Essay: U.S House Representatives and Senators

U.S House Representatives and Senators
In our nation today, we tend to overlook the importance of representatives and senators who serve our country. We may know the names of our senators, but do we know what they actually do for us behind the scenes? Their contribution to the people of Texas should be acknowledged. These important figures include senators John Cornyn, Ted Cruz and representative Pete Olson.
John Cornyn is an American Republican Senator representing the state of Texas. He attended St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1974, earning his Juris Doctor Degree in 1977. Soon after, he got married to Sally Hansen in 1979, and had two daughters. He identifies himself as a non-denominational Christian. John Cornyn began his early career as a Texas District Judge in 1985, where he subsequently ran for a seat on the Texas Supreme Court in 1991. He gained attention as a successful reformer. Eight years later, he rose up the ranks to a Texas Attorney General; a position that issues legal representation to more than 300 state agencies. In 2002, John Cornyn was elected as a member of the U.S Senator of Texas, succeeding Senator Phil Gramm. He has performed his duties as a Senator for sixteen years, and continues to do so. While on public service, Cornyn received numerous awards such as the 2005 Border Texan of the Year Award, the Fighter for Free Enterprise Award, the International Leadership Legislative Award from the Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce as well as many others. He works in a plethora of committees as well; Senate Committee on Finance, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, as well as Senate Select Committee on intelligence. John Cornyn has so far proven to be a promising senator. He has introduced a bill to reduce taxes on sales tax, tax penalty on marriage as well as permanently repeal the death tax. He has also introduced a bill that passed, ensuring the use of the Texas public-private partnership, which will help wounded soldiers who have fought tirelessly for the safety of our country. Cornyn has also introduced plans to regulate our tax code and economy. I am glad that John Conryn is doing his best as a Senator and doing everything in his power to ensure the wellness of Texas.
Ted Cruz is the second Senator representing the state of Texas. He belongs to the Republican Party and is forty-seven years old. During his teens, Senator Cruz entered Princeton University and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy. Later, he attended Harvard Law School and graduated in 1995 with a Juris Doctor degree. When Ted Cruz began his legal career, he worked in a private practice firm beginning in 1997. Eventually, Cruz worked as a domestic policy advisor when he joined the George W. Bush presidential campaign. Afterwards, he was appointed to the office of Solicitor General of Texas and served in that position for 5 years. After 4 years of service, Senator Cruz was elected as the U.S Senator of Texas, alongside Senator John Cornyn. He has been working in the Senate for 5 years and is currently still serving. Cruz is involved in a multitude of committees which include, Committee on Armed Services, Committee on the Judiciary, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Committee on Rules and Administration as well as Special Committee on Aging. In my opinion, Cruz has not kept his promise of ensuring the best for Texas. When hurricane Harvey hit, Houston was in dire need of repair. Ted Cruz voted to oppose a bill that would have fixed reservoirs and used funds to restore neighborhoods during the hurricane. Cruz has also voted to oppose controlling fever ticks present in cattle, which countered the interests of farmers and ranchers. Moreover, Cruz was against funding for the opioid epidemic in addition to money for areas that are not well off. I feel that as a senator, Cruz should be voting for things that Texans are in favor of; things that would benefit us, rather than detriment us.
Pete Olson is a member of the U.S House of Representatives, representing the 22nd Congressional District of Texas. He is part of the republican party and is fifty-five years old. He attended Rice University in 1985, receiving a Bachelor of the Arts degree. In 1988, he received his law degree from the University of Texas. Following law school, Pete attended the Aviation Officer Candidate School and received his Wings of Gold in 1991. He flew in various missions and operations in the U.S Navy. In 1995, Pete was assigned to be a navy liaison officer to the U.S Senate. Senator Olson became a legislative aid to Texas senator Phil Gramm. In November 2008, Pete Olson was elected to be the representative of the 22nd district of Texas. He has been in that position for 10 years. He is involved in multiple committees, including the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Energy Subcommittee, Communications & Technology and Environment Subcommittees and many more. Pete Olson is committed to changing things in Texas for the betterment of the country. He passed the USA Freedom Act, which ended bulk collection of records that fall under the patriot act, the FISA pen register authority as well as national security letter statuses
To end with, I personally think that without these important figures working in the Senate and House of Representatives, our state would be in disarray. By having the senators and representatives vote or write new bills for the betterment of the people, the state can systematically come up with law decisions accordingly.