Senator Ted Cruz on the Take It Down Act and Universal School Choice

The Take It Down Act

• 🛡️ The Take It Down Act, co-sponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar, aims to combat online predators and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, including deep fakes.
• 🚨 The legislation was inspired by the experience of Elliston Barry, a Texas teenager targeted by a deep fake created from a social media photo.
• ⚖️ The law establishes a federal crime for posting non-consensual intimate images and mandates that tech platforms remove such content upon notification.
• ⏱️ Previously, victims faced significant hurdles in getting harmful content removed, as exemplified by Elliston's mother's nine-month struggle with Snapchat.
• 🎯 Over 90% of deep fake victims are women and teenage girls, highlighting the bill's focus on protecting vulnerable populations.

Universal School Choice Legislation

• 🏫 Senator Cruz is a proponent of the Universal School Choice Act, which he has championed for six years.
• 💰 The bill proposes a federal tax credit for individuals and corporations contributing to scholarship-granting organizations, injecting an estimated $10 billion annually into scholarships.
• 🌟 School choice is framed as the civil rights issue of the 21st century, ensuring all children have access to excellent education regardless of their background or zip code.
• 📈 Evidence from other jurisdictions shows that school choice leads to improved test scores, higher graduation rates, and increased college admissions.
• 🏫 A key benefit of school choice is fostering competition that drives public schools to improve their quality and safety.

Senator Cruz's Role in Texas School Choice

• 🗳️ Senator Cruz actively supported the recent school choice legislation passed in Texas, spending six years campaigning and influencing state-level politics.
• 📊 He meticulously tracks legislators' votes on school choice and endorses candidates who support it, often providing financial backing for their campaigns.
• 🗣️ Cruz personally engaged with Texas legislators, visiting Austin and lobbying members on the House floor to secure votes for the bill.
• 💰 He invested $4 million in online ads to support Republican freshmen who backed school choice, countering opposition from teachers' unions.
• ✅ This federal legislation is intended to supplement Texas's already passed school choice plan, which Cruz considers historic.