Cruz Claims He’ll Keep Up War On Obamacare Even In An Election Year

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) insisted Thursday he will use all the tools at his disposal to block funding for Obamacare even as it looks like his Senate colleagues are ready to move on.

“I think we should use every legislative tool possible to repeal Obamacare, to defund Obamacare, to stop this disaster that is hurting millions of Americans,” Cruz said. “It is time for leaders in Congress to honor the promises they made to the people who elected them and end the failed experiment of Obamacare.”

Cruz’s remarks came just as the Senate Appropriations Committee was passing a bipartisan Labor-Health and Human Service spending bill out of committee without any poison pill amendments that would tamper with funding for Obamacare.

Cruz would not speak specifically about how he would defund Obamacare (reminder: he did lead the government shutdown over it in 2013). It was not clear if he would try to introduce an amendment on the Senate floor or slow roll the legislative process. The Senate must pass all 12 appropriations bills by Sept. 30 of this year to avert a government shutdown.

The Appropriations Committee had managed to keep its HHS and Labor spending bill free from the contentious Obamacare amendments Thursday, a striking difference from years past. Cruz hinted that could change.

Senate leaders have already sent a message to Cruz, however, that they are not interested in playing games with spending bills in an election year.

A senior GOP aide told Morning Consult earlier in the week that the committee sought to “fund all of the things we need to fund to try to keep it bipartisan.”

“There is no placating Ted Cruz. So why bother trying?” the aide said, according to Morning Consult. “He’s like the Queen in Alice in Wonderland. He expects us to believe in six impossible things before breakfast.”