Ted Cruz teamed up with fellow senators owned by the airline industry to try to block Biden's pro-consumer plan for automatic refunds on canceled flights.
From Rolling Stone:
Last week, The Lever reported that Cruz, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) — who have all been bankrolled by the airline industry — introduced a new Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization deal that would require customers to send a "written or electronic request" in order to receive a full refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight
Appearing on CNBC to defend his benefactors in the airline industry, Cruz tried to make the case that consumers love it when billion-dollar corporations hold onto their money for services not rendered.
"Most consumers, if a flight is canceled, don't want an immediate refund, they want to book a new flight," he said. "Almost all conservatives say, okay, put me on the next flight, and the rule saying no, you gotta give the money back automatically, no matter what the customer wants, that's frankly a dumb idea."
The Lever reports that Grandpa Munster received $59,375 in airline industry campaign donations for the 2024 election cycle. In other words, Cruz has no problem making life miserable for millions of airline travelers for what amounts to pocket change for him.
Meanwhile, reports show airlines are hoarding billions in unused flight credits from consumers.
