As a member of the Republican Party, Ted Cruz is a United States Senator representing the state of Texas, and was a 2016 candidate for US President.
Cruz has been described as a movement conservative, a social conservative and a constitutional conservative with libertarian leanings.
Regarding economic policy, Cruz supports free trade; wishes to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and implement a single tax for all citizens; opposes a higher minimum wage; and supports downsizing the United States government. On domestic and social policy, Cruz is pro-life, against Obamacare, same-sex marriage, civil unions, legalization of marijuana, net neutrality, and immigration reform. He is in favor of the death penalty, the USA Freedom Act, school choice, and gun rights. Environmentally, Cruz is opposed to both the scientific consensus on climate change and the Water Resources Development Act. Finally, in regard to foreign policy, Cruz is "somewhere in between" Rand Paul's non-interventionist position and John McCain's active interventionism; Cruz opposes the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action against Iran, the United States–Cuban Thaw, and the Agenda 21 action plan with other countries.
Economic policy views Since being elected, Cruz has criticized the political and economic policies of the Barack Obama administration. Chiding fellow Republicans over their 2012 electoral losses, he stated that "Republicans are and should be the party of the 47 percent" and has also noted that the words "growth and opportunity" ought to be tattooed on every Republican's hand.
In February 2014, Cruz opposed an unconditional increase in the debt limit. He said that Republican politicians feared the truth and "wanted to be able to tell what they view as their foolish, gullible constituents back home they didn't do it."
Trade Cruz has been described by the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies as a "free trader" and as a "free-trade advocate" by The Wall Street Journal.Janet Hook, Ted Cruz Flips on Trade Bill on Eve of Key Senate Vote, Wall Street Journal (June 23, 2015). Cruz initially was a supporter of trade promotion ("fast track") authority to speed up approval of the controversial Trade Promotion Authority free trade agreement, writing a Wall Street Journal op-ed in support of the measure in April 2015 and voting in favor of it in the Senate the following month.Keely Herring, Ted Cruz changed position on Trade Promotion Authority, also called fast-track, Politifact (July 8, 2015). However, on the eve of a crucial Senate vote on fast track in June 2015, Cruz flipped positions and abandoned his previous support.
Cruz is an opponent of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, an agency that "provides relatively low-cost financing to foreign buyers of American products and services."J.D. Harrison, What a Ted Cruz White House could mean for businesses, Washington Post (March 23, 2015).
Taxes In 2013, Cruz proposed the abolition of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the implementation of a flat tax "where the average American can fill out taxes on a postcard." The Dallas Morning News reported that Cruz's proposal "was a bold prescription that meshes with Cruz's persona as a brash change agent. It drew cheers from a well-heeled Manhattan crowd. But as policy from a U.S. senator, it strikes liberal critics as demagoguery, and tax experts as half-baked."Todd J. Gillman, Ted Cruz launches effort to abolish IRS, but tax experts call him confused, Dallas Morning News (June 10, 2013).
During his 2016 presidential campaign, Cruz reiterated his call to "abolish the IRS and end its abuse of power and violation of Americans' constitutional rights." Cruz also proposed a flat tax at an unspecified level.Comparing the 2016 Presidential Tax Reform Proposals, Tax Foundation (accessed September 24, 2015). as well as the elimination of the estate tax.
Cruz opposes the Marketplace Fairness Act, saying that imposing an internet sales and use tax imposes a burdensome tax that will hurt competition by creating additional costs for internet-based businesses.
In April 2015, as a Republican presidential candidate, Cruz signed Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge.
Minimum wage Cruz is "adamantly opposed to a higher minimum wage."
In January 2015, Cruz opposed President Obama's plan to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, stating that he believes it would cause large-scale job loss.Julie Bykowicz, The Republican Approach to the Minimum Wage, Bloomberg News (January 26, 2015). When discussing whether or not to have a minimum wage in general, Cruz stated "I think the minimum wage consistently hurts the most vulnerable."
Scope of government Cruz wants to decrease the size of the government significantly. In addition to eliminating the IRS as described above, Cruz has promised to eliminate four other cabinet level agencies. Cruz proposes to eliminate the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Domestic and social policy Abortion and reproductive care Cruz is "strongly anti-abortion" and "would allow the procedure only when a pregnancy endangers the mother's life." He supports cutting federal funding to Planned Parenthood.Kapur, Sahil (September 23, 2015). Ted Cruz Threatens Weekend Session in Quest to Defund Planned Parenthood. Bloomberg. Retrieved: February 2, 2016. In January 2016, Cruz announced his "Pro-Lifers for Cruz" coalition, chaired by Tony Perkins; co-chairs include Troy Newman, who has previously stated that the government has a responsibility to execute abortion doctors "in order to expunge bloodguilt [sic] from the land and people."
Boycotts In 2019, Ted Cruz encouraged a boycott of Nike after the company removed the Betsy Ross flag from shoes (the flag had been criticized as glorifying slavery and racism).
In 2020, amid boycotting of Goya Foods by various Latino public figures including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Julian Castro, and Lin-Manuel Miranda for its praise of Trump, Cruz condemned the boycott and said they were an attempt to "silence free speech."
Capital punishment Cruz favors the death penalty. In his 2012 Senate campaign, Cruz frequently mentioned his role as counsel for the State of Texas in Medellín v. Texas, a 2008 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court found that Texas has the legal right to ignore an order from the International Court of Justice directing the U.S. to review the convictions and sentences of dozens of Mexican nationals on death row.Aman Bathe, Senate Candidate and Supreme Court Have a History, Texas Tribune (July 22, 2012). Cruz has referred to Medellín as the most important case of his tenure as Texas solicitor general.
In September 2015, after Pope Francis called for the global abolition of capital punishment in a speech before a joint session of Congress during a visit to the United States, Cruz said that he disagreed with the pope and Catholic teachings against the death penalty, telling Politico, "I believe the death penalty is a recognition of the preciousness of human life."Seung Min Kim, Cruz takes exception to pope on death penalty, Politico (September 24, 2015).
Civil liberties and electronic surveillance In 2015, Cruz voted in favor of the USA Freedom Act, which reauthorized the USA Patriot Act but reformed some of its provisions.Eitan Arom, Voter Views on USA Freedom Act Bode Well for Graham and Rubio, Not Cruz and Paul, Morning Consult (June 10, 2015).Ashley Killough, Ted Cruz knocks Rand Paul on NSA vote, CNN (April 2, 2015). Cruz's stance was in contrast with the stances of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination, including Senator Rand Paul (who voted against the act because it did not go far enough in curtailing NSA spying) and Marco Rubio (who voted against the Freedom Act because he favored reauthorization of the Patriot Act without any reform).
In 2014, Cruz expressed agreement with Democrats such as Senator Patrick Leahy that "the sweep of the surveillance has been far too broad with respect to law-abiding citizens." Cruz said Americans want to see "far greater scrutiny on bad guys, people that we have reason to suspect may be planning a terrorist attack" and "far more protection for law-abiding citizens."
In 2013, following the revelations of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, Cruz said: "If it is the case that the federal government is seizing millions of personal records about law-abiding citizens, and if it is the case that there are minimal restrictions on accessing or reviewing those records, then I think Mr. Snowden has done a considerable public service by bringing it to light. If Mr. Snowden has violated the laws of this country, there are consequences to violating laws and that is something he has publicly stated he understands and I think the law needs to be enforced."Charles P. Pierce, Ted Cruz Furrows The Old Brow, Esquire (June 12, 2013).
Cruz is opposed to the indefinite detention provision of the National Defense Authorization Act, stating that he believes "the Constitution does not allow President Obama, or any President, to apprehend an American citizen, arrested on U.S. soil, and detain these citizens indefinitely without a trial."
Disaster relief In 2013, Cruz voted against the bill to provide a package of federal aid to the East Coast for recovery from Hurricane Sandy. In 2015, in the wake of fatal flooding in Texas, he supported federal aid funding; in 2017, he called for federal intervention as Hurricane Harvey approached the coast of Texas.
Cruz has defended this, pointing to the approximately $9.8 billion in federal aid which Texas received from disaster relief bills following Hurricane Harvey and contrasting it with the $51 billion budget he opposed following Hurricane Sandy. The estimated cost of the damage resulting from Hurricane Harvey was almost twice that of Hurricane Sandy.
Education Cruz is a proponent of school choice and opposes the Common Core State Standards Initiative.Weigel, David, What Ted Cruz Talks About When He Talks About Common Core, Bloomberg. (March 19, 2015).
During his 2012 Senate campaign, Cruz called for the abolition of the U.S. Department of Education.Kelly Field, A higher-ed guide to four presidential contenders, Chronicle of Higher Education, Issue No. 363 (April 17, 2015). Cruz has not indicated what "steps he might take to lower the cost of college, or make student debt more manageable."
In March 2013, Cruz proposed an amendment to repeal the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, which "shifted loans from private banks to federal direct lending, lowered monthly payments for income-based repayment plans, and greatly expanded Pell Grants."Stephen Dash, Are Ted Cruz's Student Loan Views Pro-borrower?, Huffington Post (April 17, 2015). In 2014, Cruz voted to block the Student Emergency Loan Refinancing Act (a bill sponsored by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts) from a Senate floor vote.
Gun rights Cruz is a gun rights supporter. On March 25, 2013, an announcement was made by Cruz and U.S. Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee threatening to filibuster any legislation that would entail gun control, such as the Manchin-Toomey Amendment, which would require additional background checks on sales at gun shows. On April 17, 2013, Cruz voted against the Manchin-Toomey Amendment. Republicans successfully filibustered the amendment by a vote of 54–46, as 60 votes were needed for cloture.