Sen. Cornyn’s 2023 in Review

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement and background highlighting his office’s accomplishments in constituent services and his legislation signed into law in 2023:

“Whether we are helping veterans receive timely care or ensuring seniors receive their well-earned Social Security benefits, our office stands ready to help in any way we can,” said Sen. Cornyn. “It’s the honor of my lifetime to represent more than 30 million Texans in Washington, and I look forward to continue working on their behalf.”

Constituent Services By the Numbers:

Each year, Senator Cornyn and his team interact with hundreds of thousands of Texans by mail, through his website, in person, and over the phone, including those needing assistance interacting with federal agencies. In 2023, Senator Cornyn’s office hit the following milestones on behalf of Texans:

• Sent nearly 375,000 response letters to Texans
• Answered more than 30,200 constituent phone calls
• Helped almost 12,000 constituents with federal agencies
• Assisted more than 5,000 Texans needing passports during the historic backlog at the U.S. Department of State
• Set up more than 2,200 U.S. Capitol and White House tours for Texans visiting Washington, D.C.
• Flew 579 flags over the U.S. Capitol for Texans

Constituent Services:

Sen. Cornyn has a constituent services staff dedicated to helping Texans navigate the inner workings of the federal bureaucracy, including resolving issues with the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, and more. In 2023, Senator Cornyn’s office helped resolve nearly 12,000 cases with federal agencies on Texans’ behalf.

For example, Sen. Cornyn’s office was contacted by the family of a U.S. Army veteran who sustained injuries during the Invasion of Normandy in World War II but the required paperwork was never submitted for him to receive a Purple Heart. The constituent services team immediately reached out to the Army regarding this oversight. With the help of the Secretary of the Army, the award was approved. On his 99^th birthday, this World War II veteran was finally presented with his long-overdue Purple Heart, 79 years after D-Day.

Legislative Successes:

In 2023, Senator Cornyn authored five bills that were signed into law, and another nine of his bills were passed by the Senate and await action in the U.S. House of Representatives. More information on that legislation is available here. Last year, Sen. Cornyn was also named the most effective Republican Senator for the 117^th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking.

Bills sponsored by Sen. Cornyn that were enacted into law as standalone bills or as part of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) include:

• Securing American Acquisitions, Readiness, and Military Stockpiles (ARMS) Act: Gives the U.S. Department of Defense enhanced procurement authorities to quickly refill American defense stockpiles after the President provides aid to an ally or partner attacked by a foreign adversary.
• Sensible Classification Act: Increases accountability and oversight of the classification system, limits overclassification, and directs federal agencies to justify security clearance requirements.
• Cranes of Concern at our Ports (CCP) Act: Requires the federal government to evaluate threats to U.S. ports posed by cranes manufactured in countries of concern, especially those made by China’s Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company (ZPMC).
• Airport Infrastructure Resources (AIR) Security Act: Extends Sen. Cornyn’s legislation prohibiting federal airport improvement funds from being used to purchase passenger boarding bridges from companies that have violated intellectual property rights and threaten U.S. national security.
• Protecting Hunting Heritage and Education Act: Ensures students have access to educational enrichment programs and activities such as archery and hunting safety education under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.