Email from Texas Senator Ted Cruz
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Willard,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts regarding trade policy. Input from fellow Texans significantly informs my decision-making and empowers me to better represent the state.
One of my top priorities in the U.S. Senate is to promote policies that facilitate economic growth. Free trade does so by removing government-created barriers, benefiting both American producers and consumers. Farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers can gain access to lower-cost materials and billions of new customers in foreign markets. Free trade also creates jobs and helps our hard-earned dollars go further.
My strong support for free trade was one of the reasons why I initially supported Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). However, after the first Senate vote on TPA, it became clear that Republican leadership cut a deal with Democrats, promising a separate vote to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im). I unequivocally oppose Ex-Im because it is a classic example of corporate welfare and cronyism that puts taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars in loans and loan guarantees that go to foreign countries and foreign corporations. At the same time, Republican leadership also decided to punish some conservatives who opposed TPA, threatening to strip them of their committee chairmanships. So when TPA returned to the Senate, I had no choice but to vote against it.
As for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), two trade deals that are still being finalized, I will reserve judgment until after they are completed and publicly available to read. My hope is that they will be agreements that reduce government barriers to trade, enable increased prosperity for all involved, and expand opportunity to those working to climb the economic ladder to achieve the American Dream.
Thank you again for sharing your views with me. Please feel free to contact me in the future about any issue important to your family. It is an honor to serve you and the people of Texas.
For Liberty,
Senator Ted Cruz
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