WASHINGTON 性视界传媒 U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is poised to take over as chairman of a Senate committee with jurisdiction over a wide swath of the U.S. economy, including telecommunications, aviation and space exploration.
Running the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation represents a chance to shift policy directions on major issues and could require an approach that runs contrary to the Texas Republican性视界传媒檚 reputation as an antiestablishment, conservative firebrand.
性视界传媒淚t has been an interesting journey from being a brand new freshman and, I don性视界传媒檛 think it性视界传媒檚 a stretch to say, a rabble-rouser and a passionate fighter for what I believe in, which I am still today,性视界传媒 Cruz said during a recent interview in his Capitol Hill office.
性视界传媒淏ut it is a different role when you are the chairman of a major committee in the Senate,性视界传媒 he said.
A 21-hour talkathon against the Affordable Care Act and the government shutdown that followed in 2013 helped make Cruz a tea party hero and set the stage for his unsuccessful 2016 presidential bid.
His national profile attracted the attention of Democrats who mounted aggressive, well-funded but unsuccessful challenges in the 2018 and 2024 elections. Cruz was reelected in November by a comfortable 9-point margin, and he性视界传媒檚 about to have more power than ever.
Being committee chair means having leverage over which bills live or die, allowing for the kind of horse trading Cruz openly embraces.
性视界传媒淚性视界传媒檓 very transparent, and I性视界传媒檓 very transactional,性视界传媒 Cruz said. 性视界传媒淚 don性视界传媒檛 get angry or emotional.性视界传媒
He pointed to his relationship with retiring Republican leader Mitch McConnell, saying they have disagreed fiercely over the past 12 years but work well together because he性视界传媒檚 been clear with McConnell about what is needed to earn his vote.
Cruz also said his willingness to rock the boat gives him an edge in negotiations.
性视界传媒淥ne of the advantages of building a reputation of being willing to blow the place up is nobody thinks I性视界传媒檓 bluffing,性视界传媒 he said.
Despite that reputation, Cruz said he will model his chairmanship on the bipartisan reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, a bill he helped guide across the finish line in May as the committee性视界传媒檚 top Republican.
During that process, some of his colleagues enjoyed ribbing Cruz over the times he had previously thrown sand in the legislative gears by demanding a wide-open process for offering amendments. They chuckled listening to Cruz implore them to drop requests for more changes to let the carefully crafted deal advance.
Cruz said the key was soliciting and incorporating about 200 amendments from other senators up front, before the bill moved to the Senate floor. A framed copy of the roll call sheet from that 88-4 vote hangs in his Capitol office.
性视界传媒淭he process of working with people in good faith and incorporating their concerns and the concerns of their constituents is part of what made that bill such a success, and I think that性视界传媒檚 very much going to be a model for how I性视界传媒檓 going to approach leading the Commerce Committee for the next two years,性视界传媒 Cruz said.
The quartet of votes against the FAA bill came from the Democrats representing Virginia and Maryland. The bill included a provision allowing more direct long-haul flights for Reagan National Airport, which raised concerns about the effect on airports in their states.
One of those direct flights is going to San Antonio, a yearslong goal Cruz said many thought couldn性视界传媒檛 be done.
Here are some items topping his priority list:
Spectrum and artificial intelligenceThe Federal Communications Commission性视界传媒檚 authority to auction off the nation性视界传媒檚 airwaves expired in March 2023, and legislation to restore that authority has stalled in Congress.
The airwaves, commonly referred to as spectrum, are used by smart phones and other connected devices.
Lawmakers from both parties agree more commercially available spectrum will be required to build networks that can handle the flood of coming innovations, such as self-driving cars.
They have differed over the details, including how to handle auction revenue, however. The Defense Department also uses large amounts of spectrum, which it will have to share to provide more commercial availability.
Opening up the amount of commercially available spectrum would unleash massive investment and job creation, including in Texas, Cruz said.
The issue pairs well with another Cruz goal: making the country a leader in artificial intelligence technology.
Cruz said former President Bill Clinton had the right idea when he took a light regulatory touch to the nascent internet in the 1990s. That allowed the American economy to thrive, while European countries taking a more heavy-handed approach saw slower growth, he said.
At a committee meeting over the summer, Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the current chair, went back and forth over how to best approach the future of AI.
Cantwell characterized U.S. success in the internet age as the result of a partnership between government regulators and the private sector, allowing progress in part thanks to clear rules and standards.
Some advocates warn about the dangers of AI if government regulators fail to hold it in check. Privacy concerns are among the top worries.
AI can be used for nefarious purposes such as fraud or terrorism, Cruz said, but existing laws often cover such activities. Instead of blanket regulations, he said he would rather see the government look for regulatory gaps, such as his bipartisan bill to address deepfake nudes.
性视界传媒淚f we adopt a European-style, prior-approval government regulation system, we will do to AI exactly what the EU did to the internet, which is smother innovation and ensure that the real innovation happens elsewhere,性视界传媒 Cruz said. 性视界传媒淚 think that would be catastrophic.性视界传媒
Oil and gas productionCruz has criticized Democrats for their approach to climate change and characterized concerns about a warming planet as overblown.
Asked about how he will approach climate change and energy, Cruz said the recent election represented a national mandate to secure the border and bring inflation under control, which means clearing the way for robust oil and gas production.
性视界传媒淚 want Texas to be energy dominant across the world, and producing abundant low-cost energy drives down inflation, not just when you fill your gas tank, but it drives down inflation of everything else,性视界传媒 Cruz said.
He said he wants to see more production of all forms of energy, noting Texas leads the country in wind production.
Space and aviationCruz said tens of thousands of Texas jobs depend on space programs, and he wants to pass a commercial space bill next year and a NASA authorization bill that could help the state.
The committee will oversee implementation for the just-passed FAA bill, which included provisions to boost the number of air traffic controllers and make infrastructure upgrades at airports.
Aviation is a significant economic driver for North Texas and the rest of the state.
The FAA bill created a new center focused on advanced aviation technologies. Cruz said he wrote the bill with the clear intention of locating the center in North Texas.
性视界传媒淭hat性视界传媒檚 the only place on planet Earth that meets the statutory requirements,性视界传媒 Cruz said. 性视界传媒淚 didn性视界传媒檛 write in the law that the location must have a football team called the Cowboys, but I thought about it.性视界传媒
College sportsCollege sports were upended by a 2021 Supreme Court decision allowing college players to profit from their name, image and likeness.
Cruz said the resulting changes have thrown college sports into crisis. He said he has tried in vain to focus the committee on the topic, but he will be in a stronger position to do so next year as chairman.
He released draft legislation in 2023 aimed at preserving the NCAA性视界传媒檚 authority while providing more legal certainty for everyone involved. Some members of Congress have called for giving student athletes the right to unionize.
Cruz has warned that having Congress take too much control would further muck up college sports and that taking steps such as making student athletes employees would hurt smaller schools and lower-profile sports.
性视界传媒淲here we are right now is the wild west with open bidding and the transfer portals and people moving back and forth,性视界传媒 Cruz said. 性视界传媒淲hat we性视界传媒檙e seeing is an enormous risk to the survival of many college athletic programs.性视界传媒
