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September 30, 2016
America has long been a beacon of hope for all those who have endured oppression around the globe. We have welcomed refugees for centuries, and we will continue to uphold that generous spirit. Unfortunately, with the rise of ISIS and its sympathizers, we also face an enemy that has vowed to infiltrate our refugee system in order to attack us. That very real and present danger requires increased vigilance.
But rather than taking basic steps to protect the American people, the Obama administration has maintained its willful blindness to radical Islamic terrorism and has implemented an inadequate refugee process—one that allows for the admission of refugees to our country based solely on their word, rather than documentation.
I believe we must continue to embrace America’s legacy as a safe haven, while doing everything we can to prevent even a very few jihadis from slipping through our borders. I will continue fighting to keep our nation and the great State of Texas secure.
Ted Cruz
This week, Sen. Cruz continued pushing back against the Obama administration’s willful blindness to radical Islamic terrorism at a Judiciary Committee hearing. The senator also continued fighting the administration’s abuse of religious liberty and joined his colleagues to stand with American victims of terror and deal President Obama his first veto override. See below for more details of Sen. Cruz’s work on behalf of Texans this week.
Obama Administration Official Admits to Allowing Refugees in to U.S. Based on Their Testimony Alone
On Wednesday in a Judiciary immigration subcommittee hearing, Sen. Cruz highlighted serious problems with the Obama administration’s refugee resettlement efforts, including the federal government’s inadequate refugee vetting process, and its willful blindness to radical Islamic terrorism.
During an exchange with Sen. Cruz, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Director León Rodríguez acknowledged publicly that refugee applications can be approved based solely on the applicant’s testimony, without any documentation.
Sen. Cruz: Is it true or false that the testimony of the applicant alone can be sufficient for approval?
Director Rodríguez: There are cases where the testimony is not necessarily corroborated by documents…I am acknowledging that, yes, testimony can be the basis for the grant of a refugee…
Read more about Sen. Cruz’s line of questioning in the hearing here.
Sen. Cruz Issues Statement on Senate Passage of Government Funding Bill
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz released the following statement regarding Senate passage of the continuing resolution:
“Rather than kicking the can down the road, Congress should have taken this opportunity to produce a funding bill that reduces wasteful spending and includes meaningful reforms that decrease regulations and lift burdens on small businesses and job creators.
“Glaringly absent from this legislation is any action by Congress to stop President Obama’s Internet giveaway. We should be united in protecting free speech online. As a result of congressional inaction, on October 1 President Obama intends to give increased control of the Internet to authoritarian regimes like China, Russia, and Iran. Like Jimmy Carter gave away the Panama Canal, Obama is giving away the Internet.
“The American people are understandably fed up with Washington because they expect all of us – Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike – to put the people’s interests first. That includes protecting free speech online. Congress had the opportunity to do so today, but sadly failed to rise to the occasion.”
Read the full release online here.
Sens. Cruz and Lee Continue Fighting for Religious Liberty in Letter to DOJ
On Tuesday, Sens. Cruz and Mike Lee (R-Utah) demanded answers from Attorney General Loretta Lynch regarding the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) apparent favoritism toward abortion access cases over religious liberty cases.
“It is not the DOJ’s prerogative to decide which laws merit enforcement and which ones merit no enforcement at all,” Cruz and Lee wrote. “Based on the facts presented in our initial letter, and the troubling facts disclosed (and not disclosed) in the response, it appears that abortion is being given much higher priority than religious freedom by the DOJ without any justification… In short, it would appear the DOJ’s process for tracking violations of religious liberty is either woefully inadequate or purposefully biased.”
Read the senators’ letter in its entirety here.
Sen. Cruz Op-Ed in Conservative Review: 'Ahmad Khan Rahami's Alarming Red Flags: It's Past Time to Take Off the Blinders'
Sen. Cruz on Tuesday penned an op-ed for Conservative Review, raising concerns regarding the Obama administration’s failing counterterrorism efforts and its unwillingness to identify common patterns of behavior preceding radical Islamic terror attacks.
“In their eagerness to blame workplace violence or the ever-popular rallying cry of ‘guns’ as the root cause of terrorist attacks, the Obama administration, Democrats in Congress, and their allies in the media are deliberately ignoring the fact that the terrorists all share a commitment to radical Islam that has created a clear pattern of behavior that could be used to prevent attacks,” Sen. Cruz wrote. “There are some basic common-sense measures we could be taking to protect the American people if our government were willing to admit there is a common pattern of behavior. Our law enforcement agencies could catch more terrorists before they strike if we would only take off the blinders and let them.”
Read Sen. Cruz’s op-ed in its entirety here.
Sens. Cruz and Rubio Urge Administration to Hold Nicaragua’s Ortega Government Accountable
Sens. Cruz and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, urging the Obama administration to step up its efforts against the corrupt Nicaraguan government’s assault on democracy. Specifically, the senators called on the administration to ensure a robust international election observation and monitoring effort is undertaken for the upcoming November 6 presidential election.
Cruz and Rubio highlighted how the election has already been marred by a series of actions undertaken by the Ortega government that violate the constitution, violate human rights, and have allow corruption to grow unchecked.
Read the Cruz-Rubio letter in its entirety here.
Sen. Cruz Issues Statement on Passing of Former Israeli Prime Minister President Shimon Peres
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz released the following statement regarding the passing of former Israeli Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres:
“Today, we remember the enduring legacy of one of Israel’s founding fathers, Shimon Peres.
“After making Aliyah with his family in 1934, President Peres spent almost seven decades serving his country, twice as Prime Minister and as Israel’s ninth President.
“It was a privilege to meet President Peres when the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. held a reception in honor of his retirement in 2014. I remember well Ambassador Ron Dermer’s moving remarks on President Peres’ exceptional service to the Jewish state as the only Israeli President to have served as Prime Minister as well as the only Prime Minister who also held all three of Israel’s senior cabinet positions – Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, and Defense Minister. Ambassador Dermer also paid tribute to his enduring friendship with the United States, noting President Peres was one of only seven foreign nationals to receive both the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was indeed a great patriot, and will be missed in both Israel and America.
“My thoughts and prayers are with his family and our close ally Israel. May his memory be a blessing.”
Read the full release online here.
National Security Leaders Oppose Obama’s Oct. 1 Internet Handover
On Tuesday, a broad coalition of 77 national security, cybersecurity, and industry leaders sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford calling on the top military officials to intervene in opposition to President Obama’s radical proposal to relinquish American guardianship of the Internet and give it to foreign corporations and countries, including Russia, China, and Iran.
“As individuals with extensive, first-hand experience with protecting our national security, we write to urge you to intervene in opposition to an imminent action that would, in our judgment, cause profound and irreversible damage to the United States’ vital interests,” the letter reads. “…Indeed, there is, to our knowledge, no compelling reason for exposing the national security to such a risk by transferring our remaining control of the Internet in this way at this time. In light of the looming deadline, we feel compelled to urge you to impress upon President Obama that the contract between NTIA and ICANN cannot be safely terminated at this point.”
The distinguished group of signers includes former Assistant Secretary of Defense Frank Gaffney, Jr., former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin (Ret.), former Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, former Director of the Defense Nuclear Agency Vice Adm. Robert Monroe (Ret.), and former Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Andrew McCarthy, among others.
Read the letter in its entirety here.
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