As soon as the Senate finishes the impeachment process, we can get back to
growing our list of legislative wins
As soon as the Senate finishes the impeachment process, we can get back to
growing our list of legislative wins
By: Senator John Cornyn
[Originally published in the Dallas Morning News
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.]

With the first partisan impeachment vote since the Civil War complete, the
spotlight will now shift to the U.S. Senate. Taking part in an impeachment
trial is a solemn responsibility, and one I take extraordinarily seriously. But
beneath the never-ending stream of headlines about impeachment, it’s been easy
to miss the stories about everything else happening in Washington. This was a
busy year, and together, we’ve notched a lot of wins for Texas.

Last week, Congress passed two major pieces of legislation to strengthen
America’s military. The defense funding bill will provide a nearly $20 billion
increase over last year’s funding levels, 98 new F-35 aircraft, which will be
built by Texans in Fort Worth, and the largest pay raise in a decade for our
troops.

This bill complements the National Defense Authorization Act, which invests
in military modernization, and fully funds the B-21 bomber program for future
deployment out of Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene. It also approved funds for
military construction projects at Corpus Christi Army Depot, Fort Hood, Camp
Swift, and Joint Base San Antonio, totaling $400 million.

Beyond the investment in our troops, this legislation also includes a number
of bills I introduced to improve the quality of life for our service members
and veterans.

I’ve heard from active duty soldiers who thought the absentee voting process
was too complicated, so they weren’t able to vote. This defense spending bill
included a provision I introduced to simplify the process so we can remove the
barriers preventing men and women in uniform from casting a ballot.

I’ve also talked with Texas veterans who have fallen on hard times, and had
to fight for their VA and Department of Defense disability benefits in
bankruptcy proceedings, because unlike Social Security disability benefits,
they aren’t exempted. This legislation righted that wrong too. No veteran
should be penalized for receiving the disability compensation they are rightly
due.

On top of the gains for our military, I’ve been proud to help corral a long
list of wins for Texas.

It’s been more than two years since Hurricane Harvey, and folks continue to
rebuild and prepare for future disasters. Sadly, some of the federal funding
has gotten tangled in the Washington bureaucracy. In February 2018, Congress
approved more than $4 billion for disaster mitigation in Texas, but after more
than a year, folks at home still hadn’t seen a dime. This summer, Congress
passed a provision I introduced requiring the Office of Management and Budget
to send those, and any future funds approved by Congress, within 90 days.
Earlier this year, we also approved $4.6 billion to support communities
nationwide recovering from natural disasters, including those in Texas.

Another challenge we’ve faced over this past year is the humanitarian crisis
at the border, which hit its peak in May. Communities throughout the state were
quick to lend a hand, and help do a job that should be the responsibility of
the federal government. I helped secure $30 million for local governments,
states and charitable organizations to receive reimbursements for their work in
response to this crisis, and nearly 40 percent of the initial funding went to
Texas.

This week the House also passed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA,
which replaces NAFTA and modernizes trade with Mexico and Canada. Once the
Senate completes the impeachment process, this will be the first item on our
to-do list. I’ve been working with the Trump Administration to ensure this
agreement benefits Texas, and I secured funding for the North American
Development Bank, which will provide $215 million to improve infrastructure in
our border communities.

On top of all this, we’ve grown the number of well-qualified federal judges
confirmed under President Donald Trump to 185, including 20 outstanding Texans.
We’ve taken steps to secure American’s voting systems ahead of the 2020
election. We strengthened our fight to end the rape kit backlog, passed a
landmark bill to fund autism research, and made the most significant reforms to
the IRS in two decades.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done in Washington this year on behalf of Texans,
and as soon as the Senate has concluded its role in the impeachment process,
I’m eager to keep our list of accomplishments growing.
 









 


 
 

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