Sen. Ted Cruz told Andrea Tantaros today that the next 60 days will be crucial to defunding Obamacare.
Tantaros opened her interview with the Texas Republican with a question about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s recent criticisms of Sen. Rand Paul. Christie recently said that the libertarian principles that Paul and some other Republicans stand for are “esoteric” and even “dangerous.” Christie’s comments come in the context of the debate over the National Security Agency’s widespread surveillance of Americans’ phone and online communications, and have been widely interpreted as an opening salvo in the 2016 GOP presidential primary.
Tantaros asked Cruz “So Chris Christie is attacking your friend — are you gonna take that, senator?”
“Well, Gov. Christie is certainly entitled to his opinions and he does not seem shy about sharing those,” Cruz replied. “What I can tell you is that I think the principles of liberty are the foundation of this country.” Cruz cited the Declaration of Independence. “Frankly, one of the reasons for the deep frustration that so many Americans have with career politicians both Republican and Democrat, is they’ve lost sight of liberty. They’ve lost sight of the free market principles of our Constitution. And I think there’s an incredible hunger to get back to the principles that made this nation strong.”
Tantaros asked Cruz if he thinks Christie is wrong. Cruz reiterated that Christie is entitled to his opinions and will continue sharing them. He added that most people don’t care about squabbles between politicians, but about how to turn the country around.
Turning to the subject of Obamacare, Tantaros asked Cruz if it can be stopped.
“I believe that we have a moment, in the next 60 days, where if we come together that the American people can stop Obamacare,” he said. “Obamacare isn’t working. The wheels are falling off. The lead Senate author, Democrat Max Baucus, described Obamacare as a ‘major train wreck.’ The head of the Teamsters, James Hoffa, said that Obamacare is destroying the 40-hour work week that is the foundation of the American middle class, and even President Obama was forced to delay the employer mandate until after the next election because it’s going so badly that the Democrats are afraid of electoral accountability.”
Cruz said that Obamacare can be defunded entirely in the next 60 days, noting that he has launched a website, Dontfundit.com, to get the American people involved. He said that 41 Senate Republicans and 218 Republicans in the House need to stand together and declare that they will not vote for any resolution that funds a penny of Obamacare. The continuing resolution that currently funds the government expires September 30, hence the 60-day window.
Cruz predicted that President Obama and the Democrats would blame Republicans for “shutting down the government,” which has many Republicans in Washington “scared.” He says the House Republicans should pass a continuing resolution that funds the entire government, except for Obamacare. The Democrats will then scream that the “mean, nasty Republicans” are shutting down the government, but the reality will be that it will be Democrats threatening a shutdown in order to “force Obamacare down the throats of the American people.”
Listen to the entire interview here.
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The Andrea Tantaros Show is produced by the Fox and Rice Experience for Talk Radio Network.
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