The News with Sen. Cruz - June 6, 2014
This week, many troubling announcements were made in Washington that could hurt Americans in a number of ways. We must vigilantly protect our rights and keep working to create more jobs, growth, and opportunities for all Americans.
Please keep reading below for more.
All the best,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Plans to Introduce Legislation to Halt Guantanamo Bay Transfers
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz spoke with Sean Hannity on Fox News about the Obama Administration’s prisoner swap and announced plans to introduce legislation to block any more Guantanamo releases.
“I intend next week to file legislation to halt any releases from Guantanamo until we get to the bottom of what happened in Bergdahl and provide some real Congressional oversight here because it is really needed,” Sen. Cruz said.
Protecting the Individual Right to Free Speech
Sen. Cruz filed a pair of bills on Tuesday protect the individual right to free speech in the wake of Democrats’ efforts to effectively repeal the First Amendment by allowing Congress to regulate spending on political speech.
“Senate Democrats are seeking unfettered power to regulate and stifle political speech, which is why today, it’s more important than ever to champion the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution,” Sen. Cruz said. “Once Congress can prohibit spending money, it can prohibit almost every form of speech, whether it comes to books, films, television advertisements, or events. The pair of bills I filed today will not only encourage more freedom and transparency in the campaign finance system, but once again put individual Americans on a level playing field with the media and politicians when it comes to exercising our First Amendment rights."
The two bills Sen. Cruz filed are the SuperPAC Elimination Act of 2014 and the Free All Speech Act:
- The SuperPAC Elimination Act of 2014 would eliminate the caps on direct contributions to candidates from individuals and also require all donations over $200 to be disclosed within 24 hours.
- The Free All Speech Act would require that all restrictions on political speech that apply to individuals also apply to media corporations. Additionally, if legislation is unconstitutional as applied to media corporations, it shall carry no force as applied to individuals.
Commemorating the Legacy of President Reagan
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz released following statement remembering President Ronald Reagan, who passed away 10 years ago on June 5, 2004.
“Today, on the 10th anniversary of President Reagan’s passing we should take a moment to reflect on the confidence and optimism he brought when confronting the world’s most difficult challenges,” said Sen. Cruz. “During our nation’s darkest moments, when Communism was on the march, the economy was flailing, and liberal policies mired America in malaise, Reagan reminded us that if we would let the light of freedom shine it would be ‘Morning in America’ once again.
“President Reagan spoke to the world with clarity and power. No one misunderstood Reagan when he declared his strategy for the Cold War was ‘We win, they lose.’ His message to Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev at the Brandenberg Gate was unmistakable: ‘Tear down this wall.’
“America needs leaders who will speak boldly and clearly at home and on the world stage once again. As we look to the future, let us together renew the promise he made to America in his 1980 bid when he pledged to restore ‘the great, confident roar of American progress and growth and optimism.’”
New EPA Regulations will Cripple Coal Industry and Countless American Jobs
Regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent proposal to require that by 2030 power-generating facilities reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide by 30 percent, Sen. Cruz released the following statement:
“The new EPA rules announced by the Obama Administration will cripple the coal industry and deprive Americans from jobs, whether they are employed by coal mines or related power plants, or employed in energy dependent business such as manufacturing or technology businesses,” said Sen. Cruz. “These rules will not only drive up electric bills, but also threaten the reliability of the nation's electric grid and make it harder for American manufactures to compete in the world market. Once again, President Obama is more concerned with the desires of billionaire campaign contributors and placating extremist special interests than helping American workers and families escape the failed Obama economy. The legislation I introduced earlier this year, the American Energy Renaissance Act would specifically halt these job-killing regulations and encourage the creation of good-paying energy jobs.”
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