Posted on 11/23/2014 4:48:16 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Sen. Ted Cruz is threatening to reprise his role as a catalyst to a government shutdown, arguing on Sunday that Congress should use spending bills to block President Obama's recent executive action on immigration.
Cruz rebutted suggestions that holding government funding hostage in order to prevent Obama's plan halting the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants from taking effect would hurt the GOP.
"At the time you and a lot of folks in the press said what a disaster it was to stand up to Obamacare," Cruz told Fox News' Chris Wallace. "Let me point out, we just had a historic election where we won nine seats in the Senate, we retired Harry Reid, we just got the biggest majority in the House since the 1920s, and the biggest issue we campaigned on was Obamacare."
Cruz added: "Republicans need to actually do what we say we'll do.… It was not a mistake for Republicans to stand up and fight Obamacare."
Cruz specifically is advocating for Congress to refuse to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the agency charged with immigration enforcement. Obama may veto any funding bill that omits DHS, which would potentially set up another partisan clash that could spiral into another shutdown.
Some Republicans see such a tactic as foolhardy. Republican strategist Charlie Black told National Journal last week that a government shutdown would be a waste of time.
"It does not accomplish anything. You cannot get the president to make a concession," Black said. "Why even take a political risk if there is no achievable goal?"
Cruz is widely considered a chief architect of the shutdown last year, which lasted 16 days and prompted an indefinite furlough of some 800,000 federal employees after Congress failed to pass legislation appropriating funds for fiscal 2014.
Cruz also told Wallace incoming Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should refuse to consider any of Obama's executive nominations "other than vital national security positions," which would include his new attorney general nominee, unless the executive action is rescinded.
Is this like the last shut down scam where the government employees got more vacation time off, all paid?
/johnny
Workers to get $2 billion in back pay after government shutdown
They “jacking” with your freedom anyway, but they’ll just get more time off paid...
All on you.
/johnny
/johnny
The government never really shuts down. In fact, a so called government shut down is nothing more than a weekend or holiday.
Ya mean we’re being con’d again? What a shocker.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I vote for candidates on the hopes that they PERMANENTLY shut down the federal monster. THAT IS THE GOAL.
Good for Ted.
I stand with Ted
Where is the proof that the shutdown hurt the Repubs?
Pray America is waking
Government shutdown = Government paid vacation
2 years - I’m with Paladin2.
Fear a government shut down? Hell I’d welcome it!!!
NO!!!! kittens will die!!! grandma will starve I tell ya!!!! puppies will drown, junior wont get broccoli at school, your women will get attacked, the city will burn down, war, famine, natural disasters...SHUT IT DOWN and save me some money.
Ya, I’d bet there are probably a million biggov employees hoping it happens....Additional paid time off?
Who wouldn’t want that?
The satellite delay on the interview was horrible, almost like a double loop. It made the questioning chaotic and badly interrupt Sen. Cruz’s presentation. Fox could easily have set up a terrestrial fiber connection (VOIP). This makes me suspect some hanky panky.
Most of them were no friend to Gov. Sarah Palin, despite her being on the payroll there, so does that surprise you?
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