Ted Cruz

Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz was born on December 22, 1970 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is of Cuban and Irish/Italian descent. He was raised in Houston, Texas and later went on to study Public Policy at Princeton University before attending Harvard Law School. He took on the role of private-practicing lawyer, advisor to the 2000 Bush campaign, and Solicitor-General for the State of Texas (2003-2008) before being elected to the United States Senate in 2012. Cruz played a major role in the government shutdown of 2013 that strained his relations with the Republican Party. He is now running for the GOP nomination for the 2016 presidential election. Cruz's polling numbers show strong support, and he is second only to Donald Trump. [1]

Campaign Website

Repeal Tax Code and Institute a "Flat Tax" Policy

Tax Reform plans

• Wants to institute a "simple flat tax policy"
  • Up to 36,000 dollars in untaxed income for a family of four (TCWTR)
  • A flat 10% tax rate for all individuals exceeding the income cutoff (TCWTR)
  • An additional flat 16% "business tax" that effectively acts as a value-added tax (TCWTR)
  • Child Tax Credit and deductions for mortgage interest payments will remain in effect (TCWTR)
• "I am campaigning on a flat tax that would allow every American to fill out his or her taxes on a post card [or iPhone app] that allow us to abolish the IRS."(WE)
• Supports elimination of other taxes such as the Inheritance Tax, Overseas Profit Tax, Alternative Minimum Tax, and any "Obamacare" taxes (TCWTR)

Jobs and Business Policy

Reform and Regulation

• "When it comes to jobs and growth and opportunity, the two most effective levers that the federal government has to facilitate small businesses creating new jobs, are tax reform and regulatory reform." (WERR)
• Cruz is a co-sponsor and heavy supporter of the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (ACOM)
• Advocates for the elimination of the IRS, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Housing and Urban Developmen (TCWRW)
• Plans to reinstate the Grace Commission of the Reagan Era which will in (TCWRW)

Internet Regulation and Entrepreneurial Freedom

• "The Internet is the great equalizer when it comes to jobs and opportunity." (WPOPED)
• "We must promote growth in the technological sector, a consistent bright spot for the U.S. economy. But we won’t realize more of that dynamic growth unless we keep the Internet free from the kind of unnecessary regulation that is strangling our health-care, energy and banking industries... one of the biggest regulatory threats to the Internet is “net neutrality.” In short, net neutrality is Obamacare for the Internet." (WPOPED)
• Opposes net neutrality on the basis it stifles innovation (WPOPED)

Government Jobs

• Freeze on new hires in the federal executive branch, including no new job creation, no automatic position filling, no hiring of contractors
  • Fill necessary vacant positions would be at a max ratio of one new hire for every three that leave
  • Reduce the size of the federal government
• Eliminate at least 25 Agencies, Bureaus, Commissions, and other programs

(TCWJ)

Health Policy

Health Initiatives

• Repeal Obamacare, open insurance markets across state lines, expand health savings accounts, delink health insurance from employment
• Sponsored a bill called the Health Care Choices Act which allows people to buy health care plans across state lines
  • HCCA also repeals Title I of the Affordable Health Care Act
  • HCCA amend the Public Health Service Act (TCWS)
• "We must save Medicare by gradually increasing the eligibility age and by moving to a premium support system that expands choices for seniors, opens up innovation, and utilizes market forces to rein in healthcare costs." (OTI)
• Supports the right for private organizations to deny contraceptive/abortion coverage to their employees if it conflicts with their personal beliefs (TCS)

Abortion and Planned Parenthood

• "The next thing I intend to do is instruct the Department of Justice to open an investigation... to prosecute Planned Parenthood for any criminal violations." (RD1)
• Supports the complete defunding of Planned Parenthood (TCWLLF)

Vaccines

• Cruz said that “of course” children should be vaccinated but thinks that which ones should be legally mandated be left up to the states
• Some exceptions should still exist for religious convictions

(POLITICO)

Drug Policy

Marijuana

• Cruz does not personally support the legalization of marijuana but does support a state's right to legalize its use
• However, has criticized the way Obama has dealt with state legislation that makes marijuana legal while under federal law it is still illegal

(Huff Post)

Incarceration

• "As of February 2015, nearly half--49%--of [federal prison] inmates were sentenced for drug crimes. This has contributed to overcrowding. Federal prisons now house 39 percent more inmates than their capacity. It is far from clear whether this dramatic increase in incarceration for drug crimes has had enough of an effect on property and violent crime rates to justify the human toll of more incarceration. Given the undeniable costs and dubious benefits of mass, longterm incarceration of nonviolent drug offenders, Congress should take steps to give judges more flexibility in sentencing those offenders. The Smarter Sentencing Act of 2015, which was introduced by Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), and of which I am an original cosponsor, is a significant stride in that direction. Among other things, the bill lowers minimum sentences, cutting them in half, to give judges more flexibility in determining the appropriate sentence based on the unique facts and circumstances of each case."
• Cruz has called for converting regulatory crimes to civil offenses

(OTI - D)

Middle East

International Terrorism

• 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 titled “Justice Forsaken: How the Federal Government Fails the American Victims of Iranian and Palestinian Terrorism.”
• Really wants the president, and will do so as president, to utter the words "radical Islamic terrorism"

Supporting Israel

• Will recognize Jerusalem as the eternal, undivided capital of Israel and the US embassy will be moved there
• Readdress US Policy in regards to Palestine; divert any American funds going there
• Consider defunding the UN for showing anti-Israel bias or American universities that boycott Israel
• Supports Israel's Iron Dome Program

Trade

• Cruz has been rated as a "Free Trade Supporter" by the Cato Institute and Wall Street Journal (CI) (WSJ)
• supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement until the eve of the vote to “fast-track” the measure when he voted against it (WSJ)
  • said he changed his mind becayse he found “new troubling information” in details of the emerging trade deal that suggests that the fast track bill could make it easier for Obama to change federal immigration law and also complained that House Speaker John Boehner punished Republicans who opposed the bill in the House. (WSJ)
• Cruz strongly disapproves of the Export-Import Bank (WPT)
  • “The Export-Import Bank is big businesses’ big-government bank backed by U.S. taxpayers" (USA)

Immigration

"Restoring Rule of Law"

Ted Cruz proposes a return to heavy enforcement of American law by

• Repealing all of Obama's memorandums regarding illegal amnesty
• Increase deportations
• End catch-and-release
• End sanctuary policies and sign Kate's Law
• Suspend issuance of H-1B visas
• Halt legal immigration while the United States' unemployment rate is "unacceptably high"
• End birthright citizenship for children with illegal parents
• Ensure legal immigrants do not receive public assistance

(TCWSB)

Securing the Border

• Complete a secure wall across the entire border
• Triple the number of Border Control agents
• Install biometric tracking system at all of the nation's ports
• Increase aerial surveillance around the border

(TCWSB)

Environmental

Keystone Pipeline

• [We need to] get more jobs by embracing America's energy renaissance. This means passing legislation to make it easier to build energy infrastructure, such as the Keystone pipeline." (USAP)

Climate Change & Related Policies

• Does not believe that climate change is backed with scientific evidence (NPR)
• Opposes the Clean Power Act and and sponsored Affordable Reliable Energy Now Act (ARENA) to limit its effects(TCWJ)
• Voted against the Water Resources Act (TCWJ)
• Criticized NASA for spending "too much money" studying climate change and earth science (NATJOUR)

Energy

• Supports opening more areas for offshore drilling
• Pushes against restrictions on fracking
• Encourages "expanding energy development on federal land"

(Reuters)