Sen. Cruz (TX) on National Defense Authorization Act

Open Email to Sen. Cruz (Texas):

Dear Sen. Cruz,
Thank you for sending your form letter comments on the National Defense Authorization Act. For others reading this email, I have copied your form letter below.
I don't recall ever raising a question concerning this law, but since you bring it up, I comment as follows:
First of al, l this law covers everything from soup to nuts, which automatically makes it a bad law. It certainly should not be readdressed and reissued year after year. If we want to put some time limits and dollar amounts on military expenditures, it could likely be done much more directly and conveniently, without including all the "soups and nuts".
Of the multitude of items included in this silly law, you have chosen to fix on religious discrimination and chaplains, fight hard against moving Guantánamo Bay detainees to the US mainland, and opposing indefinite detention of US citizens.
These seem like good points, and I don't disagree with any of them. However, there are likely a number of others you could also take a stand on in this crazy omnibus law. Members of both houses of Congress know very little about the military, and it seems particularly silly for those members to impose various restrictions on military operations. To me, the main point is that Congress should authorize sufficient military funding to allow the military to do its job. This could easily be done by simple consultation between Congressional Subcommittees Chairmen and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hopefully, in those discussions the Congressional Chairmen will be wise enough to not try to impose a number of miscellaneous restrictions, some of which may be related to military operations but others more of a organizational or cultural matter. We don't need that. As you know, Sen. Cruz, government has too heavy a hand in all aspects of civilian and military life. It must be cut back.


Dear Arthur,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts regarding the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  Input from fellow Texans significantly informs my decision-making and empowers me to better represent the state. 

The National Defense Reauthorization Act (NDAA) for 2014 passed the Senate, 84-15, and was signed into law on December 26, 2013. I voted against the bill and am deeply concerned about the administration's ability to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens arrested on American soil without trial or due process. When I ran for office, I promised the people of Texas I would oppose any National Defense Authorization Act that did not explicitly prohibit the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens. Although this legislation does contain several positive provisions that I support, it does not ensure that our most basic rights as American citizens are protected.

I am pleased, however, that this year's NDAA includes several significant bipartisan provisions aimed at strengthening religious liberty, modernizing our military justice system, and protecting our troops. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I offered numerous amendments to the NDAA during its consideration. Two of my amendments, one requiring an independent investigation into religious discrimination against troops practicing their beliefs and one ensuring an anonymous survey of chaplains regarding threats to their faith and work, were adopted by the Committee and included in the final bill.  I supported the inclusion of language treating the Fort Hood terrorist attack as such, rather than "workplace violence," as well as language ensuring a State Department reward for help apprehending the Benghazi terrorists, though these provisions weren't included to the extent I preferred.  I also fought for measures to prevent Guantanamo Bay detainees from being transported to the United States and to protect domestic military bases from unnecessary closure, but, unfortunately, these were not included in the final legislation.  As we approach the 2015 reauthorization, I will continue to fight for these and other measures that keep our nation safe and basic rights secure.

Thank you 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.