Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says Republicans should use "any and all means necessary" to prevent President Obama from acting unilaterally on immigration reform, even if that risks triggering another government shutdown.
"I think we should use any and all means necessary to prevent the president from illegally granting amnesty," Cruz said when asked Tuesday whether he wants to include such provisions in a continuing resolution to fund the federal government. "That certainly, I think, would be appropriate to include in the CR, but I think we should use every — every — tool at our disposal." [Politico]
To be sure, this is not a direct threat about shutting down the government. But trying to block executive orders via a government funding bill could risk another shutdown like the one Cruz championed last year in a failed bid to stop ObamaCare.
Cruz's remark comes two weeks after he seemed to throw cold water on the idea of another shutdown, saying, "There is one person and one person only talking about shutting down the government, and that is the White House."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.