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February 27, 2015
Greetings,
As the new chairman of the Senate Space, Science, and Competitiveness subcommittee, this week I hosted astronauts and space experts to address the committee and discuss the need to renew our space exploration programs.
Space exploration has produced greater knowledge of the universe beyond and greater security of our interests at home, and I am committed to refocusing NASA on its core mission to do just that.
America has always led the way on innovation and security, and we must reclaim that leadership.
Keep Texas strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Ted Cruz Gives Opening Remarks at Hearing on U.S. Space Exploration
Click to view video
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz hosted a hearing with former astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Walt Cunningham, and Mike Massimino, and space experts John Elbon, Scott Pace, and Eric Stallmer.
“Just over a half century ago, President John F. Kennedy laid down a marker in my home city of Houston, Texas and made the commitment that like the great pioneers that came before us that we too would set sail on a new sea and send man to the moon. We embarked upon that endeavor as a nation because the opening vistas of space promised high costs and hardships, as well as high reward. Today we find ourselves at a similar crossroad. 2015 is just as critical of a time for our national and commercial space programs as was the case in 1962,” Sen. Cruz said.
Sen. Cruz Urges Senate Republicans to Oppose Lorretta Lynch’s Nomination
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz published an op-ed in Politico Magazine making the case for stopping the nomination of Loretta Lynch to the Office of Attorney General.
“It is entirely within the power of the newly elected Republican majority in the Senate not to confirm Ms. Lynch. The only question is whether the GOP majority will exercise its constitutional authority to do so,” Sen. Cruz said.
Sen. Cruz recalled several of the questions in which Ms. Lynch refused to condemn Eric Holder’s lawlessness, particularly in cases such as refusing to appoint a prosecutor to investigate the illegal targeting of the IRS and complying with President Obama’s illegal executive amnesty.Sen. Cruz continued, "Some argue that rejecting Ms. Lynch's nomination would just keep Eric Holder in office. It is true that Holder has abused the office, turning a Department of Justice that had built a long bipartisan tradition of impartially enforcing the law into effectively a partisan arm of the Democratic Party. And he has repeatedly ignored the law and the Constitution, so much so that he is the only attorney general in history to be held in contempt of Congress.
"But Holder's lawless behavior occurred after he was confirmed. It is altogether different for the Senate to confirm a nominee who tells us ahead of time she will ignore the law. If the Senate does so, we are complicit in the lawlessness.
Senate Republicans have the power to stop this nomination. And we have a choice. We can honor our oaths to the Constitution-we can defend liberty and the rule of law-or we can confirm an attorney general who has candidly admitted she will impose no limits on the President whatsoever."
Read the full article here.
Click to view video
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz spoke at the nomination hearing, in which he supported the nomination of three Texas judges, who have demonstrated a willingness to respect the rule of law.
Sen. Cruz also addressed the nomination of Lorretta Lynch, and asked his fellow committee members to consider her stated disregard for the Constitution and her failure to distinguish how she would differ from Eric Holder. He urged them to not vote her out of committee due to her refusal to clarify her willingness to uphold the Constitution and rule of law.
Sen. Cruz Sends Sec. Johnson a Letter:
Do you Intend to Abide by the Federal Court Order?
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson questioning whether the Obama Administration plans to comply with the court's injunction to stop President Obama's illegal amnesty in light of President Obama's public comments that DHS would "continue in the planning" of activities the court issued a cease and desist order to stop.
"Violating an unambiguous federal court order by defying its instructions to cease and desist a particular activity would represent a significant breach of your authority, and would be an escalation in abuse of our separation of powers. For a President and his cabinet to telegraph intent to violate a federal court order requires additional scrutiny from Congress," Sen. Cruz said.
Sen. Cruz requested the following information:
1) The precise DAPA program-related and DACA program expansion-related actions, procedures, processes, and/or preparations the Administration intends to continue to implement despite the current federal court order;
2) The specific sources of funding the Administration intends to use to continue to implement the above actions, procedures, processes, and/or preparations, including indications as to whether the funding comes from the general fund of the Treasury or one or more designated offsetting accounts;
3) A clarification of how continuing to prepare for the DAPA program and DACA program expansion does not violate the court order's specific instruction to refrain "from implementing any and all aspects or phases" of the DAPA program and DACA program expansion; and
4) The specific provisions of federal law that you believe permit the Administration to continue to implement the above actions, procedures, processes, and/or preparations in the face of the current federal court order.
Read the full letter here.
Sen. Cruz Calls DHS Funding Plan a Mistake
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz released the following statement regarding Department of Homeland Security funding:
"It is both reckless and irresponsible for Democrats to continue to filibuster funding for the Department of Homeland Security in a misguided attempt to preserve President Obama's executive amnesty, which has already been rejected by the voters and declared illegal by a federal court. The federal court injunction was a major victory for the rule of law, and we need to hold the Administration accountable to comply in every respect. Leadership's current plan - to pass clean DHS funding and separate legislation barring executive amnesty - is a mistake. Congress is obliged to use every constitutional check and balance we have to rein in President Obama's lawlessness, and that includes both our confirmation authority over nominees and the power of the purse."
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