Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accepted a proposal on Twitter that would fundamentally change the way laws are passed in the country.
Pitched by a Twitter user who specifically named Cruz and fellow Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the proposal stated “if both senators from any individual state” votes against a bill then “that state shouldn’t receive any benefit when said bill passes.”
Cruz responded: “I accept.”
The Republican then added: “Same for taxes & job-killing regs, right? If both GOP senators vote against them, they only apply to blue states?”
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Such a proposal would drastically change the way legislators approach the lawmaking process and is not likely to ever materialize, but it did not stop people from discussing its implications.
Some users touted Texas’ budget surplus, contrasting it with California’s interminable spending, while others called for more accountability and suggested lawmakers should only take credit for the benefits of a bill if they voted for it.
The initial tweet was prompted after a Twitter user pointed out that Cruz and Cornyn both voted against a $1 trillion infrastructure package that passed the U.S. Senate and was signed into law in 2021 – a law that provided billions to Texas.
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All Democrats in the Senate supported the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which a White House fact sheet described as “the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century.”
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and 18 other Republicans also supported it, which passed 69-30. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., did not vote.
According to the fact sheet, Texas will receive at least $26.9 billion for federal-aid highway roads, $537 million for bridge replacement and repairs, $3.3 billion to improve public transportation, $408 million to expand an electric vehicle charging network and $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state.
While Cruz praised the bill’s merits, he criticized its price tag and called the spending “reckless” and “unprecedented.”
“This is reckless. And it’s unprecedented. … This is a trap,” he said in the Senate on Aug. 5, 2021, the Texas Tribune reported at the time. “Listen, for Democrats it’s what they campaigned on. If you’re a Democrat, you want to raise taxes and raise spending. You want more debt from China. That’s what Democrats do.”
Cornyn agreed with Cruz’s remarks.
“There’s no doubt the nation’s transportation and digital infrastructure need improvements, and Texas stands to benefit once this bill becomes law… [but] it isn’t paid for, will add too much to the debt, and was rushed through the Senate in a week’s time without adequate debate or input,” Cornyn said that same month.
President Biden signed the infrastructure package into law on November 15, 2021.
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