Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said he is unapologetic about efforts by himself and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to defund Obamacare as part of negotiations to fund the federal government.
Speaking Friday at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, Lee, who helped spearhead a GOP effort to only fund the government if Obamacare is defunded, said he and Cruz, who quickly became the standard bearer of the movement, did not regret making the push.
“Ted Cruz and I have been roundly criticized in the effort to defund Obamacare. We make no apologies,” Lee said, prompting standing applause from the audience.
A recent poll conducted by Brigham Young University showed that Lee’s popularity in his home state has shrunk recently. The poll found that 51 percent of Utahns have an unfavorable view of Lee while just 40 percent have a favorable view. In June, before the defund effort really kicked into gear, the poll found that 71 percent of in-state Republicans had a favorable view of Lee while. By contrast, the more recent poll found that 57 percent of Utah Republicans had a favorable view of him.
