Editor’s Note: This article is one of two opinion pieces on the Texas Senate race. An article arguing for Attorney General Paxton to replace Senator Cornyn can be found here.
According to the 2024 Report Card from GovTrack, a non-partisan online database that collects data on members of Congress and publishes metrics to evaluate members’ job performance, Senator Cornyn ranked highly in almost every metric, making him the top leader amongst Senate Republicans.
Bills Written
Senator Cornyn wrote the 2nd-most bills among all Senators, 118 in total, 19 of which became law. This translates to 16% of the bills that Cornyn introduced becoming law. Though this number may seem small, the number of bills that were enacted into law in the 118th Congress was about 1%. Additionally, the 19 bills that Cornyn wrote are a part of a total of 110 bills that Cornyn co-sponsored that were eventually enacted into law.
Bill Co-Sponsorships
Despite being one of the most conservative members (ranking 12th most conservative Senator during the 118th Congress) of the United States Senate, Senator Cornyn has sought to cultivate relationships with Democrats to pass meaningful legislation on crime & law enforcement, national security, justice, and health.
These metrics show that Senator Cornyn is the most effective Republican Senator in the United States. Cornyn draws on his two decades of experience and Senate connections to craft legislation that makes Americans — and, most importantly, Texans — safer and more prosperous.
Important Legislation Passed during the 118th Congress:
As Chair of the United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, Senator Cornyn has made tackling illicit drug trade flows into the United States a top priority with the passing of the Preventing the Financing of Illegal Synthetic Drugs Act and the DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024:
Preventing the Financing of Illegal Synthetic Drugs Act
This bill requires the “Comptroller General of the United States to carry out a study on the trafficking into the United States of synthetic drugs, and related illicit finance, and for other purposes.” The study that the bill intends to support is in response to the increased amount of drug overdose-related deaths over the years, particularly regarding fentanyl related deaths.
The study aims to provide greater details on the “illicit financing of illicit financing in connection with the trafficking of synthetic drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, fentanyl- and methamphetamine-related substances, captagon, and fentanyl and methamphetamine precursors in order to decrease drug-related deaths in the United States. “
DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024
This law requires the “Science and Technology Directorate in the Department of Homeland Security to develop greater capacity to detect, identify, and disrupt illicit substances in very low concentrations.”
Another important policy priority that Senator Cornyn undertook during the 118th Congress was ensuring the prevention of child sex abuse by supporting more robust education about child sex abuse in schools through the Jenna Quinn Law and by strengthening the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ability to prosecute child sex abuse cases through the Project Safe Childhood Act:
Jenna Quinn Law
The Jenna Quinn Law is a bill that amends “the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to provide for grants in support of training and education to teachers and other school employees, students, and the community about how to prevent, recognize, respond to, and report child sexual abuse among primary and secondary school students.”
The Jenna Quinn Law was first passed by the Texas State Senate in 2009 and reintroduced in the United States Senate in 2023 after being filed originally in 2017. The Law is named after Jenna Quinn, an outspoken advocate for survivors of child sexual abuse, and a survivor of sexual abuse herself.
Project Safe Childhood Act
This Project Safe Childhood Act expands on the original Project Safe Childhood Initiative launched by the DOJ in 2006, to incorporate more US Attorneys to handle cases relating to child sexual abuse.
Legislation during the 119th Congress
During this current Congress, Senator Cornyn has already introduced 83 pieces of legislation; 9 of which have passed the Senate and are awaiting approval by the House. One of the pieces of legislation signed into law by President Trump was the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge Act.
The act is named after Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl from Houston who was murdered by an illegal alien last year under the Biden Administration, renames the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge in Texas as the Jocelyn Nungaray National Wildlife Refuge in her honor.
It’s time to re-elect Cornyn
Senator Cornyn has been a highly effective Senator during his time in Congress. His work in the Senate last Congress, as well as his work this Congress with the legislation he has introduced this session, shows how he is committed to serving the state of Texas.
In addition to being a skilled legislator, Cornyn also holds powerful sway on important committees in the Senate including the Senate Committee on Finance where he chairs the subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness, the Senate Committee on Judiciary where he chairs the subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration, as well as the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Select Committee on Intelligence.
President Trump needs skilled legislators like Senator Cornyn who have experience passing complex conservative legislation with democratic support to help him pass his legislative agenda and get this country back on track. Senator Cornyn is the only candidate in the 2026 Senate race who has the capability and experience for the job.
All Texans should be proud to have a Senator who is dedicated to serving them and actually doing their job, unlike other candidates in this Senate Race who prioritize performance over delivering actual results for Texans.
If you want someone who gets results and has a proven track record of delivering for Texans, then Senator Cornyn is the man for the job and the person you want representing you in the United States Senate.
