U.S. senator cruises local business scene
GOP legislator discusses hopes for Red River depot, immigration
Stopping in Texarkana, Texas, for a business tour Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz spoke about Red River Depot, immigration and who he U.S. hopes is the next Supreme Court justice. Last month, Cruz, R-Texas, issued a statement regarding 30 needed provisions for Texas in the Senate’s
passage of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act of 2019. One of those changes included securing $158 million for military construction projects, including a new warehouse at Red River. After Thursday’s tour of Ledwell & Sons Enterprises truck-building plant, the senator said he was able secure an amendment to the NDA Act to help fund part of the depot’s construction expenses.
“There is no doubt about the valuable asset the depot is to our national defense,” Cruz said, “I was able to initiate this amendment and get it secured. If I have anything to say at all about Red River, I will make sure it that it stays a part of our military defense preparation for years to come.”
Regarding President Donald Trump’s next pick for the Supreme Court, Cruz said he hopes that it’s U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.
“I have spoken to President Trump about Mike Lee, and I believe hands down that the very best choice the president can make would be for Mike Lee,” Cruz said.
Cruz said one of Lee’s strengths is that “he won’t be crunched under the pressure to moderate on key legal decisions that matter the most.”
“Another reason I believe Mike will be the best choice is the fact that Mike has proved himself to be a strong, consistent, rock-solid constitutionalist. He knows what the U.S. Constitution says and what it doesn’t say, and 20, 30 or 40 years into the future, his decisions will be very much in the way of those taken by such men as Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.”
Cruz also spoke on legislation he introduced to keep illegal immigrant parents and their children together while they await either deportation or consideration for citizenship.
“Everyone agrees that families should never be separated,” he said. “We can’t just simply have this catch-and-release program. All that does is encourage illegal immigration to continue.”
Cruz also came to the defense of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, which is facing calls for its dismantling.
“This embracing of a position to abolish ICE is far out of step with what Texans want,” Cruz said.
The senator’s next stop was in Jefferson, Texas.