Ted Cruz Issues
RESTORE THE CONSTITUTION
DEFENDING THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Ted Cruz has spent a lifetime fighting to defend the Constitution.
Our nation’s founding document and the supreme law of the land was crafted by our founding fathers to act as chains to bind the mischief of government and to protect the liberties endowed to us by our Creator.
Unfortunately, recent administrations have defied the Constitution and the rule of law, and as a result we are less free.
We need to restore the Constitution as our standard. We need to protect the people by rolling back the federal government to the functions the Constitution sets out. We need to give power back to the states and the people so that we remain a land where liberty can flourish.
PROVEN RECORD
Stood for Americans’ First Amendment rights against Democrats who sought to repeal our free speech rights.
Defended Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties against Obamacare’s contraception mandate.
Fought and won a landmark victory at the Supreme Court in Medellin v. Texas; protected U.S. sovereignty against 90 foreign nations and the president to ensure the United States is not subject to rulings of the “World Court.”
Led the way to preserve the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Successfully defended the constitutionality of the Texas Ten Commandments monument, winning a 5-4 landmark decision before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Successfully defended the words “under God” in the Texas Pledge of Allegiance and Texas schools’moment of silence law in federal district court.
Galvanized national support for Houston pastors who had been subpoenaed by the City of Houston and forced to turn in their sermons.
Supported students’ right to display banners containing religious content at school sporting events.
Fought to help the Boy Scouts of America reverse a district court ruling barring them from leasing a public park.
Led the fight to protect citizens’ Second Amendment rights against Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
Defended 31 states in District of Columbia v. Heller where the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ban on firearms in a 5-4 landmark decision.
Cosponsored a resolution urging the president not to sign the UN Arms Treaty, which would have subordinated the Second Amendment rights of American citizens to global interests.
Called for a special prosecutor to investigate the targeting of conservatives by the IRS.
Op-Eds
Constitutional Remedies to a Lawless Supreme Court, National Review, 2015
The Imperial Obama Presidency and the Demise of Checks and Balances, Constituting America, 2015
‘Fahrenheit 451’ Democrats, The Washington Times, 2014
The Democratic Assault on the First Amendment, Wall Street Journal, 2014
SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
PROTECTING THE SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF AMERICANS
Citizens’ Second Amendment rights make us more safe, secure, and free.
The Second Amendment is not simply about hunting or target practice. It’s about protecting our lives, families, and homes.
When citizens cease to have the right to defend ourselves, we cease to be free. And now, more than ever, as radical Islamic terrorists seek to attack Americans on our own soil, Americans’ right to protect our families and communities is all the more critical to our safety and freedom.
Ted Cruz has been a tireless defender of the Second Amendment. From successfully protecting law-abiding citizens’ Second Amendment rights at the Supreme Court to defeating legislation that sought to take away this right, Ted Cruz has always championed Americans’ right to keep and bear arms.
PROVEN RECORD
Led the fight against Congress’ legislation to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans.
Authored legislation to strengthen citizens’ Second Amendment rights and allow interstate firearms sales.
Defended 31 states in District of Columbia v. Heller where the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ban on firearms in a 5-4 landmark decision.
Awarded the NRA’s 2010 Carter-Knight Freedom Fund, which “rewards exemplary activities in the support and protection of the right to Keep and Bear Arms” for his work in the Heller and McDonald cases.
Argued against unreasonable and burdensome gun restrictions before the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Recognized by NRA executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre who observed, “Ted Cruz is one of our nation’s leading defenders of the Second Amendment. For over a decade, Ted has fought tirelessly to defend our constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and his leadership was absolutely critical to our major victories before the U.S. Supreme Court.”
Endorsed by Gun Owners of America Chairman Tim Macy, who said “We need a stalwart defender of the Second Amendment in the White House, and Ted Cruz will help shoulder the burden of fighting against the gun grabbers dedicated to eviscerating the Second Amendment.”
Op-Eds
What the Times Doesn’t get about the Second Amendment, National Review, 2015
Democrats put politics into firearm legislation, Houston Chronicle, 2013
As President, I’ll defend the Second Amendment Rights of Americans, Statement
SECURE THE BORDER
BORDER SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY
Border security is national security. We need to secure the border once and for all. We need to stop Obama’s amnesty and enforce the rule of law. And we need to reform legal immigration to protect American workers.
It’s not that we don’t know how to solve illegal immigration. What is missing is the political will to get it done. As President, Ted Cruz will do what he says. He will stop illegal immigration. He will build a wall that works, triple border security, and put in place the surveillance and biometric tracking to secure the border.
Ted Cruz will end Obama’s amnesty on day one, will end catch-and-release, increase deportations, stop sanctuary policies, and strengthen E-verify.
In order to protect our national security and serve American workers, he will suspend and audit H-1B visas and halt any increase in legal immigration so long as American unemployment remains unacceptably high.
Cruz led the fight in Congress to defeat the Gang of Eight amnesty bill, he has introduced strong legislation to stop illegal immigration, and he has outlined a detailed immigration plan to protect Americans.
PROVEN RECORD
Introduced two bills to protect Americans from an influx of refugees who could be a national security risk, including legislation barring refugees from terrorist-ridden regions and legislation to recognize governors’ authority to protect the citizens in their states by rejecting to resettle refugees in their state.
When Cruz came to the Senate in 2013, he coalesced conservatives across the country to defeat the Gang of Eight bill that failed to secure the border and would have granted amnesty to millions who came to the United States illegally.
During the Gang of Eight fight, Cruz offered a series of amendments, including measures to prevent citizenship for those here illegally, to block illegals’ access to federal, state, or local public assistance benefits, secure the border, triple the size of the Border Patrol, and implement a biometric entry-exit system.
Introduced Kate’s Law to establish a 5-year minimum sentence for those who illegally reenter the country.
Introduced with Jeff Sessions the American Jobs First Act of 2015, to reform the H-1B program, curb abuse, and protect American workers.
Proposed a number of measures to defund President Obama’s amnesty and prevent him from expanding it.
Our Plan
CRUZ PLAN TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION HIGHLIGHTS
CRUZ PLAN TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: SECURE THE BORDER, RESTORE THE RULE OF LAW, AND PROTECT AMERICANS
CRUZ IMMIGRATION PLAN SUMMARY
“It’s not that we don’t know how to solve illegal immigration. What is missing is the political will to get it done. And, as president, I will get it done. We will secure the borders.” – Ted Cruz
SECURE THE BORDER
A Cruz Administration’s first priority for immigration reform will be to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. We will:
Build a wall that works. The unsecured border with Mexico invites illegal immigrants, criminals, and terrorists to tread on American soil. I will complete the wall.
Triple the number of Border Patrol agents. Securing the border is the federal government’s obligation. I will dedicate the force necessary to do that.
Increase vital aerial surveillance and other technology along the border. Adding boots on the ground is not enough. Eyes in the sky and other equipment are necessary to find and detain all illegal entrants.
Finish the biometric tracking system at our nation’s ports of entry. It is disgraceful that our federal government cannot keep track of those who enter the country. I will complete a biometric entry-exit tracking system.
RESTORE THE RULE OF LAW
We need a President who will follow the law, hold those who break it accountable, and take seriously the duty to protect Americans. To restore the Rule of Law, a Cruz Administration will:
End President Obama’s illegal amnesty. President Obama has issued over 20 illegal executive memoranda rewarding illegality. I will rescind each and every one on my first day in office.
Increase deportations and end catch-and-release. Our laws are not being enforced. I will restore our commitment to enforcement, public safety, and the Rule of Law by rededicating DHS to fully enforcing the law, including through deportations and returns.
End sanctuary policies, sign Kate’s Law, and deport criminal immigrants. There are about 340 sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States. They make a mockery of our laws and endanger our citizens. I will end support for these jurisdictions.
Prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving financial benefits and strengthen E-Verify. American taxpayers should not be funding benefits for those who are here illegally, and American jobs should not go to those who are here illegally. I will protect Americans’ wellbeing by stopping the flow of taxpayer dollars and instituting a strong e-verify system.
REFORM LEGAL IMMIGRATION TO PROTECT AMERICANS
In order to strengthen our immigration system, protect national security, and better serve American workers, we must:
Suspend the issuance of all H-1B visas for 180 days to complete a comprehensive investigation and audit of pervasive allegations of abuse of the program. New allegations detail appalling abuses of the H-1B visa program – a program meant to create American jobs and spur economic growth. I will suspend the program for 180 days to investigate abuses.
Halt any increases in legal immigration so long as American unemployment remains unacceptably high. The purpose of legal immigration should be to grow the economy, not to displace American workers. Under no circumstances should legal immigration levels be adjusted upwards so long as work-force participation rates remain below historical averages.
Enforce the public-charge doctrine. Current law requires legal immigrants to certify that they will be economically self-sufficient. A Cruz Administration will ensure they do not receive government assistance, which defies the law and harms American taxpayers.
End birthright citizenship. Birthright citizenship was not intended to legalize the children of people who are breaking the law by entering and staying in the country illegally. I will take steps to pass legislation or a constitutional amendment to end it.
“We stopped the Gang of Eight bill. Ted Cruz led the fight against the establishment. We would be living under amnesty right now if Cruz had not succeeded.” – Rush Limbaugh
IMMIGRATION PLAN
“It’s not that we don’t know how to solve illegal immigration. What is missing is the political will to get it done. And, as president, I will get it done. We will secure the borders.” – Ted Cruz
Summary
We have a serious immigration problem in America. The American people understand that we must reverse the policies that invite criminals and terrorists to defy the law, allow manipulation of our generous immigration system, and reward illegal immigrants for their actions. Sadly, while the Obama Administration ignores our immigration laws and abuses its executive authority, the Washington Cartel refuses to stand up and insist that the law be followed.
We see proof of Washington’s immigration failure every day. Across this nation, there are roughly 340 sanctuary jurisdictions, each of which is led by politicians who ignore federal law and endanger our children. Their lawlessness has been encouraged over the last seven years by President Obama, who has repeatedly tried to amend our immigration laws by fiat. He has issued no fewer than 20 unilateral directives through his Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to evade the law, often benefiting illegal immigrants at the expense of taxpayers and legal immigrants. Perhaps the only thing worse than President Obama’s dictatorial behavior is Congress’s utter failure to even try and stop him. This lawlessness must end, and it must end with the next President.
During my time in the United States Senate, I have consistently led the fight to stop President Obama’s unconstitutional immigration actions. When Establishment Republicans teamed up with Democrats to reward millions of illegal immigrants with amnesty, I engaged millions of men and women across the country. Together, we defeated President Obama’s attempt to pass amnesty, and we continue to lead the fight against congressional leadership each time it seeks to undermine the will of the American people.
A strong President can and must secure the border. Under current law, there is more than enough legal authority to do so; what is missing is the political will. In the Senate, I have stood consistently with the majority of Americans against amnesty and lawlessness, and I will do the same as President. I give you my solemn word that, if I am elected President, we will use that authority to secure the border, and to restore the value of American citizenship and the Rule of Law.
To strengthen national security, enhance the value of citizenship, and stop illegal immigration, we must take three steps:
First, secure the border, once and for all. No other reform is meaningful if we do not fix our porous southern border.
Second, strengthen and enforce our existing immigration laws. We must reverse President Obama’s enforcement “priorities,” which allow a large number of criminal aliens to unlawfully remain in the United States.
Third, pursue reforms to the legal-immigration system that will prioritize the interests and well-being of Americans. As a nation built by those fleeing persecution and seeking freedom, we must once against welcome and celebrate legal immigrants while at the same time protecting American jobs and interests.
The following outlines my plan to stop illegal immigration, restore the Rule of Law, and reform our legal immigration system to protect Americans.
“We stopped the Gang of Eight bill. Ted Cruz led the fight against the establishment. We would be living under amnesty right now if Cruz had not succeeded.” – Rush Limbaugh
1. Secure the Border
A Cruz Administration’s first priority for immigration reform will be to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. It is a travesty that the greatest nation in the world refuses to take even the most basic steps to prevent illegal immigrants from breaching its southern border. The porous border invites illegal crossings, exposes millions of American citizens to crime and economic harm, endangers the lives of those who make the treacherous journey at the mercy of cartels and coyotes, and represents perhaps the United States’ single greatest national security vulnerability in the post-9/11 era.
To regain control of our border, a Cruz Administration will:
Build a wall that works. The unsecured border with Mexico invites illegal immigrants, criminals, and terrorists to tread on American soil. Millions of people from all over the world, including from hostile nations and terrorist havens, have been apprehended at our southern border – and many who make it through are never caught. This is a failure of the highest order. I will fulfill the promise Congress made to the American people almost 10 years ago by completing all 700 miles of priority fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, and dedicate the resources necessary to replace all single-layer fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border to build a fence that keeps people out and that is technology-supported and law enforcement-accessible. If other nations, such as Israel, can build an effective border wall, the United States certainly can.
Triple the number of Border Patrol agents. Since the federal government is primarily responsible for securing the border, we must allocate sufficient human resources for the task. In 2013, I introduced legislation to triple the number of Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border. When Congress sends me this bill, I will sign it and make more boots on the ground a reality.
Increase vital aerial surveillance. Adding boots on the ground is not enough. To truly protect our southern border, the men and women who serve in the Border Patrol need eyes in the sky, both to help them function more efficiently and to avoid being harmed by those who mean them harm. In 2013, I introduced legislation to increase fourfold the number of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft that are deployed to the border to ensure valuable reconnaissance and protection for our Border Patrol. I will continue to press for this to become law.
Provide additional equipment and technology along the border. Improved technology has a tremendous impact on border security. Increasing the number of cameras, sensors, and monitors will allow Border Patrol to surveil the border continuously and identify and apprehend illegal entrants efficiently and safely. In 2013, I introduced legislation to increase the amount of state-of-the-art technology available for border security, and as President, will deliver on this commitment.
Finish the biometric tracking system at our nation’s ports of entry. Amazon and FedEx can track packages around the world with down-to-the-minute precision. Google can provide street-view maps of almost any address in the country. It is unacceptable that our federal government cannot keep track of the foreign nationals who have entered the United States, particularly when millions of illegal immigrants currently in the United States entered legally but overstayed their visas – as several of the 9/11 hijackers had done.It is past time for the federal government to fully implement a biometric tracking system so that we have full awareness of who is on American soil at all times. Since 1996, Congress has “required” full implementation of an entry-exit system at all of our ports of entry, yet multiple administrations, both Democrat and Republican, have refused to follow that law. In the first 100 days of a Cruz Administration, those who have broken the law will be held accountable, regulations that stand in the way of finishing the system will be eliminated, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will complete implementation by the end of my first year in office.
Hold DHS accountable to the American people. Under the Obama Administration, DHS has failed to perform core national security tasks. The Department of Homeland Security must be able to fulfill its obligation to American citizens, and its officials must be held accountable. I will:
Hire the right people: Appoint a no-nonsense, security-focused leader as Secretary of Homeland Security, and instruct the Secretary to transfer DHS personnel and resources as needed to best protect the American people.
Let them do their jobs: Empower the Secretary to remove DHS employees who refuse to abide by the law, and replace them with dedicated men and women committed to securing our nation. Bureaucratic failure and willful ignorance of the law will no longer be an option.
Work with the states: Reverse the Obama Administration’s policy of preventing state and local governments from participating in immigration enforcement, and instead partner with the states so they can assist with immigration enforcement and border security. Increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to ensure that ICE has the manpower to support state and local enforcement efforts. And fully fund the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program to help finance the efforts of local governments actively assisting in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
2. Restore the Rule of Law
President Obama, aided and abetted by a Congress that ignores its constitutional and moral duties, has abused his executive authority and refused to enforce the immigration laws that are currently on the books. These failures undermine immigration enforcement and endanger the American people. We need a President who will follow the law, hold those who break it accountable, and take seriously the duty to protect Americans. To restore the Rule of Law, a Cruz Administration will:
End President Obama’s illegal amnesty. The Obama Administration has issued at least 20 executive memoranda over the course of his two terms in office that grant amnesty, ignore the law, and worsen our immigration problems. He has rewarded millions of illegal immigrants with a promise that our laws will not be enforced against them, and that they will be allowed to stay in the United States without consequence – and, in fact, receive benefits funded by American taxpayers. And to compound it all, DHS is using the fees it charges legal immigrants to fund the President’s unlawful amnesty program. I will:
Stop the lawlessness: Shut down President Obama’s unconstitutional amnesty on day one. I will end the lawlessness with the stroke of a pen.
End the amnesty slush funds: Push for passage of the Immigration Slush Fund Elimination Act, end the perverse revenue incentives that undermine our national security, and see to it that the fees paid by legal immigrants go toward supporting legal immigration only, to improve and streamline such immigration.
Follow the Constitution: Use every ounce of my constitutional authority and executive discretion to ensure DHS enforces the law instead of violating it.
Restore enforcement capacity. During President Obama’s seven years in office, we have seen DHS’s immigration enforcement budget expand dramatically while immigration enforcement has plummeted. This failure has resulted in more illegal immigrants in the United States, more threats to public safety, more taxpayer dollars wasted. I will:
Enforce the law: Restore our commitment to enforcement and public safety and the Rule of Law by rededicating DHS to fully enforcing the law, including through deportations and returns. During the first five years of the Obama Administration, President Obama removed or returned only 3.8 million illegal entrants. That is a fraction of the removals and returns during the previous five years, and a fraction of what we could accomplish if we had a President who actually forced DHS to do its job and removed politics from an agency charged with law enforcement. As President, I would do just that.
End catch-and-release: Return illegal immigrants who are caught at our borders and ports to their countries of origin. Currently, most immigrants who are apprehended at the border are let into the United States, given a ticket, and told to show up to court in the future. Not surprisingly, most of these illegal immigrants are never seen or heard from again. This backwards policy, known as “catch-and-release,” is naïve, dangerous, and expensive in the long run. From the outset, I will end catch-and-release on our southern border and at our ports of entry. People who are apprehended trying to enter the United States without permission will be detained until they are removed from the United States.
Add detention space for interior enforcement: Support ICE agents and their enforcement efforts by significantly increasing permanent detention capacity for illegal immigrants in the interior of the United States, and give ICE leadership the flexibility to procure additional, temporary detention space from the General Services Administration and state and local law enforcement on an as-needed basis. The Obama Administration has limited detention space for illegal immigrants who are taken into custody to limit the ability of ICE agents to detain illegal immigrants and begin the process of deportation. I will end that practice.
End sanctuary policies. According to current estimates, there are 340 sanctuary jurisdictions in the United States, and each threatens the safety of Americans. The violence against American citizens by illegal immigrants is the direct result of negligent enforcement policies. These are promoted mostly by Democrat state and local officials, and they provide sanctuary to illegal immigrants, including hardened criminals who have been deported repeatedly.Kate Steinle’s murder by an illegal immigrant earlier this year is a tragic example of what happens when a government defies the law. Her murderer told police that he had chosen to live in San Francisco precisely because he knew that local officials would not cooperate with immigration laws.This federally subsidized lawlessness must end. As President, I will:
Stop criminal immigrants. Peaceful, law-abiding immigrants will be welcomed in the United States, but criminal immigrants will not receive quarter. A Cruz Administration will:
Encourage state and local support of federal immigration law. State and local law-enforcement authorities should be empowered to partner with the federal government in the protection of their cities and their citizens, not penalized for reinforcing federal laws. A Cruz Administration will:
Prevent asylum abuse. Many illegal immigrants who are apprehended at the border are released into the United States based on questionable claims of persecution in their home countries. And many of those do not appear at their court proceedings to support their claims, are admitted into the United States with no accountability, and are never seen again. This lack of enforcement is unacceptable. We are a magnanimous country, but we must not be foolish. I will:
Criminalize visa overstays. It has been estimated that approximately 40 percent of the illegal immigrants currently in the United States originally came here legally, but are overstaying their visas. Although it is a federal misdemeanor to illegally enter the country, it is not currently a federal crime to overstay a visa. I will work quickly with Congress to change that. We will make it a misdemeanor for a first offense, and a felony for any subsequent offense, for any individual to be unlawfully present in the United States after the expiration of a visa. This will help us remove people who abuse our goodwill, deter others from doing so, and eliminate a major national security vulnerability
Sign the Stop Sanctuary Cities and Protect Americans Act: Urge Congress to pass this law, which I co-sponsored and which will withhold law enforcement funds and community development block grants from sanctuary jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement authorities.
Strip other sanctuary funding: Task the Attorney General and Secretaries of Homeland Security and Treasury to identify and withhold all additional federal funding that can legally be withdrawn from sanctuary jurisdictions.
Find criminal immigrants: Instruct the Secretary of Homeland Security to identify all criminal illegal immigrants in state or local custody and issue detainers for those illegal immigrants while their deportations are processed.
Deport criminal immigrants: Recommit the federal government to deporting all illegal immigrants who commit crimes – and make use of all available tools to deport criminal immigrants as quickly as possible.
Prosecute criminal immigrants and sign Kate’s Law: Prosecute all criminal immigrants who have previously been deported to the fullest extent possible, and urge Congress to pass Kate’s Law, which I authored in the Senate and which will impose a five-year mandatory minimum for aggravated felons who illegally reenter the United States.
Regain control of immigration courts: Ensure that federal administrative judges handling immigration cases operate effectively and prioritize deporting illegal criminals. And increase the number of immigration judges and prosecutors to ensure that enforcement efforts are honored by adjudication of immigration-law violations.
Get states involved: Instruct the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to provide opportunities for state and local assistance in immigration enforcement, such as by expanding the number of agreements between ICE and state and local law-enforcement agencies allowing designated officers to perform immigration law-enforcement functions (so-called “287(g) agreements”).
Change federal law to help states: Authorize states and cities to enforce both federal and local laws relating to illegal immigrants, and push for the repeal of restrictions that interfere with local enforcement of federal immigration law.
Share resources and information: Commit to sharing resources and information in order to ensure the successful enforcement of immigration laws at all levels.
Streamline asylum adjudication: Institute new standards that allow for summary dismissal of dubious asylum claims at our borders and immediate return of claimants to their home countries.
Detain asylum applicants who are security or flight risks: Utilize the executive branch’s discretionary authority to ensure detention is enforced in all asylum cases. Detention of those making asylum claims will ensure rapid processing of legitimate claims and rapid deportation of false claims, and will go a long way toward discouraging those with bogus claims from attempting to come here.
Prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving financial benefits. On average, each household headed by an illegal immigrant in the United States receives over $14,000 in net government benefits per year, according to one study. This transfer of American taxpayer dollars to illegal immigrants entices further illegal entry. Under a Cruz Administration, illegal immigrants will cease receiving government benefits.
Strengthen E-Verify. E-Verify – a federal program that lets employers verify the legal status of job applicants – is essential to ensuring that employers are not hiring illegal immigrants at the expense of hardworking Americans and legal immigrants. Despite E-Verify’s proven accuracy and success, Congress and President Obama have obstructed its availability. A Cruz Administration will:
Stop companies from deducting illegal immigrants’ salaries from gross income. Under current law, companies that violate federal law by hiring illegal immigrants to work for them may deduct the costs of illegal immigrant pay and benefits from their gross income at tax time. The Internal Revenue Service is basically providing a huge incentive to companies to violate immigration law. It is no wonder companies refuse to obey the law, especially in a lax enforcement environment. As President, I will forcefully pursue legislation, similar to Rep. Steve King’s (R-Iowa) New Illegal Deduction Elimination Act, which will amend the Internal Revenue Code to prevent companies from deducting illegal immigrants’ salaries and benefiting from lawlessness.
Require foreign countries to take back their deported citizens, nationals, and residents. Under current law, when a foreign government refuses to accept an alien who is a citizen, national, or resident of that country after a formal request by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State is required by law to order consular officers in that foreign country to discontinue granting immigrant visas or nonimmigrant visas until the country accepts the alien. The Obama Administration has completely ignored this provision, and allowed foreign countries to flout our law while enjoying access to the United States. Not only will I enforce this provision of law, but I will also work to withdraw foreign aid from countries that refuse repatriation.
Treat E-Verify as a national security tool: Push to have E-Verify both permanently reauthorized in statute and deemed an essential national security screening tool, to ensure that it operates in the event of a lapse in funding.
Require E-Verify for all federal contractors and subcontractors: Require all federal government contractors and subcontractors to use E-Verify. Companies that refuse to use E-Verify will be barred from receiving federal contracts.
Make E-Verify effortless for the private sector: Determine ways to expand E-Verify without burdening employers.
3. Reform Legal Immigration to Protect Americans
We must continue to welcome and celebrate legal immigrants. For centuries, our nation has been a beacon of freedom for people around the globe. And it is the promise of America, and the people she has drawn to her shores since her founding, that have made this nation the greatest engine for growth and opportunity that the world has ever seen.
Under a Cruz Administration, we will keep the torch of liberty lit. But to do that, we must repair our immigration system so that it once again serves American interests and empowers people all over the world to pursue the American Dream. With this in mind, I will institute a series of reforms to strengthen our immigration system, protect national security, and spur economic prosperity.
Develop a citizenship program that better serves Americans. Part of the problem with our current immigration system is that it no longer serves the American people. Many view it as a global-relief program. Priorities are given to people who come here illegally. National values and security are subordinated to political motives. A Cruz Administration will pursue legislation that would create a points-based immigration system to prioritize those who aspire to achieve the American Dream and will best contribute to the advancement and prosperity of our society. This legislation would evaluate the following factors:
Halt any increases in legal immigration so long as American unemployment remains unacceptably high. The purpose of legal immigration should be to grow the economy, not to displace American workers. Under no circumstances should legal immigration levels be adjusted upwards so long as work-force participation rates remain below historical averages.
Enforce the public-charge doctrine. Current federal law requires legal immigrants and their American sponsors to certify that they will be economically self-sufficient. Despite this existing legal requirement, which is known as the public-charge doctrine, an estimated 49 percent of households headed by legal immigrants receive some form of government assistance. This is both illegal and unacceptable. America is a land of opportunity, but should not provide the opportunity to be subsidized by the American taxpayer. A Cruz Administration will require all legal immigrants and their sponsors to demonstrate by compelling evidence that they have the educational and professional tools to provide for themselves and their families.
End birthright citizenship. It makes no sense for us to be providing the tremendous incentive of automatic citizenship to the children of those who enter illegally. Most nations on earth do not do so, and neither should we. Birthright citizenship was meant to ensure that the children of slaves were guaranteed citizenship. It was not meant to confer citizenship on the children of people who are here illegally; nor was it intended to confer citizenship on the children of birth tourists, a burgeoning industry that makes a mockery of American citizenship. As President, I will take immediate steps to pass legislation or a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship.
Reform America’s foreign-worker programs to better serve Americans. Throughout the history of our nation, immigrants have come to the United States to work and prosper. Their story is our story. Indeed, many of our families, including mine, can speak personally of such opportunities. We want to attract the most talented and willing workforce, while being mindful that Americans are struggling to find good-paying jobs in the nation’s current economic malaise. Our doors should always remain open to those who seek a better life, but we need to ensure that our foreign-worker programs always serve American citizens first. I will always stand with the American worker.A Cruz Administration, in addition to modifying whom we allow to pursue citizenship, will take a hard look at our foreign-worker programs to ensure that they provide the most value to the American people. I will:
Eliminate visa programs and strategies that do not serve national goals. Some existing entrance policies and visa programs do not support our long-term, national security, and economic interests. A Cruz Administration will:
Prioritize persecuted religious minorities for refugee status. The turmoil in Syria has seen tens of thousands of refugees enter Europe, and the Obama Administration is in the process of admitting tens of thousands more into the United States without congressional involvement. This makes no sense. Under no circumstances should we be admitting thousands of refugees who pose significant risks of carrying out terrorism in America. Instead, we should prioritize refugee status for religious minorities, especially Christians, Jews, and others being systematically tortured and murdered by radical Islamists in Iraq and Syria today. As President, I will see to it that we focus future refugee relief on those persecuted for their faith, and will empower my Secretary of State to oversee this process.
Modernize implementation of the legal immigration system to hasten economic growth. Part of welcoming people as citizens in the 21st century means upgrading the citizenship application process to reflect 21st-century technology. We will reduce bureaucracy, create a user-friendly online portal, respond to applicants within 60 days, and achieve a simpler and more transparent process. Rather than diverting funds from legal immigration to fund illegal amnesty programs – as the Obama administration is currently doing – we will direct those funds to improving and streamlining the legal immigration process, and welcoming and celebrating legal immigrants who respect the Rule of Law and come here to achieve the American Dream.
Formal education or training
Valuable professional experience or trade skills
Resources available to invest or create jobs
Lifetime earning potential
Civilian public service or military skills
Language skills
Ties to the United States
Other skills, resources, or attributes that contribute to our nation
Suspend the issuance of all H-1B visas for 180 days to complete a comprehensive investigation and audit of pervasive allegations of abuse of the program: Initiate an immediate 180-day investigation and audit of the H-1B visa program and enact fundamental reforms of this program to ensure that it protects American workers. In recent months, more and more reports have become public of companies replacing American workers with cheaper foreign workers, contrary to the stated intent of the H-1B visa program. This will stop, and the H1-B program will be suspended until we can be certain that the program is no longer being abused.
Enforce existing federal protections for American workers: Conduct systematic audits of the companies that have taken advantage of the H-1B visa program during the last 15 years. All companies that have violated the terms of the H-1B visa program will be barred from using it for a period of years. The Attorney General will have authority to prosecute any individual found to have committed H-1B visa fraud, and offending companies will be suspended from receiving government grants and contracts.
Amend the H-1B visa program to fulfill its original purpose: Work with Congress to pass reform legislation for the H-1B visa program that will:
Create an advanced degree requirement: Only individuals with advanced degrees in their respective fields may be brought to the United States with an H-1B visa. And preference will be given to those with advanced degrees from American universities.
Create a “layoff cool-off” period for all H-1B visa applications: Companies must wait one or two years between laying off a worker and bringing in any H-1B foreign workers to ensure that the program is not used to displace American workers.
Establish accreditation or recognition requirements for overseas schools: The recent lack of federal oversight of the H-1B visa program has fueled a cottage industry of diploma mills. Foreign academic institutions must meet minimum accreditation standards at least as stringent as those imposed on American universities in order to qualify for the advanced-degree requirement.
Require sworn affidavits describing domestic hiring efforts: Companies will provide sworn statements and documentation that detail their efforts to hire Americans before requesting foreign workers through the H-1B visa program. Individuals who make false statements in these affidavits will be subject to perjury charges.
Suspend companies from H-1B visa eligibility for failure to help foreign workers obtain green cards: Many companies misuse the H-1B visa program to train foreign workers that they intend to send back overseas to compete with America. The law must impose additional requirements on employers to pursue Legal Permanent Resident status on behalf of their H-1B visa-based foreign workers, or risk loss of access to the program.
End chain migration: Allow entry only of immediate family or immigrants who qualify already for skills-based immigration. Current law allows the extended family of people who come to the United States to come as Legal Permanent Residents. This policy prevents more qualified candidates from entering the United States, and is not focused on the individual qualities of would-be Americans.
End diversity visas: Eliminate the 50,000 “diversity” visas that are premised neither on skill nor family, but are distributed at random based solely on the race or nationality of an applicant.
Prioritize persecuted religious minorities for refugee status. The turmoil in Syria has seen tens of thousands of refugees enter Europe, and the Obama Administration is in the process of admitting tens of thousands more into the United States without congressional involvement. This makes no sense. Under no circumstances should we be admitting thousands of refugees who pose significant risks of carrying out terrorism in America. Instead, we should prioritize refugee status for religious minorities, especially Christians, Jews, and others being systematically tortured and murdered by radical Islamists in Iraq and Syria today. As President, I will see to it that we focus future refugee relief on those persecuted for their faith, and will empower my Secretary of State to oversee this process.
Modernize implementation of the legal immigration system to hasten economic growth. Part of welcoming people as citizens in the 21st century means upgrading the citizenship application process to reflect 21st-century technology. We will reduce bureaucracy, create a user-friendly online portal, respond to applicants within 60 days, and achieve a simpler and more transparent process. Rather than diverting funds from legal immigration to fund illegal amnesty programs – as the Obama administration is currently doing – we will direct those funds to improving and streamlining the legal immigration process, and welcoming and celebrating legal immigrants who respect the Rule of Law and come here to achieve the American Dream.
DEFEND OUR NATION
SECURE AMERICA
The United States of America is the exceptional nation, the nation other countries aspire to be like. We should stand as a shining beacon of what free people enjoying a free market and system of government can achieve. But while our intentions towards the rest of the world are peaceful, that does not mean we have no enemies, and the fact of the matter is our enemies are on the march.
Two terms of the disastrous Obama-Clinton foreign policy have had one useful effect: we now know what the world starts to look like without America. The next president will have to start on day one rebuilding what they have tried to tear down. A truly conservative foreign policy would have three simple principles:
In order to restore America’s safety and security, we must rebuild our military. If you think defending the country is expensive, try not defending it. We must rebuild our military in a way that will secure our children without bankrupting them.
ISIS seeks to destroy our very way of life. We must defeat them. That starts by calling the enemy by its name – radical Islamic terrorism – and securing the border. Border security is national security.
We cannot recede from our leadership in the world. If we withdraw from the Middle East, the radical jihadists will not be content to stay there—they are going to attack our allies in the region and beyond. And they are on the lookout for every opportunity to attack us here at home.
On day one, a President Cruz will immediately repeal every word of President Obama’s dangerous Iran deal and will prioritize American national security interests in every instance.
To preserve our country we need to exert leadership on the global stage, not withdraw from it.
We need to fiercely defend our allies and interests.
And we need to judge each challenge through the simple test of what is best for America. Because what is best for America is best for the world.
HONOR OUR VETERANS
Ted Cruz is committed to honoring our veterans, and providing them the care they have been promised.
The mismanagement in the VA is unacceptable. We should expand options for our service members’ health care so they have more choices and more immediate service.
A Cruz administration will bring more accountability to the VA and provide greater options for our veterans.
PROVEN RECORD
Authored legislation urging the Secretary of State to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.
Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, introduced the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015, immediately barring refugees to the United States from any country, such as Iraq or Syria that contains substantial territory controlled by a foreign terrorist organization.
Chaired a hearing for the Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts titled “Justice Forsaken: How the Federal Government Fails the American Victims of Iranian and Palestinian Terrorism.” This hearing focused on the federal government’s failure to support the American victims of Iranian and Palestinian terror in their search for justice.
Introduced the IRGC Terrorist Designation Act, urging the U.S. Department of State to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization.
Sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner laying out a three-step approach to stop the flow of funds to the Iranian regime according to the terms of Corker-Cardin, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act.
Introduced a resolution defining the start of Congress’ 60-day review period and detailing flaws within the submittal of the agreement.
Sent Obama a letter and declared his intention to hold reauthorizing legislation and block all State Department nominees unless Obama provides written assurance that he will block the UN resolution to approve the Iran deal until congressional review has run its course.
Has twice introduced the Sanction Iran, Safeguard America Act to reinstate, impose, and expand Iran sanctions and stop failed negotiations until Iran meets certain preconditions.
Has twice introduced the Expatriate Terrorist Act, which seeks to prevent terrorists who join ISIS or other terrorist groups from re-entering the country and to make clear that citizens who collaborate with terrorists have forfeited their right to US citizenship.
Introduced legislation to prevent terrorists from entering the US as UN ambassadors, which Iran had attempted by nominating Hamid Aboutalebi. It passed Congress unanimously and President Obama signed it into law.
Opposed arming Syrian rebels, while supporting securing Syrian chemical weapons.
Introduced legislation to ensure that the victims of Fort Hood were eligible to receive the Purple Heart. The acts of Nidal Hasan were not random acts of workplace violence — it was a clear act of radical Islamic terrorism on our own soil. The men and women who stood bravely in the midst of it deserve to be rightly honored, and Cruz’s measure ensured that were.
Successfully amended the Military Construction and Veterans’ Affairs Appropriations bill to require the VA Secretary to provide Congress with a plan to address the long wait times for veterans seeking health care at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.
Sponsored the Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act to make it easier for senior executives at the VA to be terminated for negligence, mismanagement, and other performance failures.
On behalf of three million veterans, Cruz successfully defended the crosses at the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial.
Our Plan
CRUZ PLAN TO REBUILD THE MILITARY
AMERICAN RESOLVE: REBUILDING AMERICA’S MILITARY
Rebuilding America’s Military
The Constitution is unambiguous and clear. The defense of our nation and the security of our citizens is the exclusive and mandatory responsibility of the Federal Government. A nation that is unable to assure the sanctity of its sovereign borders and incapable of influencing global events will soon struggle for its very existence. Every American intuitively knows this, knows also that their individual liberties depend upon a stable and secure nation.
However, America now faces a momentous decision. Almost a decade of irresponsible defense cuts has slashed the number of combat personnel, seriously degraded their combat readiness, and shrunk the size of our Army, Navy and Air Force below any reasonable standard. If America continues to lead from behind, continues to invest in crony capitalism that has crippled our weapons modernization programs, continues to follow the failed Obama/Clinton military strategy that has created global instability, it’s quite simple, we will lose the ability to guarantee our safety at home and abroad.
America will either respond to the challenges of our time, will recognize the sacrifices of those who have served this great nation, will restore our global leadership – or America will not. America either steps up as a unified, resolved, proud and unflinching defender of individual freedom and American values, returning to President Ronald Reagan’s formula of “peace through strength,” or America forever loses that chance. Further hesitation, fecklessness and indifference will only continue to embolden opportunistic adversaries, accelerate global lawlessness, and deprive the United States of its God-given potential.
We must once again offer a shining example to the world and provide calm, steady leadership during these difficult times. If we fail to do so, if we persist in ignoring our responsibilities, the void that is left behind – the void that has led to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, Chinese claims to false-island territory in Asia, and a staggering increase in radical Islamic terrorism – will continue to be filled by aggressive and malicious adversaries. The United States is at an historic crossroads – we must honor our commitments, to those who paved the way for this great Nation, to our fellow Americans, and most importantly, to our future generations.
Defining the Problem
Rebuilding America’s military begins by understanding just how far our national defense capabilities have fallen from the high point of the Reagan years from the strength that was – and must be again – America’s hallmark. Our entire fighting force is shockingly undermanned and ill-prepared. Last year, the Chief of Staff of the Army stated that his units were at “historically low levels” of combat readiness and the Commandant of the Marine Corps declared that “half of our non-deployed units are suffering personnel, equipment and training shortfalls.” The Chief of Staff of the Air Force recently proclaimed that “we are getting too small to succeed.” And, for the first time since 2007, the United States Navy was unable to maintain a carrier presence in the Arabian Gulf. Every single portion of our Armed Forces has felt the strain.
Land combat forces – In 2010, the U.S. Army was authorized 562,400 active duty soldiers, by the end of 2016 that number will have dropped precipitously to 475,000. And this administration has plans to drive it even lower, to only 450,000 soldiers by the end of 2018. Unless our leaders are able to prioritize our national defense appropriately, there is a possibility that the Army could be reduced to as few as 420,000 soldiers by 2020. Attempts to garner this “peace dividend” are assuredly met with enthusiasm by our adversaries.
Air power – At a time of increasing global commitments, our ability to project power and obtain air superiority is tragically anemic. In 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, America possessed 134 fighter squadrons and over 8,000 total manned and unmanned aircraft. Today, the USAF has 60 combat squadrons and a total force of fewer than 4,000 aircraft. Compounding this lack of capacity is the sad truth that many of these airframes are serving well beyond their original life expectancy; in fact, many of the airframes are older than the pilots who fly them.
Sea power – The U.S. Navy now has just 273 deployable fighting ships, a far cry from the 573 that Reagan left us. In fact, the United States objectively has the smallest Navy since 1916, when the country fielded only 245 active ships. Yes, today’s ships are vastly more capable than those of the First World War, or even Reagan’s day. But, the size of the world’s oceans has not shrunk, and while our modern ships have become more capable, so too have those of our adversaries. Projecting power abroad and securing the global commons to ensure the free flow of commerce has not fundamentally changed since the First Barbary War.
Strategic forces – The triad of capabilities that has served as an effective deterrent to nuclear catastrophe since the end of World War II is on the verge of slipping away. Unfortunately, each portion of the nuclear triad –submarines, long range bombers, and missile silos – is rapidly approaching the end of its service life and will require modernization. Each leg of the triad is vital to the continuing success of strategic deterrence. And, while we dither about the importance of missile defense, Iran and North Korea conduct ballistic missile tests.
Conventional Forces
In a phrase, we are running a “security deficit” – living on borrowed time and relying on aging conventional and nuclear forces. To be safe tomorrow, America must invest today. Domestic and international confidence in our ability to protect our Homeland and our allies depends on taking action – now. America faces a rapidly decreasing gap between our combat capacity, capabilities and readiness; and those of our adversaries. Some say this does not matter. The historical record is clear: It does. And so we will scale back on the bloated bureaucracy and social experiments, and we will invest in our military with a simple goal: more tooth, less tail – that will guide every decision.
The protection of our country and enforcement of our security interests abroad requires an Army that consists of at least 525,000 trained and fully equipped soldiers, not a further retreat to force levels that prevent engagement across multiple theaters and fails to deter our adversaries. The Nation must be prepared for the possibility of multiple, near-simultaneous conflicts, instead of a force that is, according to the previous Secretary of the Army, teetering on the “ragged edge” of military readiness. The President must stop his recent rush to mass produce Special Operations forces. The President is doing this in order to send smaller teams of warfighters to conduct critical operations so he can claim there are no conventional boots on the ground. Our Special Forces are the finest fighting units in the world, but they cannot be mass produced and they are not an answer to our lack of conventional capacity. The entire end-strength of our Armed Forces must be rebuilt; we must strive to have a total active-duty force of at least 1.4 million Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. Anything less creates a continuing training and readiness gap that risks the lives of the men and women who volunteer to serve this great Nation.
While our Air Force struggles to modernize because of budget cuts and still flies airplanes that have marked a half-century of service, our opponents are rapidly developing fifth generation stealth fighters that will significantly alter the balance of air warfare. Defeating this threat will require that we rebuild to at least 6,000 total airplanes, with a minimum of 1,500 tactical fighter aircraft to ensure our air superiority. The United States must have a decisive advantage in the air arena and must aggressively pursue advanced fighter technology. But, we must also recognize that one of the most-stressed portions of the Air Force works behind the scenes. The pilots who operate unmanned aircraft face a never-ending increase in the demand for the surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities they provide. We simply cannot conduct aggressive air campaigns without accurate target acquisition, which requires that we increase the number of unmanned aircraft and pilots in order to provide our Combatant Commanders the information they need.
China and Russia continue to develop and deploy increasingly advanced maritime fleets. While their navies are rapidly expanding the ability to project power offshore, we have reduced the number of operational aircraft carriers, the centerpiece of our naval forces, to just 10. America’s ability to effectively deter our adversaries, but rapidly and overwhelmingly project power in multiple theaters when needed, requires a commitment to 12 carrier strike groups. The United States must significantly increase the number of ships to at least 350, with an appropriate mix of large and small, surface and subsurface combatants that ensures we can counter our adversary’s anti-access/area denial strategies.
Once access into our adversary’s littoral region is accomplished we need the ability to project that power ashore; the U.S. Marine Corps must be provided sufficient sea and air lift capacity to conduct large-scale amphibious and air assault operations in a contested environment. The Marines are our first responders, the first to fight, in times of crisis. We need to reverse the cuts to the manpower of the Marines. I will commit to you this – I will not simply bow down to political correctness; I will also review the Marine Corps’ request for exemption from the policy of requiring women to serve in combat positions.
Strategic Forces
Ohio Class ballistic missile submarines, the most survivable leg of the nuclear triad, already saw their service life extended once to allow time for a replacement. The Ohio Class replacement program is the future of our irreplaceable sea-based nuclear deterrent and construction of 12 new ballistic missile submarines must be highly prioritized in the defense budget. The air leg of the triad, largely based on bombers that first flew 50 years ago, also needs modernization. The Long Range Strike Bomber is critical in order to maintain a visible and deployable presence that deters adversaries and reassures our allies. Lastly, the Minuteman missiles that stand perpetual guard in our defense have been deployed since the late 1960s and must also be upgraded.
Not only must we be able to conduct strategic deterrence, we must be able to provide for our defense from the same threat. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense program that counters the threat of intercontinental ballistic missiles is vital to our future survival and requires significant reinvestment after the damages done during the last seven years of neglect. We need to develop new, more effective kill vehicles to counter the ever-advancing capabilities of our adversaries. We must expand the missile defense network by building a site on the East Coast in order to better protect the entire country from any rogue, accidental or systemic ballistic missile attack.
We have to look at opportunities to exploit Ronald Reagan’s brainchild – a defensive weapon so powerful that it negated our enemies’ strongest offensive capabilities – and, for example, deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to South Korea, and to partner as closely as possible with the Israelis as they implement Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow 2&3. We could send no stronger message to enemies like North Korea and Iran. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are most vulnerable to intercept during their boost phase of launch, we must develop the ability to destroy the threat before the warhead can separate from the missile. And, we must not be constrained to the surface of our planet when planning our future defense; we must look to the stars as well. We need to develop and deploy capabilities that will provide a visible deterrence and, if required, protect our space-based national assets from any threat, by any nation. Space is a new environment of strategic competition and we must be able to domestically provide assured access to that domain, and if necessary, deny our adversary’s capabilities.
The increasing ease with which our adversaries conduct non-linear attacks that fall below the threshold of conventional action places us at a disadvantage. We face a capability gap in domains like cyberspace that must be filled. The entry barriers for a nation or rogue actor that wants to conduct cyber warfare are easily surmountable; the impact of their malicious activities is potentially disastrous. We need look no further than the recent theft of Federal government personnel data by Chinese hackers. That attack was an incredibly brazen act of espionage, a huge blow to our national security, and many argue that it was an act of war. We must review and promulgate a new cyberspace strategy, designed to anticipate and thwart cyber attacks on American private and public institutions, instead of remaining on the defensive against aggressive state and non-state cyber adversaries. Therefore, just like against the nuclear threat, we need to officially declare a policy of retribution so our adversaries clearly understand the United States will no longer idly stand by while we are being attacked. This means giving the United States Cyber Command the necessary authorities and cyber weapons to aggressively strike back when needed. This is the type of generational investment we must make to fully modernize our fighting forces in the 21st Century.
Paying for Rebuilding
Make no mistake about it, a generational rebuilding of our national security will not be a cheap or easy proposition. We can and will pay for our necessary defense, without bankrupting our children, through 1) significantly accelerating economic growth through sweeping tax and regulatory reform; 2) cutting spending; and 3) selling Federal assets and properties. I strongly believe as a nation we must be prepared to invest at least 4.1% of GDP over the first two years of my administration to get this right, after which we will use 4% of GDP as a guideline. Controlling government spending and unleashing economic growth will address the costs and are desirable in themselves. My detailed spending plan reduces federal spending by at least a half trillion dollars over ten years. These reductions are just a start. The resulting savings would be in addition to my plan to Audit the Pentagon to identify and eliminate unnecessary programs. We will seize the opportunity to sell federal assets and properties that would be better used in the private sector, thus generating additional revenues. And we will bring back a proven approach from the prosperous days of the Reagan administration: a private-sector panel, known as the Grace Commission, to assess federal spending levels and evaluate areas of waste and fraud for removal.
Ronald Reagan proved that restoring economic growth is key to restoring military strength. If we grew at 5 percent for the next decade instead of 2.1 percent, we would enjoy $5.9 trillion in real total additional federal revenue, and a cumulative $14.3 trillion in additional real wages — about $110,000 more per household over the decade. That’s on average about $590 billion dollars in added revenue per year.
Similarly, if the economy grew at 4 percent for the next decade instead of 2.1 percent, we would enjoy $3.7 trillion in real total additional federal revenue, and a cumulative $9 trillion in real additional wages — about $70,000 more per household over the decade. That’s on average about $370 billion dollars in added revenue per year.
Either scenario would provide more than enough resources to fund a rebuild of our defense forces and send a clear signal to global trouble-makers to think twice. Increased peace and global stability will in itself encourage economic growth. We can begin a cycle of economic strength leading to military strength, leading to peace and still more economic strength and so on. We really can re-ignite the promise of America.
America can get to 5% growth. It is not unprecedented. Since World War II, the US has had four 5-year periods of average real GDP growth over 5 percent, and 13 different years where we exceeded 5 percent growth. My own state of Texas has averaged 5 percent annual GDP growth since 2010. By contrast, President Obama is the first president in US history to fail to have even one year of economic growth over 3 percent. We can do better – much better.
Why Americans Should Care
The world long ago departed an era where two super-power nations vied for supremacy; one intent on expanding the tyranny of Communism, the other led by a man whose straightforward vision – “We win; they lose” – spread liberty across the globe. Reagan’s bold and principled leadership defeated America’s largest adversary – without ever firing a shot. He accomplished this by building military strength that was founded upon America’s strategic objectives, not building a military based on the budget whims of partisan politics.
Today, we face not just one, but many adversaries who would topple our great nation from its pedestal. And we face internal antagonists who seem content to let it happen, who insist that Defense spending be relegated to luxury status – something nice to have if we can afford it after all of their pet programs. Entitlement programs have soared in the past decade and reckless spending has spiked our national debt so high, that interest payments on our debt will surpass what we spend on defense within the next decade.
While we neglect our military modernization, Russia, China and Iran continue to invest heavily in theirs. Russia has announced aggressive plans to continue the modernization of their military; China has an indigenous aircraft carrier program, is aggressively pursuing the ability to project power far from its homeland, and for the first time can place intercontinental ballistic missiles on strategic submarines; and Iran has just been gifted $100 billion from the current Administration to fund their global terrorism. The result of this disparity is predictable: our adversaries cross line after line to see if the President will react. We recently watched in humiliation as our Sailors were held at gunpoint by Iranians. They were taken hostage the same day President Obama spoke ardently about his nuclear agreement with Iran; and yet he said nothing about the plight of ten Americans detained by that same terrorist nation.
Our all-volunteer force deserves better. They deserve a leader who will provide them with the finest weapons systems and the best training. They deserve the full and unapologetic support of a Commander-in-Chief once the momentous decision is made to send them into harm’s way, not a minimal commitment of forces and overly restrictive Rules of Engagement. And, the finest military professionals on the planet deserve an investment in their careers, their health, and their families that respects their many sacrifices on our behalf.
My Promise to America
America can most certainly rebuild our defenses; it’s not too late. But, it will require a determination that our military should be structured and built to defeat any and all credible threats to our nation. Instead of our military’s size being driven by a budget that is created by weak-kneed politicians who are pandering to their bases for political convenience, it must be driven by sound, logical analysis of our strategic objectives. Our national security objectives should be guided by a few inviolable principles:
America’s moral leadership in the world is vital; it is not optional;
“Peace through strength” is not outdated, it is the heart of deterrence—but it requires both peace and strength;
Our military strength must be matched by our ability to operate across multiple, non-kinetic domains that include space, cyber and information;
Our military must be able to address state and non-state actors, be able to conduct conventional and non-conventional campaigns;
Our allies must be reassured, our commitments firm; and
Our military strength will not replace the “battle of ideas,” which we must win.
These principles are simply a foundation and will need creative, forward thinking by America’s best and brightest military and national security experts to obtain fruition. But, with the courage of our convictions, our proud history as a world leader, and our hard-won principles, especially those of individual freedom, human rights, and moral leadership, we will succeed in our goal. The United States will never seek war, but if our military forces are called upon, they will be able to impart overwhelming devastation upon our foes. The world will once again respect America’s moral fiber and our commitment to defending our interests. Under Reagan, our nation was secure, confident, prepared and respected because he believed that “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction” and he was willing to fight to protect that freedom.
Under focused, new leadership, America can, and will, rebuild our military. Under new leadership, America will once again commit itself to the defense of our freedom and that of our allies. In new-found and well-grounded confidence, America will help restore a more secure world, and in that world, greater security at home. Our moral and constitutional imperative requires nothing less than a pledge to every American; a pledge that the United States will once again enjoy prosperity, will once again be a trusted agent of liberty, and, that we will invest in our military to ensure a bright future for our beloved country.
STAND WITH ISRAEL
AMERICA’S SECURITY IS SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCED BY A STRONG ISRAEL
We must make clear to the world that the U.S.-Israel alliance is once again a strategic bedrock for the United States.
America’s security is significantly enhanced by a strong Israel. Israel has been, is, and always will be the Middle East bulwark in defense of the West. Our American-Israeli alliance is something to celebrate.
A Cruz administration will on day one recognize Jerusalem as the eternal, undivided capital of Israel and the US embassy will be moved to Israel’s capital city.
A Cruz administration will continue to support Israel’s regional qualitative military edge and make sure that, especially in light of the worsening security climate caused by Iran and ISIS, Israel has everything it needs to defend itself.
We should strengthen our partnership with Israel by supporting cooperative efforts such as missile defense to counter terrorism.
A President Cruz will immediately reassess US policy towards the Palestinian Authority. Not one penny of American tax dollars should go to an organization that incites hatred against Jews and seeks to partner with the terrorist group Hamas.
We should move to defund the United Nations if it continues its anti-Israel bias and withdraw federal funding from any American university that boycotts Israel.
PROVEN RECORD
Introduced measure to provide necessary funding for Israel’s missile defense, Arrow System, David’s Sling and Iron Dome.
Sent a bicameral letter to Secretary of State John Kerry urging him to close the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s office in Washington, D.C.
Sent a bipartisan letter signed by 36 senators to Federica Mogherini, vice president of the European Commission. The letter expresses concern over reports that the European Union (EU) intends to move forward with new guidelines to label certain products made by Israeli companies imported into the EU.
Chaired a hearing for the Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts titled “Justice Forsaken: How the Federal Government Fails the American Victims of Iranian and Palestinian Terrorism.” This hearing focused on the federal government’s failure to support the American victims of Iranian and Palestinian terror in their search for justice.
Has twice introduced legislation to prohibit negotiations between the United States and Iran until Iran released the American prisoners it is unjustly detaining and recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
Co-sponsored legislation to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Congress passed Sen. Cruz’s resolution to condemn Hamas’ use of civilians as human shields.
Senate passed legislation Cruz introduced to offer rewards to those who handed in information about the kidnappers and murderers of the 3 boys who were murdered in Jerusalem, one of them being an Israeli-US citizen.
Cruz asked if the FAA imposed economic sanctions on Israel by banning flights into Ben Gurion, an unprecedented restriction not even imposed on tumultuous countries like Ukraine. That day, the Secretary of State was asked about the ban, and within 36 hours, it was lifted.
Supports Israel’s Iron Dome program, which in defending Israel also protects US security interests.
Opposed Chuck Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense for multiple reasons, including his record of undermining U.S. – Israeli relations.
Has traveled to Israel several times since being elected.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
CHAMPIONING AMERICANS’ RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
America was founded on a revolutionary idea. Our rights do not come from government. They come from God.
The Pilgrims risked everything so that they could worship the Lord with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength. The founders enshrined this right to live according to our faith in the First Amendment, and we must continue to celebrate and safeguard citizens’ God-given rights.
As we have witnessed an unprecedented attack on citizens’ first freedoms, Ted Cruz continues to champion Americans’ religious liberty.
Ted has spent his career defending religious liberty. He has fought to protect our First Amendment rights in a number of Supreme Court cases, and as U.S. Senator, he has been a tireless fighter for the right to freely live according to our faith.
As a presidential candidate, Ted Cruz has hosted two national religious liberties rallies and has brought together Christians who have been persecuted for their beliefs so that people across the country can listen to their stories and stand united for our first freedom.
On day one, a President Cruz will instruct the Department of Justice, the IRS, and every other federal agency that the persecution of religious liberty ends today.
PROVEN RECORD
Introduced measures to protect faith organizations in DC from being forced to provide abortion services to their employees and support, and even fund, activities that directly violate their mission.
Galvanized national support for Houston pastors who had been subpoenaed by the City of Houston and forced to turn in their sermons.
Stood with Kim Davis in defense of her right to live in accordance with her faith.
Defended Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties against Obamacare’s contraception mandate.
Sponsored legislation to grant Meriam Ibrahim and her children permanent legal status in the US so they could swiftly return home after being imprisoned for her Christian faith.
Introduced measures in Congress to protect service members’ right to worship.
Attended prayer rallies for persecuted Christians and has Introduced a resolution that states that President Obama should not meet with Iran until they release American hostages, including Pastor Saeed Abedini.
Kept the cross standing at the Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial.
Led the way to preserve the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Successfully defended the constitutionality of the Texas Ten Commandments monument, winning a 5-4 landmark decision before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Successfully defended the words “under God” in the Texas Pledge of Allegiance and Texas schools’moment of silence law in federal district court.
Supported students’ right to display banners containing religious content at school sporting events.
LIFE, MARRIAGE, AND FAMILY
RESTORING A CULTURE OF LIFE, MARRIAGE, AND FAMILY
Life, Marriage, and family are the fundamental building blocks of society.
Life is a precious gift from God. We must cherish and defend it. Without life, there is no liberty; without life, there is no pursuit of happiness.
Marriage is a sacrament between one man and one woman, it has strengthened societies for millennia, and we must uphold the truth of marriage.
Extreme leftists — activist judges, the Obama Administration, and academic elites — are trying to extinguish these most fundamental, God-given rights.
Ted Cruz will preserve life, marriage, and the family, and he has the record to prove it. If Ted is elected president, he will instruct his Attorney General to investigate Planned Parenthood on day one. And rather than enacting policies that tear down these pillars of our society, he will work to restore a culture of life, marriage, and family.
PROVEN RECORD
Fought to take away taxpayer dollars from Planned Parenthood.
Led the charge on behalf of 13 states to successfully defend a federal law that bans partial birth abortion before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Advocated for an investigation into abortion practices in the U.S. to prevent the atrocities witnessed in Kermit Gosnell’s facility from ever happening again.
Joined 18 states in successfully defending the New Hampshire parental-notification law before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Successfully defended Texas’s Rider 8, which prohibits state funds for groups that provide abortions.
Authored legislation and a constitutional amendment in the Senate to prevent federal courts from further interfering with any state’s authority to define marriage.
Introduced legislation to protect the right of states to define marriage, without intrusion by unelected federal judges.
Defended Texas’s marriage laws when a state court attempted to recognize a Vermont civil union.
JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY
REIGNITING PROMISE FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICAN FAMILIES
Cruz Simple Flat Tax
Jobs, growth, and opportunity will reignite promise for millions of American families who are currently being crushed by the Obama economy. The best way to jumpstart growth is through fundamental tax reform.
Under the Cruz Simple Flat Tax, all income groups will see a double-digit increase in after-tax income. The current seven rates of personal income tax will collapse into a single low rate of 10 percent. For a family of four, the first $36,000 will be tax-free. The IRS will cease to exist as we know it, there will be zero targeting of individuals based on their faith or political beliefs, and there will be no way for thousands of agents to manipulate the system.
The results will be truly dramatic. According to the well-respected Tax Foundation, the Simple Flat Tax will deliver an economic boost of tremendous magnitude. In the first decade, the Simple Flat Tax will:
Boost Gross Domestic Product by 13.9 percent above what is currently projected.
Increase wages by 12.2 percent.
Create 4,861,000 additional jobs.
Regulatory Reform
Too many small businesses are being crushed by encroaching regulations. We need to get the government out of the way so the people can do what they do best — innovate, expand, and create new jobs.
A President Cruz will pass the REINS Act, holding Congress accountable to vote on any major cost-inducing regulation.
There’s no greater regulatory reform than repealing every word of Obamacare. We need to enact reforms that make health care personal, portable, and affordable. Specifically, we need open insurance markets across state lines, expand Health Savings Accounts, and delink health insurance from employment.
A Cruz administration will end the EPA regulations like the Waters of the U.S. rule and the Clean Power Plan that burden small businesses and farmers
Energy Renaissance
Another vital reform to unleash economic prosperity is adopting an energy plan that embraces the Great American Energy Renaissance.
We need an all-of-the-above energy approach that embraces the bountiful resources in this land — from oil to natural gas to ethanol. We need to open up abundant and affordable gas and electricity resources.
A President Cruz will approve the Keystone Pipeline, and other similar infrastructures, and empower the private sector to create good-paying American jobs.
We must harness our nation’s energy resources and remove federal impediments to energy exploration, development, and trade.
Stable Dollar
A stable dollar is also key to a prosperous nation. We are living through a period of great dollar instability that has weakened the economy at home and destabilized the entire world financial system. When the dollar is down, prices for goods like oil and food go up, which hurts consumers and industries such as trucking and airlines.
When the dollar is high as it is today, prices tend to fall, which is good for consumers, but farmers, ranchers, and the energy industry get hurt, as do American exporters. America needs a more stable dollar.
We need to audit the Federal Reserve. A rules-based monetary system would restore stability to the dollar and to the international currency system. This will help us get beyond these cycles of boom, bust, and malaise, and return us to rising productivity, strong economic growth, and higher incomes for all.
Internet Freedom
Internet freedom has produced robust free speech for millions and is an incubator for entrepreneurs to expand jobs and opportunities.
If the Internet Sales Tax becomes law, small online retailers would have to comply with over 9,600 tax jurisdictions across the country. It’s the corporate lobbyists who want to crush small businesses who favor the Internet tax.
Net Neutrality is Obamacare for the Internet.
The FCC is trying to regulate the Internet and turn it into a public utility.
Every time you put unelected bureaucrats in charge of a market, they stifle innovation and favor special interests — just look at the United States Post Office compared to Amazon and FedEx.
PROVEN RECORD
Rolled out a tax plan to dramatically reduce taxes for American families and individuals, simplify the tax code and spur significant economic growth.
Upon coming to the Senate, the first bill Cruz offered was to repeal every word of Obamacare.
Led a national effort to defund Obamacare and repeal the disastrous law in its entirety.
Introduced the American Energy Renaissance Act with Rep. Bridenstine, which among other major reforms, opens up exploration, expands LNG exports through more accessible permits, and ends the crude oil export ban.
Sponsored the Affordable Reliable Energy Now Act (ARENA), to check the President’s overreaching “Clean Power Plan” regulations that infringe on states’ rights, drive up costs for consumers and hamper innovation.
Met with conservative leaders to discuss the best way to stop the EPA’s new proposed rule under the “Clean Power Plan” to limit electricity usage.
Joined Sen. Barrasso and 29 other senators in writing a letter to the Obama Administration about their failure to tell Americans the negative effects of the Water Resource Development Act.
Opposed budget increases that failed to bring about meaningful spending reforms.
Advocated for meaningful reforms to boost economic growth, including repealing Obamacare, deregulation, and expansion of energy production to take on the staggering unemployment conditions in the country.
Opposed the Internet Sales Tax and spoke against establishment politicians who attempt to impose more unnecessary taxes on Americans.
Sponsored Audit the Fed legislation.
REIN IN WASHINGTON
TRUSTED CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP
To shrink the size and power of the federal government, the Cruz Five for Freedom plan eliminates the IRS, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As President, Ted Cruz will appoint heads of each of those agencies whose sole charge will be to wind them down and determine whether any programs need to be preserved.
Ted Cruz will empower the people by reducing the alphabet soup of Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, and other programs that prop up special interests, at the taxpayer’s expense. The Cruz Five for Freedom Spending Plan identifies an initial 25 programs.
The Cruz plan re-institutes President Reagan’s Grace Commission to assess federal spending levels and evaluate areas of waste and fraud. Ted Cruz would appoint private-sector leaders to serve on a commission that, as President Reagan put it, would “work like blood hounds” to improve government efficiency. The original Grace Commission report recommended 2,478 “cost-cutting, revenue-enhancing” suggestions, without raising taxes, weakening defense, or harming social welfare.
A President Cruz will hold Congress accountable by enacting a strong Balanced Budget Amendment and requiring that a majority of members approve any major, cost-inducing regulation. And he will reduce costs by instituting a hiring freeze and federal pay reforms.
PROVEN RECORD
Fought to protect citizens’ free speech against unlawful and unjust targeting and designations by the IRS.
Opposed budget increases that failed to bring about meaningful spending reforms.
Advocated for meaningful reforms to boost economic growth, including repealing Obamacare, deregulation, and expansion of energy production to take on the staggering unemployment conditions in the country.
Opposed raising the debt ceiling without any meaningful reforms to the out-of-control Washington spending.
Voted against establishment politicians’ Christmas handouts to K-Street.
Opposed sugar subsidies and favoring a few over the American taxpayer.
Voted to repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard so that all can compete on an equal footing.
Opposed budget deals that reauthorized the Export-Import bank, a handmaiden of the Washington Cartel.
Our Plan
THE CRUZ FIVE FOR FREEDOM SUMMARY
THE CRUZ FIVE FOR FREEDOM
FIVE FOR FREEDOM SUMMARY
“We should shrink the size and power of the federal government by every and any means possible. What does that mean? That means eliminating unnecessary or unconstitutional agencies.” – Ted Cruz
I. FIVE FOR FREEDOM
Abolish the IRS, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A Cruz Administration will appoint heads of each of those agencies whose sole charge will be to wind them down and determine whether any programs need to be preserved.
Internal Revenue Services – end the political targeting, simplify the tax code, and abolish the IRS as we know it.
Department of Education – return education to those who know our students best: parents, teachers, local communities, and states. And block-grant education funding to the states.
Department of Energy – cut off the Washington Cartel, stop picking winners and losers, and unleash the energy renaissance.
Department of Commerce – close the “congressional cookie jar” and promote free-enterprise and free trade for every business.
Department of Housing and Urban Development – offer real solutions to lift people out of hardship, rather than trapping families in a cycle of poverty, and empower Americans by promoting the dignity of work and reforming programs such as Section 8 housing.
II. TWENTY-FIVE FEDERAL “ABCs”
Empower the people by reducing the alphabet soup of Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, and other programs that prop up special interests, at the taxpayer’s expense. A Cruz Administration will identify all unnecessary programs – these 25 are merely a start:
Eliminate the following Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, and programs:
Appalachian Regional Commission
Climate Ready Water Utilities Initiative
Climate Research Funding for the Office of Research and Development
Climate Resilience Evaluation Awareness Tool
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Travel Promotion
Global Methane Initiative
Green Infrastructure Program
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
Legal Services Corporation
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Humanities
New Starts Transit Program
Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
Presidential Election Campaign Fund
Regulation of CO2 Emissions from Power Plants and all Sources
Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Vehicles
Renewable Fuel Standard Federal Mandates
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Sugar Subsidies
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
UN Population Fund
USDA Catfish Inspection Program
III. GRACE COMMISSION 2.0
Re-institute President Reagan’s Grace Commission to assess federal spending levels and evaluate areas of waste and fraud.
Appoint private-sector leaders to serve on a commission that, as President Reagan described, will work like “blood hounds” to improve government efficiency.
Under Ronald Reagan’s Administration, the Grace Commission report recommended 2,478 “cost-cutting, revenue-enhancing” suggestions, without raising taxes, weakening defense, or harming social welfare.
As Chairman Grace recognized then, “every dollar we can stop spending is a dollar that the government does not need to borrow.” Never has that been more needed than today.
IV. CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Hold Congress accountable by enacting a strong Balanced Budget Amendment and requiring that a majority of members approve any major, cost-inducing regulation.
Sign a Balanced Budget Amendment to start spending responsibly and save future generations from additional crippling debt.
Sign the REINS Act to ensure that Congress approves of any regulation or rule that would have an impact of $100 million or more.
V. HIRING FREEZE AND REDUCTION
Reduce costs by instituting a hiring freeze and federal pay reforms.
Put in place a hiring freeze of federal civilian employees across the executive branch.
For those agencies in which it is determined that a vacant position needs to be filled, I will authorize the hiring of a maximum ratio of one person for every three who leave.
Reduce the annual across-the-board adjustment for federal civilian pay so that rather than receiving automatic yearly raises, federal workers would have more opportunities for merit-based pay increases.
FIVE FOR FREEDOM
“We should shrink the size and power of the federal government by every and any means possible. What does that mean? That means eliminating unnecessary or unconstitutional agencies.” – Ted Cruz
Summary
The total federal debt currently stands at $18.6 trillion, larger than our entire economy. That is up 75 percent since President Obama took office, and by the end of his tenure, he is expected to have added almost as much to the national debt as all past presidents combined. The federal government spent $3.5 trillion in fiscal year 2014, and ran a deficit of $483 billion. Sadly, even under a Republican Congress, the recent budget deal will add another $80 billion in spending over two years. The current and projected rates of government growth are unsustainable, irresponsible, and constitutionally indefensible.
The Obama Administration has little to show for its out-of-control spending. We have a stagnant economy, lagging job creation, and the lowest labor-force participation since the Carter Administration. The Obama economy has burdened each American household with the equivalent of $57,000 of federal debt. Under such stifling circumstances, it’s no wonder that 84 percent of college graduates do not have a job lined up after graduation, and 13.2 percent of young adults are out of work. The Obama economy is sinking our next generation further and further into debt, while the ever-expanding federal government is creating fewer jobs, less growth, and scarcer opportunity. The current level of spending is not only irresponsible, but immoral and unjust to future generations.
No responsible parent would leave their children with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt; we should not allow the government to do this to our children and grandchildren either. It’s time for Washington to tighten its belt – no more reckless spending or handing out favors to K-Street lobbyists while hard-working Americans are left to foot the bill.
It’s time for bold change. Change that stops Washington from squandering Americans’ money; that scraps the current tax code and replaces it with a single, fair, low rate for all; that reins in Washington’s costly regulations; that honors the People’s work with the dignity it deserves; and that finally gets the government out of our pockets and off our backs.
Of course, because entitlements constitute roughly two-thirds of federal spending, no government spending plan is complete without addressing entitlement reform. And in the coming months, I will be laying out a detailed plan to do just that, to strengthen and preserve Social Security and Medicare, and to ensure their fiscal strength for decades to come. But we should start with federal discretionary spending.
I have already introduced the Cruz Simple Flat Tax, which reduces the existing seven individual rates to one low rate of 10 percent for all Americans; eliminates the corporate carve-outs and loopholes; and requires every business to pay the same Business Flat Tax of 16 percent. Under my plan, the after-tax income of all Americans goes up by double digits, compliance costs go down, and the economy booms. The Simple Flat Tax is so simple and transparent, in fact, that Americans will be able to fill out their taxes on a postcard or smartphone app.
One important upshot of the Simple Flat Tax is that it allows us to eliminate the IRS. That agency, as we know it, administers a rat’s nest of laws and loopholes that allow it to wield unfettered power and that embolden it to target political opponents.
If elected, I will abolish the IRS. But I won’t stop there. We will abolish four cabinet agencies as well. And we will sharply reduce the alphabet soup of government entities, beginning with the ABCs that should not exist in the first place: The Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, and other programs that are constitutionally illegitimate and harmful to American households and businesses – including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It’s time to return to a federal government that abides by our constitutional framework and strips power from unelected bureaucrats.
We must break apart the federal leviathan that has ruled Washington and crept into our lives. Once we dramatically reduce the size of government – paired with fundamental tax reform and regulatory reform – we will reignite the promise that has made this the freest and most prosperous nation in the world.
To start the process of reducing the scope and cost of government, I will institute the following five reforms, which are estimated to save more than $500 billion over 10 years:
Five for Freedom – abolish 4 unnecessary cabinet agencies and the IRS.
25 Federal “ABCs” – eliminate 25 Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, and other programs.
Grace Commission 2.0 – reinstitute President Reagan’s Panel on Cost Control (“The Grace Commission”) to identify waste and inefficiency.
Congressional accountability – amend the Constitution to require Congress and the President to balance the budget, and enact the REINS Act.
Federal hiring freeze and reform– institute a freeze on the hiring of federal civilian employees across the executive branch, and reform automatic worker raises.
Estimated Savings of Over $500,000,000,000 in 10 years
1. FIVE FOR FREEDOM:
During my first year, I will fight to abolish the IRS, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. To do that, I will press Congress relentlessly. And I will appoint heads of each of those agencies whose central charge will be to lead the effort to wind them down and determine whether any programs need to be preserved elsewhere because they fall within the proper purview of the federal government. I do not anticipate lists to be long.
Internal Revenue Services
Americans spend far too much time, energy, and resources answering to the agency whose harmful conduct extends far beyond collecting large portions of the people’s hard-earned dollars–top IRS officials have targeted individuals based on their political and religious views and threatened their First Amendment rights. The IRS has become a partisan arm of the Obama Administration and an avenue for the Washington Cartel to further benefit its members, to the detriment of working Americans.
Essential to abolishing the IRS is wiping clean the cob-webbed tax code and starting over with the Cruz Simple Flat Tax, which sets one low rate of 10 percent for all individuals and enables them to fill out their taxes on a postcard or smartphone app. The Simple Flat Tax also taxes all businesses at the same, fair Business Flat Tax of 16 percent, removing the loopholes and backhanded funding of big businesses and special interests. The Simple Flat Tax fundamentally changes the tax code and abolishes the IRS as we know it. The remaining personnel needed can be housed in a drastically smaller division of the Department of Treasury.
Ineffective Spending:
Since 2011, there have been multiple serious allegations that top IRS officials have repeatedly committed felonies, including lying to Congress and disclosing the taxpayer and donor information of conservative groups, such as the Texas Public Policy Foundation and the National Organization for Marriage. The Obama Administration’s IRS also handed over to the FBI and the Department of Justice the legally protected taxpayer information of more than 12,000 grassroots organizations in order to launch investigations into the political speech activities of these nonprofit groups.
The IRS has repeatedly attempted to stifle citizens’ First Amendment rights. As grassroots activist Toby Marie Walker detailed in her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the IRS has forced citizens to hand over blog posts, tweets, radio interviews, planned-event data, and lists of every candidate with whom they have had a relationship. If Walker and fellow leaders of the Waco Tea Party failed to comply, they could be penalized for perjury.
Every year, Americans spend about $500 billion and 6.1 billion hours on tax compliance. That time is the equivalent of 152 million Americans each working a full 40-hour workweek solely on taxes – or, alternatively, 59,580 Americans working a 40-hour workweek every week from the time they are 18 until they are 67.
Department of Education
Educational opportunity thrives on choice, ingenuity, and diversity; the Department of Education squelches all three. Largely created as an outgrowth of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society, the Department of Education has existed in its current form since 1980. Despite its stated aim to bring equal access to all, it has failed to close the gap between low-income communities and other communities, and instead has led to one-size-fits-all solutions imposed on millions of students with differing educational needs. Eliminating the Department of Education not only restores the states’ constitutional power and saves taxpayers billions of dollars, it returns decision-making to parents and local communities, and liberates students and teachers from a failed top-down approach. The growing federal role in education spurred by the Education Department has led to perverse mandates such as Common Core and counterproductive laws such as No Child Left Behind.
We should repeal every word of Common Core. And, as President, I will direct the Secretary of Education to immediately end the federal government’s mandates that seek to force states to adopt this failed attempt at a universal curriculum.
Even more broadly, we need to get the federal government out of education altogether. The Department of Education has the third largest discretionary budget in the federal government, and it provides 10 percent of funding for K-12 education. Yet, with that 10 percent share, it imposes significant requirements on states and schools, forcing them to submit to federal bureaucrats. Education has traditionally been a state matter; the people closest to students know them best – parents and teachers know far more than Washington bureaucrats – and we are already witnessing remarkable reforms by state and local governments to increase school choice and resist Common Core standards. We need to restore parent and student choice and remove federal barriers to children’s success.
A Cruz Administration will eliminate the programs in the Department of Education that are wasteful, ineffective, and fail to achieve better student outcomes. We will perform a careful review of remaining programs to assess how best to return those responsibilities to state and local communities.
The lion’s share of K-12 funding will be block granted to the states, including Title I funding and the Individuals with Disabilities Education program, while the Indian Education program and Federal Impact Aid will be transferred to existing departments. Pell Grants will also remain intact and can be transferred to the Treasury Department. This will result in higher quality education, more tailored to local needs, at a lower cost.
The D.C. Public School Funding and the Opportunity Scholarship Program will persist because Washington D.C. is under the federal purview of Congress and it is constitutionally appropriate for those programs to continue to be overseen at a federal level. But those programs can be run by another department, and the Education Department can be shut down.
Ineffective Spending:
Since the Department’s inception in 1980, the federal government has spent nearly $1.5 trillion on education.
It cost the U.S. $151,000 per student to put the graduating class of 2009 through public school; adjusted for inflation, that is nearly three times the amount we spent on the graduating class of 1970.
Despite this outrageous spending, education outcomes have either stagnated or declined. The nation’s report card, first administered in 1992, shows that the disparity between white and black 12th grade reading scores has increased – showing African American students half a grade further behind their peers, and totaling a nearly three grade-level difference.
Department of Energy
The Department of Energy has never discovered a barrel of oil. Instead, it actively hinders innovation and discovery as it selects “winners” – that frequently go on to lose millions of dollars, even going bankrupt – while making it harder for entrepreneurs to succeed. Created by the Carter Administration in 1977, the Department of Energy was designed to direct a national energy policy. Two years later, those directives included mandating room temperatures and distributing rationing coupons for gasoline. The Department of Energy has since caused taxpayers to fund politically motivated programs that prop up favored interests.
In August 2015, for example, the White House announced the start of the Department of Energy’s Clean Energy Impact Investment Center, an effort to raise public awareness of climate change. This program, along with the EPA’s job-killing, cost-inducing Clean Power Plan, exemplifies the ways in which the Obama Administration has used the Department of Energy as a partisan tool for furthering its agenda, at taxpayer expense.
While the Energy Department as a whole serves no critical role and stifles growth through unnecessary regulation, a few programs – such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Defense Capabilities, and cleanup and decontamination programs –maintain our security and should be transferred to other departments.
The Department of Energy serves as a handmaid to the Washington Cartel, and rather than allow it to stifle growth through costly regulations, we should unleash the energy renaissance that will be propelled by innovators and hardworking Americans.
Ineffective Spending:
The government does a poor job acting as a venture capitalist to finance start-ups and innovation. The 2009 stimulus bill granted $80 billion to politically preferred energy projects. Since then, Obama’s Department of Energy and other agencies have funded 33 faltering green-energy companies, including giving $553 million to Solyndra, $25 million to Evergreen Solar, and $43 million to Beacon Power – all of which have filed for bankruptcy.
The Government Accountability Office has designated the Energy Department’s cleanup program “at high risk for fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement.” The Energy Department itself estimates that its cleanup program costs escalated from $180 billion to $240 billion in two years. In 2009, a project delay in Tennessee caused the cost of that assignment alone to reach $781 million.
The Energy Department directly employs 16,000 workers and employs another 100,000 workers as contract employees; this costs each household an average of $243 per year.
Department of Commerce
It’s rare to find a policy idea that both President Obama and Heritage Foundation President and former Senator Jim DeMint support, but abolishing the Department of Commerce is one such anomaly. Former Secretary of Commerce Robert Mosbacher characterized the Department as “nothing more than a hall closet where you throw in everything that you don’t know what to do with” – an expensive repository, costing taxpayers roughly $10 billion a year. The only sure thing it accomplishes is growing the Washington Cartel and promoting special interests over the American people. We could do without such a scheme.
For decades, the Commerce Department has funded useless projects. In one such case in 1981, it funded grants to Bedford, Indiana, to build limestone replicas of the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian pyramid of Cheops. Though the project was never completed, it is emblematic of the futile expenses billed to taxpayers.
The federal government should promote free trade for all, yet the Commerce Department has favored the few. That said, there are several functions that should be retained through other departments or agencies, including the functions of the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Bureau of Industry and Security.
Ineffective Spending:
The Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration has long been known as the “congressional cookie jar.” Its projects have included grants for a wine-tasting room, a conference center in Alaska, and a tourism-promotion program in the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Commerce Department’s cronyism has long enabled politicians to fill the pockets of their benefactors: as far back as the 1960s, the Department financed the purchase of iceboxes for Eskimos and a tourist facility near a canceled West Virginia radio telescope. In November 2008, Harry Reid delivered a $2 million check to the University of Nevada for the “Harry Reid Research and Technology Park.”
The Department of Commerce favors some companies over others. For example, it has granted crude oil exemptions only to a handful of companies over the past 40 years. In the summer of 2014, the Department granted limited waivers to only two corporations.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Real solutions to restoring hope in American households will not come from Washington. One need only to examine the last half-century of failed “War on Poverty” programs, out of which HUD was born, to understand this. We have spent roughly $22 trillion on means-tested welfare programs since 1964, yet the poverty rate has remained virtually unchanged. Poverty goes far deeper than a person’s pocketbook. It is both material and spiritual, and the reason federal bureaucrats are so ineffective at solving it is they fail to realize that there is no subsidy – or substitute – for hope. In order to solve real poverty, we must recognize the federal government’s limited role, and return power to state and local communities who know the people in their neighborhoods, and have a direct and personal stake in finding solutions.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has exacerbated higher housing costs for low-income communities. HUD undercuts its own goal by creating distortions in the housing market, attaching strings to its money, and imposing top-down control on local communities.
Federal housing reform is a critical part of welfare reform; rather than perpetuating poverty and trapping families in dangerous communities and under-achieving school districts, we must empower people to rise out of dire circumstances. Section 8 housing will be reformed as part of a larger antipoverty and welfare-reform agenda consistent with policies that are family-centered, opportunity-inspired, and work-focused. Programs like the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, and veterans’ homeless assistance grants, will remain intact—they will be transferred to the Department of Justice and Department of Veterans’ Affairs, respectively.
Ineffective Spending:
In July 2015, the Office of Inspector General for HUD discovered that the federal government provides public-housing assistance to over 25,000 families whose income exceeds HUD’s 2014 eligibility limits. Some were even millionaires. The OIG estimated that taxpayers will pay $104.4 million for the housing of these families over the next year.
HUD has often attached unnecessary and burdensome requirements to its funding – in one instance in New York’s Westchester County, it required HUD-funded projects to have three bedrooms, though that would more than double the county’s costs from $51.6 million to roughly $100 million.
Although the Department’s programs are ostensibly designed to help move families out of downtrodden neighborhoods, they have failed. They often confine low-income families to dangerous neighborhoods.
2. TWENTY-FIVE FEDERAL “ABCs”
The rate at which we are spending is unsustainable. And federal programs often fail to support their purported beneficiaries while instead propping up special interests. There are far too many members of Congress who willingly hand out special favors to select industries and friends.
Let’s break the Washington Cartel and restore power to the people. Let’s stop handing over billions to federal favorites. We will sharply reduce the alphabet soup of government entities, beginning with the “ABC”s that should not exist in the first place: The Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, and other programs that are constitutionally illegitimate and harmful to American households and businesses. The following 25 ABCs are emblematic of the types of government functions I will examine, downsize, and reform to limit federal overreach. But these are just a start.
Eliminate the following Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, and programs:
Appalachian Regional Commission
Climate Ready Water Utilities Initiative
Climate Research Funding for the Office of Research and Development
Climate Resilience Evaluation Awareness Tool
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (privatize)
Corporation for Travel Promotion
Global Methane Initiative
Green Infrastructure Program
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
Legal Services Corporation
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Humanities
New Starts Transit Program
Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
Presidential Election Campaign Fund
Regulation of CO2 Emissions from Power Plants and all Sources
Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Vehicles
Renewable Fuel Standard Federal Mandates
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Sugar Subsidies
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery
UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
UN Population Fund
USDA Catfish Inspection Program
3. GRACE COMMISSION 2.0
In 1982 President Reagan brought together a group of business leaders, led by J. Peter Grace, to assess federal spending levels and evaluate areas of waste and fraud. The members of the Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, commonly referred to as the Grace Commission, worked like “blood hounds,” as President Reagan described, to improve government efficiency. The business leaders’ report recommended 2,478 “cost-cutting, revenue-enhancing” suggestions, without raising taxes, weakening defense, or harming social welfare. As Chairman Grace recognized then, “every dollar we can stop spending is a dollar that the government does not need to borrow.” Never has that been more needed than today. Grace Commission 2.0 will apply business principles to government spending, and ensure civil servants are actually doing what the title suggests.
4. CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY:
Balanced Budget Amendment
A strong balanced budget amendment is necessary to get back to fiscal responsibility, stop bankrupting our kids and grandkids, and keep Congress accountable to the American people. As President, I will fight to finally pass a strong Balanced Budget Amendment, which limits federal spending to a percentage of GDP and requires a congressional supermajority to ever raise taxes. In the private sector, quality companies do not spend money without first budgeting for expenses, and at the bare minimum, the government should do the same – it’s necessary for our posterity, and to be good stewards of Americans’ time and dollars.
REINS Act
In 1996, Congress attempted to gain control over federal regulations through the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Since then, agencies have added 60,0000 federal regulations, and only one has been undone through the CRA. The Competitive Enterprise Institute estimates that Americans paid a total of $1.86 trillion in federal compliance cost in 2013, which averages to $15,000 of hidden regulatory cost per household each year. President Obama’s regulations alone cost an additional $80 billion annually.
The REINS Act will stop giving Congress a backdoor to expanding federal expenses without as much as a yea or nay. The REINS Act requires Congress to approve of any regulation or major rule that will have an economic impact of $100 million or more and ensure that Congress does not unlawfully delegate its authority to unelected bureaucrats. As President, I will press Congress to pass the REINS Act, and will sign it into law.
5. FEDERAL HIRING FREEZE AND REFORM:
A Cruz Administration will institute a freeze on the hiring of new federal civilian employees across the executive branch; no vacant positions at this point may be automatically back-filled; no new positions may be created; and no circumvention will be allowed through the hiring of contractors.
For those agencies in which it is determined that a vacant position needs to be filled, I will authorize the hiring of a maximum ratio of one person for every three who leave.
I will also reduce the annual across-the-board adjustment for federal civilian pay so that rather than receiving automatic yearly raises, federal workers would have more opportunities for merit-based pay increases. The federal civilian workforce exceeds 2 million workers and costs the taxpayers more than $260 billion each year in wages and benefits. Since the 1990s, compensation of federal workers has outpaced that of private-sector workers: on average, federal workers make 78 percent more than private-sector employees.
Through natural attrition, and spending restraint, we can meaningfully downsize the federal government over time so that we are no longer bankrupting our children and grandchildren. With a commitment to the common-sense prudence that any responsible family or small business must demonstrate – and a willingness to take on the cronyism of the Washington Cartel – we can reverse the disastrous spending and debt in Washington. And a Cruz Administration will do exactly that.
