Sen. Cruz Visits With East Texas Students, Businesses, and Higher Education Leaders

Tours Skeeter Boats Inc. manufacturing facility, participates in forum at Tyler Junior College’s Rogers Center and visits with employees at Brookshire’s Grocery Company

TYLER, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today held several public events in East Texas. In Kilgore, Sen. Cruz toured and visited with employees at the Skeeter Boats, Inc. manufacturing facility. In Tyler, Sen. Cruz toured the Rogers Nursing and Health Sciences Center at Tyler Junior College (TJC), and participated in a forum with TJC students. Afterward, Sen. Cruz visited Brookshire’s Grocery Company, and spoke with employees.

Still photos and video of Sen. Cruz’s visits may be viewed here.

At Skeeter Boats Inc., Sen. Cruz shared his efforts to reduce the burden of federal regulations on job creators.

“It’s an honor to be in Kilgore this morning,” Sen. Cruz said. “Skeeter Boats is yet another example of Texas’ amazing economic success story. For more than 50 years, you have been producing fishing boats right here in East Texas. Here, we know it’s the hard work of Texans and not the federal government that creates good-paying jobs. Ever since I joined the Senate, my number-one priority has been focused on jobs and expanding economic opportunity, because that is the number-one priority of Texans. Thank you for your leadership, and the hard work that each of you do here.”

At Tyler Junior College, Sen. Cruz participated in a town hall with college students, where he discussed his efforts to expand opportunities for students entering the job market.

“The Rogers Center at Tyler Junior College is a world-class facility,” Sen. Cruz said. “For over 90 years you all have dedicated your time and talent to this community. The invaluable education and training you provide for the next generation offers young people a path forward to good-paying jobs in the medical and health-related fields. It’s no wonder students from across our state come to TJC. In the last eight years, big government policies have restricted growth and prevented businesses from hiring, which has hurt young people the most. My focus in the Senate is getting the government off the backs of job creators, so they can grow again, and hire more young people right out of college.”

At Brookshire’s Grocery Company, Sen. Cruz held a roundtable discussion with employees, and shared his efforts to expand economic opportunity.

“I want to thank you for being a pillar of the East Texas community,” Sen. Cruz said. “With more than 13,000 employees in East Texas, Brookshire’s is an institution in our state. You started nearly 90 years ago with four employees in a small 2,500-square-foot store. Now you have more than 175 stores and are one of this region’s leading employers. Here in Texas, we have a very simple approach to our success. We keeps taxes low, and we keep our regulations reasonable. That is the direction I hope our country will go, and it’s a direction I will be fighting to steer it.”