Ted Cruz: ‘Meaningful Concessions’ Republican Leadership Should Receive in Debt Ceiling Fight

Sen. Ted Cruz says Republican leadership should make sure it receives “meaningful concessions” in the fight over raising the debt ceiling. But he’s not holding his breath.

“Unfortunately, Republican leadership approaches every battle pre-emptively surrendering, saying we can get nothing,” Cruz tells The Daily Signal.

The deadline to raise the debt ceiling is Nov. 3. The White House and House and Senate leaders are said to be close to a two-year budget agreement that lifts the debt ceiling. Cruz is hoping the White House agrees to meaningful concessions.

“The last 55 times Congress has raised the debt ceiling, it has attached meaningful concessions 28 times.”

Cruz would like to see Republican Senate leadership get a few items in return. His list includes making sure Planned Parenthood doesn’t receive $500 million in taxpayer dollars and that Iran doesn’t receive a dime of funding under the current nuclear weapons deal with the U.S.

He also wants to find a way to incorporate Sen. Pat Toomey’s bill into the mix. It states that if the debt ceiling does not get raised, the U.S. government will still make sure its debts get paid and not default in any way. However, what Cruz wants and what GOP Senate and House leadership actually pursue have, so far, at least, been at odds with each other.

Cruz wants to see his leadership fight like the Democratic Party.

“Obama and the Democrats approach everything passionately committed to their principles. They’ll crawl over broken glass with a knife between their teeth to advance their failed big-government principles.”