Sen. Cornyn Delivers Transportation Update At West Texas Legislative Summit

Press Release

Sen. Cornyn Delivers Transportation Update At West Texas Legislative Summit

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today delivered a transportation update at the 5th Annual West Texas Legislative Summit. More than 300 individuals from across West Texas were in attendance, including Mayor J.W. Lown, TxDOT Commissioner Fred Underwood, state and local officials, and members of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce. This year's theme was "Transportation in West Texas: The Challenges and the Opportunities."

"I was honored to participate in this year's West Texas Legislative Summit. It was a great opportunity to hear from community and business leaders who are at the helm of exciting initiatives across West Texas to bring growth to the region. On my part, I updated them on a few of my top priorities in the Senate, including keeping taxes low for West Texas families and small businesses, along with encouraging free trade to generate economic growth and create more jobs in West Texas.

"I also discussed my support for various transportation initiatives like the Ports-to-Plains and La Entrada Al Pacifico corridors. These projects have the potential to pave the way for greater trade opportunities for Texas businesses by providing direct, well maintained, and easily accessible highways for transporting goods. With more than 80,000 miles of federal and state roadways, our surface transportation system is the engine of our state's economy, and the key to ensuring that all Texans continue to enjoy a high quality of life," Sen. Cornyn said.

"I will continue to stay in close contact with Mayor Lown and other local leaders to ensure the priorities of San Angelo and other West Texas communities are being addressed on the federal level."

Background:

Sen. Cornyn, a member of the President's Export Council, has been urging Democrat Congressional leaders to end obstruction of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which would boost Texas job opportunities and bolster America's national security. Last year, Texas led the nation in exports to Colombia. This agreement will remove unfair tariffs and allow Texas manufacturers to sell even more goods to this large and growing market.

Sen. Cornyn has supported several rounds of across-the-board tax relief for Texas families and small businesses. These tax cuts have translated into real, meaningful savings for millions of Texas taxpayers, but they are in jeopardy of expiring under current Democrat leadership. Sen. Cornyn will continue to push to eliminate the death tax and make permanent the deduction for state and local sales tax along with the $1,000 child tax credit.