Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz tangled over their Senate records on Thursday during the latest Republican debate, with Rubio landing a slashing blow over Cruz’s stance on everything from crop insurance to the military budget.
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“I saw you on the Senate floor flip your vote on crop insurance because they told you it would help you in Iowa,” Rubio told Cruz during the debate in South Carolina Thursday. “That is not consistent conservatism, that is political calculation.”
Rubio outlined a litany of stances that he says Cruz has changed over the years, saying that Cruz used to support doubling the number of green cards, supporting a 500-percent increase in the number of guest workers, legalizing people who were here illegally and birthright citizenship.
“I appreciate you dumping your opposition folder onto the debate stage,” the Texas senator responded in the midst of boos from the crowd. “At least half of the things Marco said are flat-out false.”
Cruz started the fight by pointing out Rubio’s response on how his stance on immigration shifted since the 2013 immigration reform bill the Florida senator famously supported, then backtracked.
Rubio said that about 24 months ago, the rise of the Islamic State forced a change in the discussion surrounding immigration and the need for better border security.
“Radical Islamic terrorism wasn’t invented 24 months ago,” Cruz said.
The two also sparred over their Senate records and votes during the last debate in December. Cruz brought up Rubio’s support of the 2013 immigration bill at that debate as well.
