The News with Sen. Cruz - July 23, 2013
Greetings,
The last seven months have been a whirlwind. Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with ABC's Jonathan Karl about what it has been like to fight for Texas in the United States Senate, including defending our Second Amendment rights, attempting to fix our nation's broken immigration system, and even some fun with 'The Daily Show' with Jon Stewart!
Last week, I introduced legislation to protect the integrity of our elections in light of a recent decision by the United States Supreme Court that created an alarming loophole preempting states from ensuring those registered to vote are actually U.S. citizens. I also reiterated my call to completely defund Obamacare and spare America from the impending "train wreck." Please keep reading below for more and then share this newsletter on Facebook and Twitter.
All the best,
Ted Cruz
AN EVENTFUL SEVEN MONTHS
Last week, Sen. Cruz spoke with ABC's Jonathan Karl about the whirlwind the last seven months in the Senate have been. Watch the discussion that aired Sunday on 'This Week' for more on Sen. Cruz's approach to immigration, jobs, and even 'The Daily Show,' and then share the video with your friends.
PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF OUR ELECTIONS
On Friday, Sen. Cruz presented legislation that will close a loophole in the federal “Motor Voter” law that preempts states from enforcing requirements to ensure those registered to vote are U.S. citizens.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. that the federal Motor Voter law -- the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 -- preempted Arizona’s common sense requirement that a person present concrete evidence of citizenship before they are allowed to register to vote. As Justice Alito explained in his dissent, this is not what Congress intended thorough federal Motor Voter legislation.
The Court’s ruling leaves a hole in federal law that allows non-citizens to register by using the promulgated federal form without showing proof of citizenship. This encourages voter fraud and undermines efforts to ensure elections are fair and accurately reflect the will of U.S. citizens. Because the right to vote is a fundamental building block of our nation’s democratic process, it is crucial that we have measures in place to uphold the integrity of our elections. The bill presented by Sen. Cruz ensures that states can enforce the common sense requirement that those registered to vote must actually be U.S. citizens.
Sen. Cruz had also presented an amendment to the Senate immigration legislation that would have fixed this loophole, but Senate Democrats refused to allow a vote on it.
DEFUND OBAMACARE NOW
Yesterday, Sen. Cruz released the latest in his series of "Freedom Minute" segments in which he notes more and more Americans, even including several prominent labor unions, are taking a stand against Obamacare, and now is the time to defund it entirely. Listen to "Defund Obamacare Now" and then share it with your friends.
THE SENATE VOTES TO CONFIRM A NEW LABOR SECRETARY
Last Thursday, the Senate voted to confirm Thomas Perez as Secretary of Labor. Sen. Cruz voted against the confirmation saying, "Mr. Perez's record indicates a lack of respect for the rule of law in his efforts to reach a misguided definition of ‘justice.’ From his uncooperative and questionably ethical handling of cases involving housing discrimination law in St. Paul, MN, to recent whistleblower reports accusing him of substantial misconduct at his previous role at the Department of Justice, Mr. Perez has not proved himself capable of carrying out the duties of this position. I cannot support a nominee who allows the government to favor equality of outcome versus equality of opportunity."
FILLING JUDICIAL VACANCIES
On Monday, Sen. Cruz joined with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) to announce they are accepting applications for six judicial vacancies in Texas. The Senators have established a bipartisan panel of leading attorneys in Texas to help identify the most qualified candidates to fill these vacancies.
The panel, known as the Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee, will review applications, interview candidates, and make recommendations to the Senators. The vacancies are in the Southern (Houston, Corpus Christi, Brownsville), Eastern (Sherman, Texarkana) and Western (San Antonio) Districts.
Qualified attorneys interested in seeking an appointment may submit their resumes and completed questionnaires to either Senators' office at the email addresses provided below. The questionnaire is available here. Completed application packets must be received at the below email addresses no later than Monday, August 19, 2013. Submitted questionnaires will be reviewed by the Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee, and selected candidates will be interviewed. Questions regarding applications may also be directed to the following contacts: FJEC@cornyn.senate.gov Attn: Matthew Johnson or FJEC@cruz.senate.gov Attn: Scott Keller.
