Amid reports he was going to deliver remarks for an extended period of time, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) came to the Senate floor Tuesday and proclaimed his intention to speak “until I am no longer able to stand.”
Cruz is spearheading an effort to block a House-passed government spending bill until Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-NV) agrees to a 60-vote threshold for any motion that removes language defunding Obamacare. Under Senate procedure, Cruz is technically limited in how long he may speak before the initial vote to invoke cloture on Wednesday, so his remarks would fall short of a “true” fillibuster.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) joined other leaders and criticized the plan on the floor earlier Tuesday.
“I just don’t happen to think filibustering a bill that defunds Obamacare is the best route to defunding Obamacare,” McConnell said. “All it does is shut down the government and keep Obamacare funded, and none of us want that. That would be the results of filibustering.”
Watch Cruz’s speech live below:
