Cruz calls on Senate Democrats to relent on funding immigration order
Sen. Ted Cruz Wednesday called on Senate Democrats to abandon their filibuster of funding for the Department of Homeland Security when the Senate reconvenes Monday, saying their determined effort to maintain funding for President Obama’s immigration orders makes no sense now that a Texas judge has blocked their implementation.
“There is no reason whatsoever for Senate Democrats to jeopardize Homeland Security funding given that this program has been declared illegal,” said Cruz. “It is my hope that when we return Monday, the very first vote Monday evening is a vote to take up funding for the Department of Homeland Security, and three times, Senate Democrats have filibustered that funding, they have blocked the Senate from even considering it. Given that the federal court has now declared it illegal, Senate Democrats ought to stop their political opposition and say, `Let’s take up the funding and let’s fund the department.’”
Cruz, speaking at Capitol news conference where he joined Gov. Greg Abbott, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick, acknowledged that Senate Democrats can and will make the counter argument, that if, as Cruz and his allies believe, the courts will never allow the Obama orders to go into effect, there is no good reason for them to force a showdown that could defund DHS when its current appropriation runs out at the end of next week.
“Of course Senate Democrats could say the reverse, and they likely will. Their position is always, why do you need to stand up for rule of law, why do you need to stand up for the Constitution, why do you need to stand up against amnesty,” said Cruz using, in “amnesty,” a hotely contested term. While Abbott and Cruz characterize the president’s executive orders as amnesty by fiat, the administration say that is a thorough misuse of the term, and that he acted with plenty of precedent.
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/cruz-calls-on-senate-democrats-to-relent-on-fundin/nkDnk/
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