Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, attacked a clause in the Senate’s proposed border security agreement that would bar states from suing the Biden administration in state courts for law-related infractions.
After months of discussions, the Senate on Sunday released a bipartisan $118 billion border security bill that would also aid Israel and Ukraine.
The bill is “dead on arrival” in the House, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, and numerous other Republicans have attacked other parts of the program.
Cruz attacked the measure for centralizing authority in the nation’s capital by granting the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia “sole and original jurisdiction to hear challenges” pertaining to its content.
“This means that the State of Texas wouldn’t be able to sue the Biden administration in Texas for violating the provisions of the proposed law — something the State has done effectively for over three years now,” Cruz stated to Newsweek.
Rather than that, these cases would have to go to Washington, where Texas is nearly guaranteed to lose because of the overwhelming number of liberal judges there. The Biden administration is obviously tired of losing in Texas district courts and the Fifth Circuit, which is why this is intentional.”
“Shall have sole and original jurisdiction to hear challenges, whether constitutional or otherwise, to the validity of this section or any written policy directive, written policy guideline, written procedure, or the implementation thereof, issued by or under the authority of the Secretary to implement this section,” according to the Emergency National Security Supplemental Bill.
The provision was the subject of a Newsweek piece that Texas governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, shared on X on Monday. He commented, “This is unacceptable.”
Cruz stated, “It is clear that there is no path for this bill to pass,” in agreement with other Republicans.
“The Speaker of the House has been unequivocal that the Senate bill is dead on arrival in the House,” Cruz stated. “So I asked my colleagues why on Earth would they be pushing a bill that divides the Republican conference, that unites all the Senate Democrats, and has zero chance of ever passing into law?”
Along with other conservative senators, Cruz declared that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, ought to resign.
“Everyone here also supported a leadership challenge to Mitch McConnell in November,” Cruz stated. “I think a Republican leader should actually lead this conference and should advance the priorities of Republicans.”