Ted Cruz tells Newsmax that McConnell is not effectively leading

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is still upset about the failed bipartisan border deal and maintains his belief that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., needs to be replaced. When asked by Newsmax if he wants the top GOP job in the upper chamber, Cruz demurred, but he has been vocal about his desire for a change in Republican leadership in the Senate, reiterating his views during an appearance on “Eric Bolling The Balance.”

“When it comes to frustration with Mitch, you’re preaching to the choir, and I have been vocal for a long, long time that Mitch McConnell is not leading the Senate Republicans effectively, that he’s not fighting for conservative principles, that he’s not honoring the promises we made to the voters,” Cruz told Bolling.

So, what about Senate Minority Leader Cruz?

“Well, one step at a time,” Cruz said. “I’ve said publicly, more than once, I think it’s time for Mitch to go. … And I think there’s enormous frustration in the conference right now, with the job that is being done.”

“Because the last three months, the winners: Chuck Schumer and every Senate Democrat are winners. Why? Because Republican leadership stands up and says, ‘Hey, this bill we negotiated was great.’ It wasn’t great. It was terrible. But when Republican leadership says it, you know what? Every Senate Democrat repeats those words,” Cruz said.

And Cruz’s latest frustration came with the bipartisan negotiated foreign aid and border security bill that was sold as delivering wins to Republicans on the border and Democrats on funding for Ukraine.

“This border deal was a debacle from the very beginning,” Cruz said. “Not only did it not secure the border, it made the border worse. Because what it did is it took Joe Biden’s open borders and it codified it. It put it into law, it codified catch and release, which is what’s caused these open borders.”

“This was a bad bill, and so we killed it. I was proud to stand up and lead the effort to kill this bill, and unfortunately, what did Republican leadership say? ‘Well if you’re not willing to pass a bad bill on border security, then the heck with it, we won’t pass any. We’ll just fund the Ukraine funding,’ which is what the Democrats desperately want,” Cruz added.

And that standalone $95.3 billion aid bill, which earmarks $60 billion for Ukraine and passed the Senate 70-29, will never see the light of day in the House. Not in that form, Cruz said.

“Here’s what I think the House of Representatives is going to do. I think they are going to take up the bill that the Senate has passed, and I think they’re going to attach H.R.2 to that bill,” Cruz said. “It would end catch and release, it would build the wall, it would secure the border.”

In the Senate, I am the author of H.R.2 and I am fighting for us to pass it. But Chuck Schumer said on Day 1, ‘Absolutely not.’ Why? ‘Because it would actually secure the border and we, as Democrats, we want those borders open.'”

About NEWSMAX TV:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!

• Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
• Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com