Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the Senate floor on Tuesday to criticize Sen. Ted Cruz’s, tactic to defund Obamacare. McConnell’s remarks came in a argument he made against Cruz’s strategy to defund Obamacare in the Continuing Resolution (CR) and stop Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid from stripping defunding language from the House-passed CR.
In the video captured and published by Roll Call, McConnell argues that Cruz’s strategy to defund Obamacare will not stop the law’s implementation. McConnell, instead, argues that “even some of the bill’s fiercest early backers are looking for an escape hatch.”
“But there’s only one escape hatch that will fully help those trapped by this law, and that’s full repeal,” McConnell said. He said backs the House bill that defunds the law, but will Harry Reid’s procedural moves to restore funding.
“That’s why I’m supporting the House-passed CR,” McConnell said. “Not only does it defund this terrible law, it doesn’t increase government spending by a penny. And it keeps the government from shutting down, which nobody wants. And it does something else. And this is really important. It puts the focus right where it belongs, on the Democrats who voted for and continue to support Obamacare. Because once we invoke cloture, Mr. President, the focus will turn to our friends on the other side of the aisle — the Senate Democrats.”
“I just don’t happen to think filibustering a bill that defunds Obamacare is the best route to defunding Obamacare,” McConnell said of Cruz’s strategy. “All it does is shut down the government and keep Obamacare funded, and none of us want that. That would be the result of filibuster.”
WATCH OF MCCONNELL ATTACKING CRUZ’S OBAMACARE DEFUNDING STRATEGY:
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