Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) joined Texas-based auto care industry CEOs for a meeting to discuss the critical issues facing the auto care industry and to share what Congress is doing to address them. Senator Cruz is a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which controls the fate of Right to Repair legislation in the United States Senate.

The CEOs participating in the roundtable were Mike Duffy, president and CEO, FleetPride, the nation’s largest independent heavy-duty parts distributor based in Irving, Texas; Eric Sills, CEO, Standard Motor Products, which has multiple manufacturing facilities in Texas; Donnie Carr, CEO, Christian Brothers Automotive, an award-winning repair shop franchise headquartered in Houston, Texas; and Jim Arnold, CEO, Arnold Oil, a fourth-generation family-owned business headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Access to Affordable Vehicle Repair

FleetPride’s Duffy asked Senator Cruz for his position on access to quality affordable motor vehicle repair and his perspective on vehicle owners still continuing to have that ability to get their vehicles repaired by independent repair shops.

Senator Cruz responded that he “strongly support[s] the right to repair your own vehicle, your own car, your own truck…and get whoever you want to repair it. That’s a fundamental question of individual liberty and individual property rights. But, it’s also a question of small businesses. We have so many small businesses that provide jobs and lower-cost repairs.” said Cruz. When it came to legislation supporting the right to repair, Senator Cruz stated that he needed to look more closely at the details within the legislation, but he was “happy to commit to working with [the industry] to address the issue in a way that makes sense and ensure that people have the right to make their own repair decisions.”

Supply Chain Disruptions

Standard Motor Products’ Sills shared with the senator that his business, like many in the industry, has been dealing with significant supply chain disruption.

Senator Cruz responded that, “the supply chain crisis is real, and it’s putting real consequences and burdens on small businesses and consumers across the country. There are a lot of factors that have contributed to the crisis.”

Workforce Gap

Christian Brothers Automotive’s Carr shared that the aftermarket industry thrives with a highly technical and well-trained workforce and asked what Congress can do to help close the workforce gap of 200,000 technicians nationwide.

Senator Cruz expressed his deep passion for education and detailed his work in support of it, including introducing “legislation that would create a federal tax credit of $10 billion a year, totaling $100 billion over the next 10 years for contributions to scholarship granting organizations in the state—half of which is dedicated to workforce development to training for things like being an auto technician and advanced work skills to help adults get the skills they need to compete in today’s marketplace.” said Senator Cruz.

Ripple Effect of Rising Fuel Prices

Arnold Oil’s Jim Arnold raised the issue of currently skyrocketing prices for crude oil, gas and natural gas, underscoring the point that the increased cost impacts not just the prices at the pump, but also rubber and plastic goods.

Senator Cruz shared that he believes energy independence is key to American prosperity in the wake of rising energy prices. “The single most effective thing we could do is reach oil, gas and energy independence, which would take away Russia’s customers,” said Senator Cruz. “I’ve spent a decade being the leading defender of oil and gas, the leading defender of energy, in the United States Senate. I think energy—and energy independence—is the key to prosperity. It’s the key to abundance. It’s the key.”