Discusses EL CHAPO Act, North Korea and tax reform
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) yesterday spoke with KTSA San Antonio’s Jack Riccardi about the EL CHAPO Act – his most recent effort to secure the border with funding from El Chapo and other drug cartel members, the White House briefing on North Korea, and tax reform, among other topics.
“The Democrats want the border to be unsecure. That’s not in the interest of Texas, it’s not in the interests of this country – we need to know who’s coming into this country – we need to be sure that we’re not letting criminals in, we’re not letting terrorists in, we’re not letting people with violent felony records in – instead we should be embracing legal immigrants – those who follow the rules, wait in line and come here seeking the American dream.” Cruz told Jack Riccardi.
Cruz continued discussing North Korea and China relations: “It is a very dangerous situation. You have an unstable dictator who’s unpredictable, who’s mentally unstable and he’s got a significant arsenal of nuclear weapons. And that is a very bad and very dangerous combination. […] There’s no doubt China has enormous influence over North Korea – more than anybody else does and I will say I am cautiously encouraged that it appears that President Trump made some meaningful headway with President Xi when they were meeting together at Mar-a-Lago – in recent weeks China seems to be at least exercising some of its influence and power to reign in North Korea. I remain very skeptical that China will prove helpful but they clearly can be if they can be persuaded to be and I’m encouraged that perhaps they are.”
On tax reform, Sen. Cruz reiterated his support for bold simplicity: “I’m very glad the administration is pressing forward with tax reform and tax cuts as a key priority. I think the details of tax reform are very much in flux – the administration laid out some principles that they support. There’s a different proposal in the House, there are different ideas in the Senate. I think we will see over the next several weeks and in the next several months an ongoing and vibrant discussion between the House, the Senate and the administration and at the end of the day I think we can get there and get to ‘yes.’ The advice that I’ve given President Trump on tax reform – it’s two words – bold and simple. I think there is power in bold simplicity. Ideally I would like to see a simple flat tax – where every American can fill out your taxes on a postcard – and we can abolish the IRS. That’s what I’m pressing to do and I think we will see how this conversation proceeds over the coming months.”
See below for audio: