U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, makes his way from the Paul Addington Command Conference Room to tour the Red River Army Depot after a closed door meeting with RRAD staff and local officials Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016.
Photo
by
Jerry Habraken
/ Texarkana Gazette.
Sen. Ted Cruz praised Red River Army Depot and local efforts to keep it open during a visit there Wednesday.
In comments to news media before a closed-door meeting with depot officials and local private sector leaders, Cruz, R-Texas, referred to the Base Realignment and Closure processes RRAD has endured.
"I know that this community has twice been through the BRAC process, and the men and women sitting around this table bear the scars from some of those battles, which were not exactly fun or pleasant. And because the community came together and made the case for the importance of the depot, it has been maintained and strengthened, and I want to thank you for that leadership," he said.
Cruz, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and its Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, which oversees RRAD and similar military facilities, touted legislation that prevents another BRAC round before the Department of Defense meets certain criteria.
"One of the things I was proud to get accomplished in my first year in the Senate is in the National Defense Authorization Act, I introduced legislation prohibiting another domestic BRAC until the military had assessed overseas installations first and looked as a first matter at reducing an overseas footprint before a BRAC that would impact domestic installations. And that was passed into law in 2013, and I was very glad to do that," he said.
Citing national security as one of his top priorities, Cruz called for renewed efforts to strengthen U.S. armed forces and said RRAD is an important element of military readiness.
"I think we need leadership in Washington to rebuild the military, to devote the assets and resources and time and energy and dollars to ensure that we keep this country safe. We can't keep asking the military to do more with less. That math doesn't work. And so that is something that I am fighting very hard in the Senate to try to do, to focus very directly on the threats facing this country and to combat them and keep us safe.
"And I will say Red River Army Depot does a vital role in ensuring readiness that we can do this, that we can keep our country safe from those who would do us harm. And I'm grateful for the work y'all do," he said.
Cruz is visiting Texas military installations while Congress is in recess through Sept. 5. RRAD invited him and other elected officials to its 75th Birthday Ball on Friday, but he cannot attend and proposed Wednesday's visit instead, RRAD Public Affairs Officer Adrienne Brown said Monday.