Sen. Cruz: There Is Simply No State in the Union That Supports the Military the Way Texas Does
Discusses success in bringing Army Futures Command to Austin, supporting brave ICE agents, and Kavanaugh nomination with KTRH’s Michael Berry
HOUSTON, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today joined KTRH’s ‘The Michael Berry Show,’ to discuss the Army’s selection of Austin, Texas to host the new Army Futures Command, his resolution to denounce Democrats’ radical calls to abolish ICE, and President Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Audio from Sen. Cruz’s interview may be found here.
When Michael Berry asked about the site for the new Army Futures Command, Sen. Cruz explained the selection process and why Austin was the best choice.
“The Army announced last week that Austin, Texas is the site of the new Army Futures Command, which is a [four-star] command that is charged with modernizing the Army and with streamlining the adoption of new weapons and new technology,” Sen. Cruz said. “This is going to result in 500 jobs in the Austin area immediately. It is the command charged with laying out the modernization and future of the Army. It’s a big, big deal. They had a competitive process all across the country for where to base this command and ultimately Austin prevailed.
Sen. Cruz noted his role advocating for the Army’s expansion into Texas, including penning a letter to Under Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy and joining Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and thirteen members of the Texas Delegation in sending a letter to Secretary of the Army Mark Esper.
“I leaned in vigorously in support of Austin and was very glad that the Army agreed.” Sen. Cruz said. “It was a coordinated push. The governor’s office played an important part in it. The University of Texas played an important part in making the case. I personally spent time with both Army Secretary Mark Esper and Army Under Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who were leading up this process, and the case I was making, as I said - they were looking at a bunch of cities all over the country at the end, and the one Texas city was Austin - you know what, none of these other places can match what Austin has in terms of number one, young talent coming out of UT every year. Scientists, engineers, mathematicians. Number two, the tech community. The tech community in and around Austin is growing and booming and that’s a tremendous resource for the Army Futures Command. And then number three, the commitment to the military. There is simply no state in the Union that loves the military, that values the military, that supports the military the way Texas does.”
Sen. Cruz also discussed Sen. Kennedy’s resolution which he cosponsored, denouncing the radical calls of the Democrats to abolish ICE. This week, Sen. Cruz spoke on the Senate floor urging his colleagues to abandon this dangerous position and support law enforcement.
“This week, both Houses of Congress voted on a resolution supporting ICE,” Sen. Cruz said. “Supporting the men and women of law enforcement who risk their lives, who apprehend vicious drug dealers and cartels and gang members and keep us safe. I was a cosponsor of that resolution, I spoke emphatically in favor of it. I voted in favor of it. [...] Democrats used to pretend that they support enforcing immigration laws. Now they’re supporting abolishing the agency charged with enforcing immigration laws. It is not good for our country to have one of our two major parties getting so extreme and so radical that it’s out of touch with the American people.”
Finally, Michael Berry asked Sen. Cruz also discussed his meeting with Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, calling him, “one of the most accomplished, one of the most respected federal judges in the country.”
“I think Brett Kavanaugh is going to be confirmed as the next Supreme Court Justice,” Sen. Cruz said. “And I think this may well prove to be one of the most consequential things that has happened in the entire Trump presidency. I’ve known Brett for 20 years. I sat down with him this week in my office. And I will say he is by any measure one of the most accomplished, one of the most respected federal judges in the country. He spent over a decade on the D.C. circuit which is the federal court of appeals covering D.C. It’s often referred to as the second highest court in the land. And he has a very strong record on a number of issues that are critically important - including separation of powers, including reining in the overbroad power of federal agencies, including the second amendment, including religious liberty.”
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