[caption id=”attachment_146176″ align=”aligncenter” width=”4488″] Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at the Defending the American Dream summit hosted by Americans for Prosperity at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
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GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz may have another government shutdown attributed to him, though he won’t take the blame, The Washington Post reported. He called any expected claims from President and Democrats about shutting down the government “nonsense.”
Last month, the first undercover videos were released by the Center for Medical for Medical Progress. Many who have seen the videos are horrified by top Planned Parenthood employees discussing their alleged fetal parts business. Cruz has reacted in light of such videos by calling for defunding the abortion provider.
Earlier this month the Senate voted to defund the group to redirect funds to other health centers. While a majority of senators voted in favor of the plan, it did not receive the necessary 60 votes to pass. Such a move was not enough for Cruz, who called it an “empty show vote.”
Such statements were made by Cruz during a conference call that more than 100,000 pastors had been invited to participate in.
Cruz suggested that instead of empty votes, the Senate should connect the issue to an appropriations bill funding the federal government.
Cruz had such a plan before. Shortly after the video releases, Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) attempted to tie such a vote to a highway spending bill with an amendment. Their move was thwarted.
“Now is the time for Congress to act and actually end taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood,” Cruz proclaimed during the conference call.
The Washington Post points out that such a move from Cruz is to court the evangelical vote. Such a voting bloc has made up about one-fourth of voters for the past 11 years. The percentages are even higher in crucial Iowa and some southern states.
Cruz also spoke out against Planned Parenthood during the first GOP presidential debate. He promised that one of his first actions as president would be to investigate Planned Parenthood and prosecute them for any criminal violations.
