Senator Ted Cruz said he does not trust members of his own party to negotiate a budget conference report.
Cruz’s remark came after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he thought it was “bizarre” that a member of his own party was objecting to forming a conference committee with the House to work out a budget.
McCain said the objections suggested Senate Republicans didn’t trust House Republicans to hold the party line in negotiations.
“Isn’t it a little bizarre, this whole exercise?” McCain said after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) objected to going to conference. “What we’re saying is that we don’t trust our colleagues on the other side of the Capitol.”
Cruz responded that he doesn’t trust Republicans.
“The senior senator of Arizona urged senators to trust House Republicans … and frankly, I don’t trust Republicans,” Cruz said. “It’s the leaders of both parties that got us in this mess. … A lot of Republicans were complicit in this spending spree.”
McCain said a “small minority of the minority” was blocking progress on the budget and a return to regular order.
But Rubio and Cruz argued that Democrats are trying to use budget reconciliation rules as a back-door way to raise the debt ceiling with just 51 votes, essentially giving “Democrats a blank check.” The federal government is expected to reach the debt ceiling this fall.
Senate Democrats have asked to go to conference on the budgets 10 times, and Republicans have objected to each request.
