Sen. Chuck Schumer came to the defense of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday, saying critics should not compare her to Tea Party icon Sen. Ted Cruz.
“I think the soul of the Democratic Party is economic issues, and on economic issues, we are united,” Schumer said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “And Elizabeth Warren is constructive. She’s not like Ted Cruz, ‘Shut down the government’ or ‘Don’t fund things if I don’t get my way.’ ”
Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, has been criticized in some circles within her own party for leading the charge against a $1.1 trillion spending bill that had the backing of the White House. Warren and other progressives railed against provisions that would undo parts of the Dodd-Frank Act and chip away at campaign finance laws.
Some even compared her to Cruz, the Texas Republican who has angered fellow GOPers for pursuing legislative strategies without the support of party leadership.
Yet, Schumer on Sunday said those comparisons are flawed.
“I think comparing the two wings of the parties is like night and day,” the New York Dem said.
The Senate late Saturday passed the spending package, sending it to President Obama’s desk for approval. But first, the upper chamber had to navigate around a procedural move by Cruz to condemn Obama’s executive action to spare up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.
