The News with Sen. Cruz - July 16, 2013
Greetings,
There is no greater privilege than the ability to wake up every day to fight for Texas and the U.S. Constitution. Just yesterday, I joined patriots from across the country who gathered at the U.S. Capitol to unite in support of securing the border, fixing our broken immigration system, and doing so in a way that respects the rule of law.
In addition, last week I filed legislation to defund Obamacare, voiced my opposition to an attempt to pack the D.C. Circuit court, and issued a call that the Senate continue to play a critical role in advising and consenting to executive nominations, including the newly vacated position of Department of Homeland Security Secretary. Please keep reading below for more and then take a moment to share our latest newsletter with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers.
All the best,
Ted Cruz
GANG OF EIGHT MAKES PROBLEM WORSE
Yesterday afternoon, Sen. Cruz spoke at the Black American Leadership Alliance’s D.C. March for Jobs to address concerns with the Gang of Eight immigration reform bill that would impose a penalty on U.S. employers for hiring American workers and legal immigrants. Sen. Cruz commented that, “One of the most egregious aspects of the Gang of Eight bill is its intersection with Obamacare, which penalizes businesses that hire a U.S. citizen or a legal permanent resident over an illegal immigrant. This is utterly and completely indefensible. This bill will increase unemployment: it will increase African American unemployment, Hispanic unemployment, youth unemployment and even legal immigrant unemployment.”
Sen. Cruz also reiterated his call to fix our broken immigration system, secure our borders now, and to do so in a way that welcomes legal immigrants and upholds the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution.
DEFUND OBAMACARE
Consistent with his long-standing position that no continuing resolution or other appropriations measure should fund Obamacare, Sen. Cruz introduced a bill to permanently defund the law last Thursday. The Defund Obamacare Act of 2013 came as a result of the Obama Administration's recent announcement to delay the onerous and unpopular employer mandate until after the 2014 election, coupled with its announcement to delay income and health status eligibility requirements in favor of an honor system for the most expensive entitlement for our generation. These recent actions confirm what has been obvious from the start—this law is a colossal mistake.
Sen. Cruz agrees with the lead Senate author of Obamacare, Democrat Senator Max Baucus, that Obamacare has become a "huge train wreck." President Obama wants to delay the employer mandate – giving large businesses a temporary reprieve from part of Obamacare's job-killing impact – but he is unwilling to give hardworking American families the same consideration. But everyone, not just large corporations, deserves to be spared being forced to participate in the Obamacare "train wreck."
We must remain vigilant in making the argument that Obamacare harms economic growth, disrupts the doctor-patient relationship and tramples on our liberties. But it doesn't end there. We must guarantee that American taxpayers do not spend one more dime to implement Obamacare.
COURT PACKING SHOULD BE DECRIED
In a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Cruz rebuked President Obama’s attempt to pack the D.C. Circuit Court because it has been this court that has been holding this Administration accountable and, in particular, holding rulemaking agencies accountable when they have violated federal law.
Sen. Cruz believes there is an activist base that is pressuring the President and senior Senate Democrats, to get judicial nominees on the D.C. Circuit to protect the regulations coming from this Administration. Sen. Cruz commented that, "Any effort to pack the court because the Administration doesn’t like the outcomes of judges applying the law fairly should be decried." Watch the video and then share it with your friends.
REPLACING THE DHS SECRETARY
On Friday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced her resignation. The announcement coincided with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's bold attempt to silence individual senators and give all power over executive nominations to the White House and the Senate majority by threatening to use the so-called ‘nuclear option.’
At the same time, he silenced the minority by denying them the right to offer amendments to immigration reform on the Senate floor. As a result, the next DHS Secretary will get unchecked discretion over U.S. border security. As the Senate attempts to hand complete control of immigration and border security to President Obama and Harry Reid, the nuclear option would make it possible for the majority to ram through a partisan nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security – who will then oversee border security, immigration, and counter–terrorism policies – with no minority input.
Sen. Cruz hopes the Senate will have a meaningful role in confirming the next DHS Secretary and that the President's nominee will be dedicated to actually enforcing the law as written, rather than catering to the political agenda of the White House.
