Ted Cruz Says Losing Moon Race to China Would Be ‘Worse Than Sputnik’

Senator Ted Cruz reportedly said on Wednesday that it is imperative for the U.S. to win against China in the race for artificial intelligence, 6G, the Arctic, and getting back on the moon.

“If they get to the moon before us, if they seize the prime strategic real estate on the moon, I think that moment would be worse than Sputnik,” he said during an interview with CNBC while talking about his new bill to reduce regulatory burden facing AI companies. The proposal would require the federal government to create a contained and secure testing area for AI software, known as a regulatory sandbox.

“The stakes are enormous,” he added, noting that China has a target to land its astronauts on the moon by 2030. “$9.5 billion in the One Big Beautiful Bill was allocated to fund a U.S. return to the moon.”

He added that other provisions in the bill are designed to help the U.S. compete with China across multiple strategic areas. This includes deploying 800 MHz of spectrum for advanced communications and investing $24 billion in Arctic capabilities such as coast guard vessels and polar icebreakers, where he warned that China is currently outpacing the United States.

The iShares US Aerospace and Defense ETF (ITA) edged 0.76% higher in morning trade as the broader market also trended higher after the producer price index (PPI) report on Wednesday indicated that inflation may be contained, increasing optimism that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates soon. However, retail sentiment around the ITA ETF dipped to ‘neutral’ from ‘bullish’ over the past day.

Meanwhile, the ARK Space Exploration and Innovation ETF (ARKX) rose 0.82% in morning trade on Wednesday, but retail sentiment around the ETF dipped lower. Stocktwits data showed a shift to ‘bearish’ territory from ‘neutral’ over the past day. 

Read also: Solana Hits 7-Month High, Dogecoin Slips Despite ETF Buzz As Bitcoin Stalls Ahead Of PPI Report

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