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October 23, 2015
Greetings,
This week, the fight against illegal immigration and the dangerous policy of sanctuary cities continued. Although we faced a hurdle when Senate Democrats blocked legislation cracking down on illegal immigration, I answered their senseless partisanship by placing Kate’s Law directly on the Senate calendar, making it immediately available for action on the Senate floor. This class of illegal aliens has a special disregard and disdain for our nation’s laws, and serious leadership is needed to right this country’s course.
I look forward to continuing efforts to halt President Obama’s refusal to enforce immigration laws.
Please keep reading for an update on the latest in the Senate.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Revives Legislative Efforts to Stop Illegal Immigration
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz reintroduced Kate’s Law and placed it directly on the Senate calendar, which makes the bill available for immediate action on the Senate floor.
Sen. Cruz introduced Kate’s Law earlier this year. The bill is named for Kate Steinle, the 32-year-old woman who tragically died in the arms of her father on a San Francisco pier after being shot by an illegal alien who had several felony convictions and had been deported from the United States five times.
“When it comes to stopping sanctuary cities and protecting our safety, we need some governing. We need to actually fix the problem,” Sen. Cruz said.
Read the full release here.
Sen. Cruz Remains Committed to Stopping Illegal Immigration
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz issued a statement after Senate Democrats filibustered the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act (S. 2146).
“Today, the Senate had an opportunity to send the message that defiance of our laws will no longer be tolerated. While Senate Democrats chose partisan loyalty over protecting the lives of Americans, I will continue fighting to stop illegal immigration,” Sen. Cruz said. “Defiance of our immigration laws is inexcusable. Sanctuary cities and the illegal reentry offenders that they harbor are a threat to the safety of the American people. And they must end now.”
Read Sen. Cruz’s full statement here.
Sen. Cruz: We Must Send the Message That Defiance of Our Laws Will No Longer Be Tolerated
Sen. Cruz on Tuesday delivered a speech on the Senate floor citing the Obama Administration’s persistent negligence of immigration law enforcement and bolstering the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act (S. 2146) as a small step in the right direction.
“The American people have demanded for years that the federal government faithfully enforce our nation’s immigration laws. Americans are tired of seeing their laws flouted and their communities plagued by the horrible crime that typically accompanies illegal immigration. But for too long, the pleas of the American people on this issue have gone unheeded here in Washington,” Sen. Cruz said.
Read and watch the full speech here.
Sen. Cruz Applauds Texas for Dropping Planned Parenthood from Medicaid Program
Last week, Sen. Cruz released a statement praising the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s decision to drop Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid program.
“I’m proud of Texas for leading the way in affirming the sanctity of life, and I thank Gov. Abbott for his principled commitment to protecting the lives of unborn children. I encourage every state to follow Texas’ lead in stopping taxpayer funds from going to Planned Parenthood, and I will continue to lead the fight in the United States Senate to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level,” Sen. Cruz said.
“Today’s decision means that women will have access to healthcare that’s no longer burdened with the moral and ethical issues of Planned Parenthood, an organization under criminal investigation.”
Read Sen. Cruz’s full statement here.
Sens. Cruz, Lee, and Rubio Won’t Support Anything Less Than Full Obamacare Repeal
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz, along with Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), issued the following joint statement calling for H.R. 3762, the current reconciliation bill in the House of Representatives, to be amended to include a full repeal of Obamacare:
“On Friday the House of Representatives is set to vote on a reconciliation bill that repeals only parts of Obamacare. This simply isn’t good enough. Each of us campaigned on a promise to fully repeal Obamacare and a reconciliation bill is the best way to send such legislation to President Obama’s desk. If this bill cannot be amended so that it fully repeals Obamacare pursuant to Senate rules, we cannot support this bill. With millions of Americans now getting health premium increase notices in the mail, we owe our constituents nothing less.”
Read the full release here.
Sen. Cruz Praises House for Passing the Default Prevention Act
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz issued a statement praising the passage of Rep. Tom McClintock’s (R-Calif.) Default Prevention Act in the House of Representatives.
“First and foremost, Congress must enact critical reforms to restore fiscal sanity for our nation and reverse the continued upward trajectory of our spending. We cannot continue to cripple future generations. The House took a significant step today in that regard and passed the Default Prevention Act, which ensures that our nation’s debt will be paid in full and on time,” Sen. Cruz said.
Read Sen. Cruz’s full statement here.
Sen. Cruz: We Have a Moral Imperative to Speak for Freedom
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz spoke on the Senate floor requesting unanimous consent on his resolution to rename the plaza in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. as “Liu Xiaobo Plaza,” after Dr. Liu Xiaobo. Dr. Liu is a Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner who has been imprisoned for peacefully advocating for the basic political freedom denied to the Chinese people by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Sen. Cruz on the floor in support of this effort to support human rights and denounce China’s oppressive actions.
“The United States has a long history of standing with dissidents and speaking out for human rights. When this body acted to rename the street in front of the Soviet Embassy ‘Sakharov Plaza,’ that was a powerful statement that helped bring condemnation of the world on the Soviet Union’s repressive human rights record,” Sen. Cruz said. “We should show the same bipartisan unanimity with regard to communist China. Standing together with a wrongfully imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate, we should say to the wrongfully imprisoned dissidents across the world: America hears you and we stand with you.”
Read the full release here.
A Regional Update from South Central Texas Deputy Regional Director Javier Salinas
South Central Texas Deputy Regional Director Javier Salinas recently worked to plan a trip to El Paso and the Ciudad Juarez region for representatives from Sen. Cruz’s Washington, D.C. office and both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The participants attended briefings at Fort Bliss, the Bridge of the Americas, and toured the U.S.-Mexico border during ride-alongs with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Salinas also attended South Texas Veteran Heath Care System Stakeholder meetings at the Kerrville and San Antonio Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals to gain insight into helping the Department of Veterans Affairs improve the capacity and capability of its service to veterans.
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