Urges Chuck Schumer and the Democrats to reopen the government
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued the following statement after voting in favor of President Trump’s bill to end the government shutdown and secure the border:
“Today, I joined a bipartisan majority in voting for President’s Trump’s plan to secure our border and reopen the federal government. The president asked me to support his plan, and I did so because I agree with him that border security is unquestionably a national priority and that we must build a wall to secure the border.
“The president put forward a reasonable compromise to end this shutdown. This plan secures our border, funds the construction of a much-needed border wall, and reopens the federal government. In exchange, the president offered to provide a three-year extension of status limited to current DACA recipients and current enrollees in TPS.
“I agreed to the president’s compromise because it didn’t extend amnesty to anybody not covered already under current law and, critically, it didn’t create a pathway to citizenship for those here illegally.
“Despite Sen. Schumer and the Democrats speaking for years about their concern for the Dreamers, they nevertheless voted down the president’s offer of protection for Dreamers.
“Separately today, Sen. Schumer and the Democrats also objected to paying the men and women of the Coast Guard, and to paying all essential federal workers — some 425,000 federal workers including TSA officers, air traffic controllers, Border Patrol agents, ICE officers, FBI agents, and others essential to our national security. I am a co-sponsor of legislation that would pay them all now; if you are being forced to work, basic fairness dictates you should be paid.
“The only reason that we didn’t put a bill on the president’s desk immediately to pay these essential federal workers now is that the Democrats cynically objected, instead holding the workers hostage to try to win a political war with the president.
“But Sen. Schumer and the Democrats would rather keep the government shut down in service of raw political gamesmanship. Their position is no compromise, no negotiation, and no wall, no matter what, despite the fact that the Democrats have previously voted overwhelmingly to build the wall. Now, it’s just politics; their extreme position is driven by hatred for the president. That is an untenable position, and the American people will continue to suffer so long as Sen. Schumer and the Democrats persist in shutting down the government to spite the president.
“I have repeatedly called for building a wall as a necessary step in defending our border and stopping the flow of illegal immigration into our country. That is why I have also introduced the EL CHAPO Act and the WALL Act – two bills that would secure our border by funding the wall and fully paying for it. I will continue to stand with the working men and women of this country, and fight for common-sense solutions that respect the will of the American people.”