Senator Ted Cruz

There's been a fair amount of press coverage saying, oh, Cruz is critical of the Trump tariffs. Let me be very clear. I think Trump has an opportunity to do something that no other president in our lifetimes has done, which is to have real leverage to finally get our trading partners to lower the barriers they have to U.S. goods and services.

There's been a fair amount of press coverage saying, oh, Cruz is critical of the Trump tariffs. Let me be very clear. I think Trump has an opportunity to do something that no other president in our lifetimes has done, which is to have real leverage to finally get our trading partners to lower the barriers they have to U.S. goods and services.

President Trump is exactly right that there are lots of countries across this globe that trade ridiculously unfairly with us. that we opened up our market wide open to them, and they put huge barriers that stop us from selling our goods and services in their country. And listen, it's not complicated what President Trump's negotiating strategy is.

President Trump is exactly right that there are lots of countries across this globe that trade ridiculously unfairly with us. that we opened up our market wide open to them, and they put huge barriers that stop us from selling our goods and services in their country. And listen, it's not complicated what President Trump's negotiating strategy is.

President Trump is exactly right that there are lots of countries across this globe that trade ridiculously unfairly with us. that we opened up our market wide open to them, and they put huge barriers that stop us from selling our goods and services in their country. And listen, it's not complicated what President Trump's negotiating strategy is.

He often will walk up, smack someone in the head but with a two by four, and then negotiate from there. And with the tariffs he's announced, he's done the smack. Now, what I've been urging him to do is cut the deals. Come and cut the deals. get the other countries to dramatically lower their barriers.

He often will walk up, smack someone in the head but with a two by four, and then negotiate from there. And with the tariffs he's announced, he's done the smack. Now, what I've been urging him to do is cut the deals. Come and cut the deals. get the other countries to dramatically lower their barriers.

He often will walk up, smack someone in the head but with a two by four, and then negotiate from there. And with the tariffs he's announced, he's done the smack. Now, what I've been urging him to do is cut the deals. Come and cut the deals. get the other countries to dramatically lower their barriers.

And I will say it will be a rich irony if Donald J. Trump ends up being the greatest free trade president of our lifetimes. But I think that's entirely possible if he ends up negotiating some phenomenal deals. I hope that's the path we go down.

And I will say it will be a rich irony if Donald J. Trump ends up being the greatest free trade president of our lifetimes. But I think that's entirely possible if he ends up negotiating some phenomenal deals. I hope that's the path we go down.

And I will say it will be a rich irony if Donald J. Trump ends up being the greatest free trade president of our lifetimes. But I think that's entirely possible if he ends up negotiating some phenomenal deals. I hope that's the path we go down.

Look, I think we will see significant spending cuts. How broad they are, I don't know. I do think too much has been given to the level in the budget resolution of the House versus the Senate. I think at the end of the day, what matters is what's actually in the reconciliation package that passes.

Look, I think we will see significant spending cuts. How broad they are, I don't know. I do think too much has been given to the level in the budget resolution of the House versus the Senate. I think at the end of the day, what matters is what's actually in the reconciliation package that passes.

Look, I think we will see significant spending cuts. How broad they are, I don't know. I do think too much has been given to the level in the budget resolution of the House versus the Senate. I think at the end of the day, what matters is what's actually in the reconciliation package that passes.

I can tell you in the Senate, there are a number of us who are arguing that we've got to rein back from the massive excesses that COVID that the COVID pandemic became an excuse to increase federal spending by about 40%. It was a massive spending binge and Washington being Washington, when the pandemic was over, the spending didn't stop. And what we're doing, I think is irresponsible.

I can tell you in the Senate, there are a number of us who are arguing that we've got to rein back from the massive excesses that COVID that the COVID pandemic became an excuse to increase federal spending by about 40%. It was a massive spending binge and Washington being Washington, when the pandemic was over, the spending didn't stop. And what we're doing, I think is irresponsible.

I can tell you in the Senate, there are a number of us who are arguing that we've got to rein back from the massive excesses that COVID that the COVID pandemic became an excuse to increase federal spending by about 40%. It was a massive spending binge and Washington being Washington, when the pandemic was over, the spending didn't stop. And what we're doing, I think is irresponsible.

I think we need to see real leadership reining it in. I think we're seeing the president, in particular Elon Musk and Doge, showing real leadership saying, hey, we can rein back a lot of this waste, fraud, and abuse. But where it falls exactly, it's going to come down committee by committee in the Senate and House. And so we'll see. I'm going to be pressing a number of us for doing more.

I think we need to see real leadership reining it in. I think we're seeing the president, in particular Elon Musk and Doge, showing real leadership saying, hey, we can rein back a lot of this waste, fraud, and abuse. But where it falls exactly, it's going to come down committee by committee in the Senate and House. And so we'll see. I'm going to be pressing a number of us for doing more.

I think we need to see real leadership reining it in. I think we're seeing the president, in particular Elon Musk and Doge, showing real leadership saying, hey, we can rein back a lot of this waste, fraud, and abuse. But where it falls exactly, it's going to come down committee by committee in the Senate and House. And so we'll see. I'm going to be pressing a number of us for doing more.