Sen. Cruz: Congress Should Listen to American People, Defund Obamacare
Votes for Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to H.J. Res 59; Will Oppose Final Cloture Vote to End Debate on the Bill, Unless Reid Agrees Not to Add Obamacare Funding
WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Tuesday and Wednesday, spent more than 21 straight hours on the Senate floor making his case to his Senate colleagues and the American people for why Congress should listen to the American people and defund Obamacare.
Following Sen. Cruz's remarks, the Senate voted on cloture on the motion to proceed to the bipartisan House-passed bill Continuing Resolution, H.J. Res. 59, that funds the government while defunding Obamacare. This vote was just an initial procedural step to continue debate before the final cloture vote to end debate on the House bill, which is expected later this week. Sen. Cruz voted for cloture on the motion to proceed, which passed 100-0, and will vote against final cloture on the bill. Opposing final cloture is crucial to protecting the House bill and ensuring that Sen. Reid cannot add Obamacare funding into the House bill with gimmicks and a simple majority vote.
Below are excerpts from Sen. Cruz's remarks on the Senate floor:
“My plea to this body is that we listen to the American people, because if we listen to our constituents, the answer is we need to defund this bill that isn't working, that's hurting the American people, that's killing jobs, that's forcing people into part-time work, that's driving up health insurance premiums and that's causing millions to lose or fear that they will lose their health insurance.
“I simply want to note to the American people that this debate is in your hands. Ultimately all 100 Senators, all 46 Republicans, all 54 Democrats, work for you. The pleas from the American people, particularly in Texas, are deafening. The frustration that the United States Senate doesn't listen to the people is deafening. So I call on all 46 Republicans to unite, to stand together and to vote against cloture on the bill on Friday or Saturday.
“Otherwise, if we vote with the Majority Leader and with the Senate Democrats, we will be voting to allow the Majority Leader to fund Obamacare with a partisan 51 vote threshold. The American people will understand that, and voting to give that power to the majority leader is not consistent with the heartfelt commitment of all 46 members of the Republican Conference to oppose Obamacare.”
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