|
August 15, 2016
Greetings,
Last week, I had the opportunity to meet Texans from across our great state, including brave men and women in uniform, business leaders, and local officials, in order to listen to their concerns. After each stop, I was reminded of the commonsense values that make our state so strong. At the national level, we see far too little common sense, but right here in Texas, we understand that when the government gets out of the way, individuals and businesses are free to chart their own course.
From the ingenuity of our aerospace sector, to our renowned military installations, from our pioneering energy companies, to our booming agriculture and livestock industry, Texas is blessed to be a leader of job creation and innovative solutions. With your help, I will continue to fight for commonsense principles that promote job growth, protect the Bill of Rights, and secure our state and our nation.
I am incredibly honored and fortunate to have the chance to represent the Lone Star State and look forward to many more opportunities in the coming weeks to talk with my fellow Texans about ways we can get Washington bureaucrats out of the way and better meet the needs of We the People.
Keep Texas Strong,
Ted Cruz
Sen. Cruz Meets with Space Industry Leaders in Houston and Tours the Port of Beaumont
On Monday, Sen. Cruz visited with Houston’s space industry leaders from Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Sen. Cruz first met with BAHEP members in a roundtable discussion, followed by a meeting with NASA officials and a tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC).
“It was great to have the opportunity today to speak with BAHEP President Bob Mitchell, Johnson Space Center Director Dr. Ellen Ochoa, and leaders within the space industry to discuss ways to work together to ensure Texas remains a leader in space exploration,” Sen. Cruz said.
“The ingenuity that made Houston a leader in space exploration is certainly alive and well. I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Ochoa and the leaders at the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership as we reassert the priorities of Texas and our space community.”
Following a tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Sen. Cruz met with officials at the Port of Beaumont, where he highlighted the integral economic and national security role the Port plays in Southeast Texas and the U.S.
Read more about Sen. Cruz’s time in Houston and his efforts on behalf of the space industry here. More information on Sen. Cruz’s tour of the Port of Beaumont can be found here.
Sen. Cruz: El Paso's Fort Bliss Is a Crucial Base for Those Who Serve on the Front Lines to Keep Our Nation Secure
On Tuesday, Sen. Cruz joined Major General Robert White, Colonel Michael J. Hester, Mr. Bob Burns, and Mr. Jorge Rio on an aerial tour of Fort Bliss and discussed with base leadership their goals and needs for the base over the long term.
“Texas is blessed to be home to so many of our men and women in uniform, and El Paso’s Fort Bliss is a crucial base for those who serve on the front lines to keep our entire nation safe and secure,” Sen. Cruz said. “Fort Bliss is a permanent fixture of both our nation’s military heritage and the Lone Star State’s economy, supporting more than 35,000 soldiers and contributing $24 billion to the Texas economy in 2015 alone. It has been a pleasure to hear from those leading the operations at Fort Bliss, and I am committed to representing them and defending their interests in Washington.”
More information regarding Sen. Cruz’s tour of Fort Bliss is available here.
Sen. Cruz: From San Antonio to Laredo, Texas Is Keeping Our Country Safe and Creating More Jobs for Hardworking Texans
Sen. Cruz on Wednesday visited with business and community leaders at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 Congressional Series. Sen. Cruz discussed issues critical to expanding Texas job growth, strengthening our national security, and defending our freedoms from the Obama administration’s burdensome regulatory agenda. Following his remarks in San Antonio, Sen. Cruz traveled to Laredo, where he toured the U.S.-Mexico border and received a briefing from the City of Laredo, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and local economic development stakeholders.
“Our nation needs to return to the commonsense values that have built Texas, that have built the city of San Antonio,” Cruz said at the Chamber breakfast. “If the nation would follow commonsense solutions of jobs, freedom, and security that we are implementing in our state, we could turn this country around.”
Following the breakfast, Sen. Cruz participated in a roundtable with business and community leaders and border patrol officials in Laredo and received a briefing from U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Texas-Mexico border. “The economic strength and diversity of the Lone Star State is by no means an accident,” Sen. Cruz said. “From Military City USA to the Port of Laredo to the Texas-Mexico border, Texas is keeping our country safe, while putting more and more people to work and leading the fight for autonomy from President Obama’s aggressive, regulatory henchmen. In Laredo, the brave men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol work extraordinarily hard and risk their lives every day to secure our border, and it’s imperative that the federal government provides them with the necessary tools to enforce our nation’s immigration laws. I’m proud to continue working closely with leaders from Laredo and San Antonio to ensure that our state remains at the forefront of national security and American exceptionalism.”
Read more about Sen. Cruz’s events in San Antonio and Laredo here.
Sen. Cruz Participates in Roundtable Discussion with Red River Army Depot Officials in Texarkana
On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz met with Red River Army Depot officials and toured the military installation in Texarkana.
“Red River Army Depot is a tremendous asset to our state and our country,” Sen. Cruz said. “The Depot plays a vital role in maintaining our nation’s military readiness and ensuring that we are able to keep our country safe, all while supporting Texas jobs and boosting our state’s economy. I am incredibly grateful for the leadership and dedication of everyone at RRAD and will continue to work with Depot officials to protect the jobs, freedom, and security of all Texans.”
Sen. Cruz: Texas' Agriculture and Defense Industries Are Critical to the Safety and Prosperity of Texans
On Thursday, Sen. Cruz visited Amarillo, Lubbock, and Dyess Air Force Base to meet with community leaders and stakeholders in Texas’ agriculture and defense industries.
In Amarillo, Sen. Cruz met with Mayor Paul Harpole followed by a briefing and tour of the Pantex Plant, a staple to our national security and America’s nuclear weapon inventory. Following his meetings in Amarillo, Sen. Cruz traveled to Lubbock, where he toured Texas Tech University’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Lab Center and participated in an agricultural roundtable with the state’s industry leaders. Later in the afternoon, Sen. Cruz toured Dyess Air Force Base.
“Texas has a long, proud partnership with our nation’s military, and we are blessed to have some of the finest training facilities in the world,” Sen. Cruz said. “The safety and security of the American people is dependent on the leadership demonstrated at places like the Pantex Plant and Dyess Air Force Base. Additionally, with a dynamic and booming agriculture and livestock industry, our state feeds much of the country and is able to foster extraordinary job creation. Each of these industries requires the freedom to grow and prosper, which has been proven to be difficult under the Obama administration. I look forward to continuing discussions with statewide defense and agriculture leaders so that we can get Washington bureaucrats out of the way and determine how to better meet the needs of hardworking Texans.”
Read more about Sen. Cruz’s meetings in Amarillo, Lubbock, and Dyess Air Force Base here.
Sen. Cruz Addresses Economic Opportunity and Healthcare with Texas Industry Leaders
Sen. Cruz on Friday toured Texas Instruments in Dallas and met with TI executives to discuss the company’s vital economic stature in the state and the nation. Sen. Cruz later traveled to Tyler to participate in a roundtable discussion with Texas’ rural healthcare leaders and visited McGregor, where he toured SpaceX facilities.
“As a champion of high-skilled job creation and innovative solutions, Texas Instruments is a tremendous asset to the State of Texas,” Sen. Cruz said. “It is a model of success that extends far beyond Texas. But Texas Instruments has not only been successful in its own right, it has helped empower others to succeed as well. Its generous contributions to the community of Dallas play a significant role in ensuring the next generation of leaders in the technology sector are given the skills needed to embark on new projects for this generation and those to come.”
On his healthcare roundtable, Sen. Cruz said, “Obamacare continues to fail Texans. This disastrous law has forced patients, doctors, and families to pay higher health care premiums and out of pocket costs, and it has spawned additional layers of red tape and costly mandates on health care providers, driving a wedge between doctors and their patients. Texas already knows about the strains on our health care supply as more than 90 percent of Texas counties are ‘medically under-served’ or facing a shortage of health care professionals. This is unacceptable. Texans deserve better, I remain committed to working with healthcare providers in East Texas and all across the state to refocus our efforts to lessen the burdens on patients and providers alike. We must work together to address these issues with bold, innovative reforms that put patients and their providers in the driver seat – not federal bureaucrats.”
Following his roundtable in Tyler, Sen. Cruz toured SpaceX facilities in McGregor.
“In recent years, there has been tremendous progress within the commercial cargo and crew programs, and it is encouraging to see how the commercial space industry is revolutionizing the future of space exploration,” Sen. Cruz said. “One of the great benefits of commercial space exploration has been the jobs and economic development that have flowed from allowing innovation and the private sector to play a critical role in space, and Texas has been at the epicenter of those advancements. I am an enthusiastic advocate of competition and allowing the private sector to innovate, and I will continue to work closely with the commercial space industry to ensure that companies like SpaceX have the freedom to thrive.”
Read the full release on Sen. Cruz’s briefings in Dallas, Tyler, and McGregor here.
|
