Ted Cruz's Moves on Spending Bill Roil Republicans
One colleague called the tactics of tea party-backed Sen. Ted Cruz on the $1.1 trillion spending bill a painful echo of last year's 16-day partial government shutdown.
Another senator said it was a strategy without an end game.
And that sniping came from Cruz's fellow Republicans.
The 43-year-old Texas freshman in a political hurry ? he's considering a 2016 presidential run ? infuriated several GOP colleagues with a last-minute attempt to force a vote on President Barack Obama's executive actions on immigration.
The move upended lawmakers' weekend plans and, more troubling for his party, gave Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., an opening to move forward on long-stalled Obama nominees.
When Cruz got his vote Saturday, he lost badly, 74-22, as even Republicans who agree with him on immigration repudiated his effort. Moments later, Congress cleared the spending bill.
"You should have an end goal in sight if you're going to do these types of things and I don't see an end goal other than irritating a lot of people," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said it was a repeat of last year's shutdown showdown over Obama's health care law, when it was engineered by Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. Isakson said it was a movie he had seen before and "wouldn't have paid money to see it again." He called Cruz's move a problem, not a strategy.
Added Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.: "I fail to see what conservative ends were achieved."
For once, Democrats opted not to criticize Cruz publicly, a surefire indication they calculated that he was only hurting Republicans.
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Ted Cruz's Moves on Spending Bill Roil Republicans