Ted Cruz: ‘Under No Circumstances Should the TPP Be Voted on During a Lame Duck Session’

Ted Cruz told Laura Ingraham Thursday that “Under no circumstances should the TPP be voted on during a lame duck session.”

Cruz believes that the controversial 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) should be voted on when members are the most accountable to their constituents.

“I’ll tell you, I am very, very skeptical about TPP” he said on the Laura Ingraham show. “This thing is six thousand pages… It is negotiated by a president who has undercut American workers at every level and I think it is a mistake to be undercutting the working men and women of this country.”

Cruz also suggested that Congress shouldn’t have a lame duck session.

“And in fact, if a Republican wins in 2016, which I believe will happen, I don’t think we should have a lame duck session… No conservative would want a bunch of members who have just been defeated or [are] retiring passing big government liberal policies with Obama in office. TPP needs to be voted on when members are accountable.”

There is concern that the 5,544 page bill will be voted on during the lame duck session, making it easier for President Obama to get the votes needed to pass it.

TPP received a brief mention in the GOP’s fourth presidential debate. Ohio Gov. John Kasich said that he believed the bill was “critical” in terms of developing economic alliances.

But Cruz told Ingraham that he hopes that there will be more opportunity for the Republican presidential candidates to debate the bill.

“I hope in the next debate we get into more substance on TPP, because I disagree with a number of the folks on that stage.”