John Cornyn: “today is Texas Independence Day--a day that inspires pride and gratitude in the hearts of all 28 million Texans. Before…”

“today is Texas Independence Day--a day that inspires pride and gratitude in the hearts of all 28 million Texans. Before I came to the floor, I asked the Presiding Officer, who hails from the great State of Alaska, to remind me--and he did--that Alaska is 2\1/2\ times the size of Texas in terms of landmass, not in terms of population. But today commemorates the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence, when Texas declared itself a republic and independent from the Nation of Mexico. Here in the Senate, we remember the sacrifice of those who came before us and laid the foundation for our State by reading a letter written by William Barret Travis, a defender of the Alamo. That tradition goes back to 1961, when then-Senator John Tower started that tradition. I am told my colleague Senator Cruz will read that letter in full later today, perhaps around 12:30, carrying on this great tradition. So today I wish to express my gratitude for these Texas patriots, many of whom would later serve in the U.S. Congress, including Sam Houston, whose Senate seat I am honored to now occupy. Sam Houston came from his farm outside Huntsville, TX, in 1846. It took him about 3 weeks to get to Washington, DC. Of course, he didn't have a modern mode of transportation, but I always marvel at the fact that it now takes me about 3 hours to get home, where it took old Sam 3 weeks just to make a one-way trip. U.S.-Mexico Border Mr.…”