Blog: Our Road to Recovery

Press Release

Greetings,

This week, I returned to Washington, D.C. with my colleagues in the Senate. With more than 75,000 American lives lost to COVID-19, small businesses facing bankruptcy, and blue-collar energy jobs hanging in the balance, we have an important job to do in order to protect public health, get people safely back to work, and get the economy back on its feet.

Going forward, I've outlined four critical priorities that Congress should focus on in response to the three crises our country is facing -- the public health crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, the economic crisis, and an energy crisis that is greatly affecting Texas.

First, we need to re-open our economy and get Americans back to work. The unemployment rate has soared to 14.7 percent -- with nearly 20 percent of the American workforce out of a job. There are reasonable steps we can and must take now, including increasing the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) to making testing more widely available, to begin safely re-opening the economy. These steps will also get people back on the road, which will help our struggling energy producers and the hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers whose livelihoods hang in the balance. I'm glad to see that here in Texas, we're working to take those steps. On Friday, I had the pleasure of getting my hair cut at Salon à la Mode in Dallas. Shelley Luther, the salon owner, was wrongly imprisoned when she refused to apologize for trying to earn a living and feed her family. Shelley took a stand for liberty and common sense, and I was proud to stand with her and all the small business owners who are working to keep their customers and employees safe, while minimizing the spread of this disease.

Second, we need to push pause on spending and not allow Speaker Pelosi to hijack discussions going forward. We cannot simply spend our way out of these crises or give into Democrats' unreasonable demands, like handing a blank check to fiscally irresponsible states. We should instead focus on fixing any issues in the existing assistance programs and work to deliver on four key health priorities.

Third, we need to cut taxes and lift regulations to help grow the economy out ofthis crisis. Every regulation that has been waived during these crises should remain waived. We should also eliminate both the employer and employee side of the payroll tax for the rest of the year, which will put more money into Americans' pockets.

Fourth, we need to recognize that China bears responsibility for endangering millions of lives and hold them accountable. China is our greatest geopolitical threat; it's time we act like it. To that end, I've introduced several pieces of legislation to counter U.S. dependence on China, censorship of Chinese citizens, coercion ofHollywood, Chinese propaganda aimed at American schools, China's efforts to intrude into America's airwaves, and spying on Americans. Watch my interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson on how the U.S. must hold China accountable here.

This weekend, we celebrate Mother's Day. My mom, Eleanor, overcame enormous obstacles in her life and is my very best friend. My wife, Heidi, is the love of my life -- beautiful, brilliant, and a wonderful mother to our daughters. While the pandemic prohibits many of us from celebrating our mothers the way we would like, we are still grateful for their steadfast love, strength, and encouragement. To the moms of the world, we say thank you!

While we've got a long road ahead of us on the path to recovery, together, we will get through these difficult days. The strength and resolve of the American spirit will get us through these crises -- which shines brightly in the #CombatCOVID19Challenge, a social media challenge I launched with Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. To learn more about the challenge and how you can get involved click here.

Keep Texas Strong,

Source