{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sen-cruz-receives-award-from-blind-american-veterans-foundation", "Sen. Cruz Receives Award from Blind American Veterans Foundation", "2022-09-29", "2022", "2022-09", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", "cruz", "https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, the Blind American Veterans Foundation awarded U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) the George \u201cBuck\u201d Gillispie Congressional Award for his efforts on behalf of veterans and sensory disabled veterans. It is named in honor of \u201cBuck\u201d Gillispie, a pioneer in the field of blind rehabilitation.\n\nAbout the award, Sen. Cruz said:\n\n\u201cIn my home state of Texas, we have 15 military bases, and veterans comprise seven percent of the Texas population of 30 million people. In the Senate, I take very seriously my responsibility to make sure our veterans and our active duty military are supported and have what they need to thrive. I think it\u2019s one of our most important responsibilities to honor and support the brave men and women who wear our nation\u2019s uniform while they are serving and when they come home.\u201d\n\nAbout Sen. Cruz, the BAVF said:\n\n\u201cThank You Senator for years of hard work and dedication for all Americans especially those who sacrifice so much for our nation. With someone like you actively in their corner our blind and visually impaired veterans have a fighting chance to achieve independent accessibility in the country they sacrificed so much for.\u201d\n\nView pictures of Sen. Cruz with BAVF leadership here.\n\nSen. Cruz is a tireless leader in supporting Texas military and veterans communities.\n\nHe led the fight to address long wait times for veterans, successfully passing an amendment requiring the VA Secretary to provide Congress with a plan to address the long wait times for veterans seeking health care at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.\n\nIn 2018, he introduced the Veterans, Employees, and Taxpayers (VET) Protection Act of 2017, to ensure union activity does not undermine the service and care of our veterans and is not subsidized by taxpayers.\n\nIn 2021, he introduced the VA AID Act to streamline U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs claims processing and ensure the appropriate benefits are sent to eligible low-income, senior veterans in a timely manner.\n\nEarlier this month, Sen. Cruz introduced bipartisan legislation to reduce the burden faced by members of the U.S. Armed Forces and veterans seeking to transition to careers as Merchant Mariners.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T03:08:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sen-cruz-receives-award-from-blind-american-veterans-foundation"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3718099799007177, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}