Senator Ted Cruz revealed on his podcast why a planned Senate vote on reconciliation collapsed. The RINOs are upset about Sen. Cassidy losing his primary. Senators Cassidy, Tillis, and Paul led the fight over Cassidy and Massie.
Cornyn wasn’t present, but they are also angry about that, although Cruz didn’t mention it. They took it out on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche
Reconciliation is a process used to bypass the Senate filibuster and pass major legislation (in this case, funding for border security and agencies like ICE and CBP).
The vote was canceled due to division among Republican senators, not just opposition from Democrats. Several GOP senators are described as politically frustrated or weakened due to:
- Losing primaries or endorsements
- Conflict with former President Trump
These internal tensions created a fragile majority, making it difficult to pass legislation.
Cruz discloses that senators were “screaming” at Blanche over the fund. “It was not calm; there was yelling.”
Cruz also said the meltdown was an expression of “cathartic anger” over Trump’s success in ridding the Senate of three incumbents. Cruz said there are “consequences” for the president’s endorsements of opponents of sitting GOP senators.
In other words, revenge over country.
Twenty GOP senators were ready to agree to Democrat amendments to the ICE/CBP reconciliation measure to limit or block the anti-weaponization fund.
Their own constituents were subject to government abuses, but they don’t care.
Cruz also said senators were angry at Blanche for giving legal answers about the nature of the fund.
“Their anger was not legal; it was political,” Cruz said of his disappointing colleagues.
Some believed the fund looked like “self-dealing,” particularly because it stemmed from litigation involving Donald Trump, Cruz said.
Thune will not bring the ICE/CBP funding bill to the floor until the anti-weaponization fund is drastically limited—including no relief to J6ers accused of assaulting police.
Just “accused”? They said they didn’t want funds to go to controversial j6ers, and Todd Blanche couldn’t say anything to reassure them.
Cruz said it is a “full-on revolt in the Senate without modifications to the fund.” The bills would not have passed, so they went home.
Listen to the Ted Cruz podcast here.