ICYMI: Sen. Cruz Aims to Bury Ex-Im Bank

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joined leading conservatives yesterday to applaud the demise of the Export-Import Bank and called on House and Senate leadership to preserve this important victory against Washington cronyism:

Houston Chronicle: Ted Cruz, other Republican members aim to bury Ex-Im Bank

Cruz was joined by other Republican lawmakers and tea party activists Wednesday at a Capitol Hill rally to celebrate the end of the bank’s charter 15 days ago – and to head off any talk of reviving it, as some Democrats and establishment Republicans have planned to do…Cruz laid down a challenge for both Democrats and Republicans, calling for members of both parties to “simply do nothing” in regards to bank reauthorization. 

Washington Times: Ted Cruz and tea partyers: Let the Ex-Im Bank stay dead

Sen. Ted Cruz and other conservatives told GOP leaders Wednesday not to let Congress revive the federal Export-Import Bank, an agency that financed the sale of U.S. goods overseas for decades but is creeping toward a slow death, after lawmakers failed to renew its charter by the June 30 deadline.

Washington Examiner: Cruz and Cuccinelli call on McConnell to block Ex-Im votes

Sen. Ted Cruz, who joined Cuccinelli and other conservatives at a press conference Wednesday morning, also called on McConnell to block all floor votes on Ex-Im. “This comes down to two men,” the Texas Republican said at the same press conference Wednesday morning, naming McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner.

Politico: Ted Cruz threatens highway bill filibuster to block Ex-Im renewal

Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday raised the prospect of blocking a must-pass highway bill because the measure could be used to revive the Export-Import Bank, which expired at the end of June… At a news conference with other conservative GOP lawmakers and outside groups Wednesday, Cruz vowed to use “any and all procedural tools” to stop an Ex-Im reauthorization, particularly if it were attached to the highway bill later this month…Cruz also took a subtle dig at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), openly musing that the Republican majority has not scored “conservative victories” even with a GOP-dominated Capitol.

Bloomberg: He's Ba-a-a-ack: Ted Cruz Hints He’ll Filibuster Ex-Im Bank

Texas Senator Ted Cruz signaled today he may be about to return to his favorite battlefield -- the Senate floor -- to fight efforts to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank…Cruz’s use of Senate parliamentary procedure, including the filibuster, has turned the first-term Republican into a Tea Party sensation… He portrays himself as a crusader against a “Washington cartel” of lobbyists, lawmakers and big business that, in the senator's view, works against the best interests of average Americans. The Ex-Im battle gives him another opportunity to sound those themes.   

Roll Call: Cruz, Lee Promise Highway Bill Traffic Jam Over Ex-Im Bank

If senators want to revive the Export-Import Bank as part of the upcoming highway bill debate, they’re going to have to do it the hard way. That was one key takeaway from GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah at a news conference with other conservative lawmakers and members of outside groups that oppose the government-credit agency…Cruz compared the talk from Republican leaders like Speaker John A. Boehner and Ohio and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky about getting Congress working again to “two wolves and a sheep sitting down to vote on what’s for dinner.”

The Hill: Cruz won’t rule out filibuster of highway bill

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) did not rule out filibustering a federal transportation-funding bill if it includes an amendment to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank.

“I'm willing to use any and all procedural tools to stop this corporate welfare and this corruption from being propagated,” Cruz said at a press conference in Washington on Wednesday…Cruz could be a key figure in the coming debate, and he sought to pressure McConnell and Boehner with his comments.

The Daily Signal: Ted Cruz Willing to Use ‘Any and All’ Tools to Stop Export-Import Bank Reauthorization

Cruz, also speaking to McConnell’s leadership, called on the Senate’s top Republican to match his actions with his words.

“We are here gathered today to celebrate a conservative victory. It’s interesting, with a Republican majority, we haven’t had a lot of conservative victories. This is one. We’re here today to praise Mitch McConnell and [House Speaker] John Boehner,” Cruz said. “They have the opportunity to deliver on their campaign rhetoric, and I am hopeful that actions will follow words. And every person here will gladly celebrate strong Republican leadership if we, in fact, have strong Republican leadership.”

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