpt of Sen. Cruz’s op-ed is below. The full article may be viewed here.
It’s Christmastime in Washington, D.C., and that can mean only one thing: Congress is once again playing Santa Claus. The names at the top of its list are the Washington Cartel: The big businesses and lobbyists who get in bed with career politicians to do nothing but grow government. And left off the list: the American taxpayer.
Thanks to last year’s landslide elections, Republicans now control more seats in Congress, more governorships and more state legislative seats across the country than at any time since the 1920s. We retired Harry Reid and took control of the Senate. And yet today marks a milestone and an ignominious one. Before long, Republican leaders in the Senate and House intend to join hands with a majority of Congressional Democrats to pass a bill that funds President Barack Obama’s disastrous agenda well into 2016.
And while I am encouraged that the GOP-led Congress finally took a significant step toward repealing Obamacare and defunding Planned Parenthood in this month’s budget reconciliation bill, GOP leadership included it in a bill that commanded no leverage with Obama. They placed it in a bill the president will instantly veto, instead of including these priorities in Friday’s government funding bill, one that must be signed into law if the president wants to keep the federal government open.
Since taking control of the Senate, Republican leadership has joined hands with a majority of Democrats to thwart their own caucus’ efforts to stop the Obama agenda 24 times. During each of these 24 votes, this so-called Republican majority successfully passed legislation with a majority of Democrats in support and a majority of Republicans opposed. This is why I have said that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is the most effective Democratic leader in modern times.
Read Sen. Cruz’s op-ed in its entirety here.
A Regional Update from North Texas Deputy Regional Director Michael Flusche
North Texas Deputy Regional Director Michael Flusche recently saw firsthand the operations of the temporary facility used to house unaccompanied minors at Lakeview Camp and Retreat Center in Waxahachie, Texas.
Flusche, who has been working directly with the Department of Health and Human Services and Baptist Child Family Services, toured the command center, sleeping quarters and processing facility, where he was able to gather information from staff to better assist the community and address growing concerns regarding the situation.
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