• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Candidate visit: Cruz vows to repeal ‘Obamacare,’ calls for abolishing IRS

Posted at 3:15 am December 27, 2015
By John Huotari 4 Comments

Ted-Cruz-Sign-Farragut-High-Dec-23-2015

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, a Texas senator, vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, commonly called “Obamacare,” and he also called for abolishing the Internal Revenue Service during a stop at Farragut High School on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 1 p.m.

FARRAGUT—Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” and he also called for abolishing the Internal Revenue Service during a stop at Farragut High School on Tuesday.

Cruz spoke for about 30 minutes in the Farragut High gym before a standing-room-only crowd of roughly 2,000 people, who helped him celebrate his 45th birthday with a birthday song and cake. The East Tennessee rally was held a little more than two months before the March 1 “SEC primary.”

A first-term Texas senator, Cruz said he plans to rescind every unconstitutional executive order, ask the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Planned Parenthood, end the persecution of religious liberties, and “rip to shreds” the Iranian nuclear deal, which he called “catastrophic.”

Cruz also said the U.S. Department of Education should be abolished, and welfare benefits should end for people who are in the country illegally. He pledged to protect the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, called for killing the Environmental Protection Agency, and jokingly compared regulators to locusts, with a difference being that pesticides can be used to control locusts.

He said he would make health care affordable and portable but keep government out of it.

“We will repeal every word of Obamacare,” Cruz said.

If he is president, Cruz said, “We will utterly destroy ISIS,” the terrorist group that controls parts of Iraq and Syria and has inspired attacks overseas, including in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

“We will defeat radical Islam,” Cruz said.

He said he would move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Cruz also said his administration would pass a single flat tax.

“When we do that, we should abolish the IRS,” he said. Then, he suggested the 90,000 IRS employees could be put to work in another cause, helping to control the United States-Mexican border.

“We need to padlock that door (IRS offices), take all 90,000, and put them down on the southern border,” Cruz said.

He said a nuclear Iran is the single greatest threat to the United States.

Speaking to residents at the Farragut gym, Cruz said Tennessee can help ensure the next president is a “real, proven conservative.”

He paraphrased from the New York Times, saying the newspaper said he couldn’t win after he announced his campaign because the establishment despises him. But Cruz doesn’t seem bothered by the possibility that “the establishment” might not like him.

“I thought that was the whole point,” Cruz said, echoing a line that’s also shown up in a video ad created by a super PAC supporting him.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Cruz is one of the most disliked men in Washington among his fellow senators, including Republicans. But the newspaper said Cruz relishes his reputation as the bad boy of the Senate, where he has “dragged his party into a government-shuttering budget fight and defied party leaders ever since arriving on Capitol Hill in 2013.” He has also accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, of lying about a legislative matter.

There appears to be more disdain for the political establishment among the GOP electorate this campaign season, and that seems to have helped so-called outsider or anti-establishment candidates like Cruz, Donald Trump, and, briefly, Ben Carson. But some well-known Republicans such as former Senator Bob Dole, the GOP’s 1996 presidential nominee, have expressed reluctance to support or vote for Cruz, and Senator John McCain, the 2008 GOP candidate, called Cruz and his allies “wacko birds” in 2013.

There was none of that sentiment at the campaign rally in Farragut on Tuesday, when Cruz said, borrowing a phrase once used by former President Ronald Reagan to describe the United States, “If we stand as one, as we the people, we can restore that shining city on the hill that is America.”

Three people who attended the speech said they liked what Cruz said, agreed with him, or they praised him for what they consider his truthfulness and constitutional principles.

“God bless a man who speaks the truth and upholds the Constitution of the United States,” said Bryan Davis of Farragut. “That’s Ted Cruz.”

“I thought it was great,” said Betsy Grace, an Oak Ridge resident. “Everything I heard I agreed with.”

She used to think Cruz was “a troublemaker,” Grace said, until she read his book.

One woman who asked not to be identified because she is a school system employee called Cruz a religious man who has a vision for the country.

Cruz is among a number of Republican candidates who have visited East Tennessee. Others include Carson, Trump, Jeb Bush, and John Kasich. Trump was reported to have more than twice as many people at his rally—more than 5,000—as Cruz did at his.

Cruz still trails Trump in national polls, but he leads in some polls in Iowa, where voting for party nominees starts with the February 1 caucuses, followed by the New Hampshire primaries on February 9.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Ted-Cruz-Crowd-Farragut-High-1-Dec-23-2015

An estimated crowd of about 2,000 people fills most of the Farragut High School gym during a presidential campaign rally for Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Ted-Cruz-Farragut-High-Crowd-2-Dec-23-2015

An estimated crowd of about 2,000 people fills most of the Farragut High School gym during a presidential campaign rally for Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Ted-Cruz-Farragut-High-3-Dec-23-2015

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, a Texas senator, said he would seek an investigation of Planned Parenthood and pass a single flat tax, and he advocated for abolishing the U.S. Department of Education during a campaign rally at Farragut High School on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Ted-Cruz-Oak-Ridge-Supporter-Dec-23-2015

Betsy Grace of Oak Ridge said she agreed with everything she heard at the Ted Cruz presidential campaign rally at Farragut High School on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Affordable Care Act, Ben Carson, Betsy Grace, Bob Dole, Bryan Davis, Donald Trump, Environmental Protection Agency, Farragut High School, Internal Revenue Service, Iranian nuclear deal, IRS, ISIS, Jeb Bush, John Kasich, John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, Republican presidential candidate, Ronald Reagan, SEC primary, Ted Cruz, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice, Wall Street Journal

Comments

  1. Jay Hood says

    December 27, 2015 at 10:08 am

    WOOHOO!!!!! GO TED!!!!

    Reply
  2. Joseph Lee says

    December 28, 2015 at 10:18 am

    The Affordable Care Act is here to stay.
    Thank you Mr. President. Get over it Ted. Move on.
    Fifty plus votes to repeal and the ACA is stronger than ever.

    Reply
  3. Pamela Read Arnone says

    January 6, 2016 at 1:25 am

    Like CRUZ for VP/We NEED “TOUGH TRUMP” TO HANDLE THE COMING DISASTER 2016!
    If you are smart you will VOTE for TRUMP even if you DO NOT like him! It’s about the future of America…………………. We Can’t mess around anymore! I think it’s unfair that My home STATE of California/Left due to invasion of ILLEGALS! And my home now/WA State don’t get a say about the VOTE! I hope they change the voting system some day/IT SUCKS! The reason I never voted in the past! Hope the people of Iowa use there HEADS!
    California is NOW MEXICO………MINORITY WHITE AMERICANS! If Trump doesn’t WIN soon the whole Country will be MEXICO and we will ALL end up in THIRD WORLD COUNTRY!
    UNFORGIVEABLE THAT such a BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY!

    Reply
    • Joseph Lee says

      January 6, 2016 at 10:11 am

      Ms. Arnone, “I never voted in the past.” There is your problem. That’s unforgivable.
      You should not expect to get more out of something than you are willing to put in it.
      Good luck with all the fear mongering and dribble. The future of this great nation will not be handed off to the birther club. Thank you.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Government News

Election is Thursday

The Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections are Thursday. Competitive races include the Democratic and Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, Republican primary for Tennessee House of … [Read More...]

Kairos Power begins construction on demonstration reactor​

Kairos Power has started construction on a test nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge. The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor is the first of its type to be approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory … [Read More...]

County law director dies at 65

Anderson County Law Director Nicholas “Jay” Yeager, of Clinton, died Friday. He was 65. Yeager was assistant attorney in Anderson County from 2001 to 2006, and he has been law director since then. "Mr. Yeager was … [Read More...]

Outdoor Pool to close for season Aug. 12

Indoor Pool to re-open Monday The Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool will closed for the season on Monday, August 12, and the Indoor Pool will re-open Monday, July 29, after being closed for a few months for renovations. The … [Read More...]

Tennis court dances recreate wartime event

Monthly dances by the Manhattan Project National Historical Park recreate the open-air tennis court dances that entertained 75,000 workers and their families in the Secret City during World War II. "Put on your … [Read More...]

More Government

Recent Posts

  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday

Search Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today