Cruz Endorses Trump Partially Over Backing of IANA Transition Delay

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, cited Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's support for delaying the planned Internet Assigned Numbers Authority transition as one of six “vital” policy reasons Cruz decided to endorse Trump's candidacy Friday. The Trump campaign said Wednesday it backed a push by congressional Republicans to delay the transition through language in a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government when FY 2016 ends Sept. 30 (see 1609210070). Senate Republicans filed non-compromise CR language Thursday that didn't contain the transition delay language (see 1609220067), drawing some GOP criticism (see 1609230031). Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton supported the IANA transition in a tech policy agenda released in June (see 1606280071), which shows her commitment to “hand over control of the Internet to an international community of stakeholders, including Russia, China and Iran,” Cruz said in a Facebook post. Cruz's endorsement comes more than two months after he refused to back Trump during a speech at the Republican National Convention. Cruz said he chose to endorse Trump in part because he committed last year to “support the Republican nominee.” Cruz said he also chose to publicly back Trump because Clinton's support for the transition and her other policy positions are “wholly unacceptable.”