Texas senators make pitch for new Amazon headquarters

Texas Sens. Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R) are urging Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to consider building the company’s second headquarters in their state. 

The two senators sent a letter to Bezos on Wednesday touting low taxes and “limited government” in the Lone Star State in a pitch for the Amazon headquarters.

“Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes our economy, our skilled workforce, and our quality of life. Texas boasts the ideal combination of a talented and highly skilled workforce, limited government, low taxes, and world-class educational institutions,” the two senators wrote.

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“As a result, large multinational corporations and even small start-ups are relocating to, or launching their endeavors in Texas. Amazon is among the many diverse businesses that have recently taken interest in Texas,” they added. 

Cruz and Cornyn mentioned the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Houston, Austin and San Antonio as potential cities to house the headquarters.

The letter comes one month after Bezos announced that Amazon was exploring locations for its second headquarters, which he has dubbed “HQ2.”

The company said it planned to invest $5 billion in construction and is expecting the second headquarters to employ more than 50,000 people.

Amazon said it prefers communities “that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options” and would like a “development-prepped site.”

Cruz and Cornyn are among numerous public officials pushing Amazon to pick cities in their state for the company’s second headquarters. 

CNN reported that Philadelphia sent a team of developers and representatives to Seattle to get a sense of the company’s culture, while New Jersey lawmakers have introduced new legislation that, if passed, would give Amazon $5 billion in tax breaks over the course of two decades.