By DONNA CASSATA
WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Sen. Ted
Cruz sat with eyes glued to his mobile device as the chaos he provoked
ensnared his Republican leaders on the Senate floor.
Legislation to
raise the nation's borrowing authority with no strings attached was
short of the 60 votes it needed to advance — a threshold Cruz demanded —
and without a few conversions, Republicans would be blamed for its
failure. The stock market was watching.
After
what seemed like an eternity, a grim-faced Sen. Mitch McConnell, the
party leader who faces a tea party challenge back home, finally voted
yes. An equally grim-faced Sen. John Cornyn, the party's No. 2 leader
and Cruz's Texas colleague, changed his vote from no to yes.
Cruz showed no mercy in exposing
Republican leaders to widespread criticism from their primary
challengers over a procedural vote on the debt limit after their
pronouncements about the imperative of spending cuts. It could have been
a simple 50-vote requirement, with Democrats delivering the votes to
lift the debt limit, but Cruz insisted.
Pressed after the vote about what he made his leaders do, Cruz was unapologetic.
"It
should have been a very easy vote," he told reporters. "In my view,
every Senate Republican should have stood together." He added that the
verdict on McConnell "is ultimately a decision ... for the voters in
Kentucky."
McConnell's GOP
challenger, Matt Bevin, seized on McConnell's vote to criticize him. The
Madison Project, a conservative group backing Bevin, accused McConnell
of giving President Barack Obama "a blank check."
It wasn't the first time Cruz, a
tea party favorite, had created massive headaches for Republicans. Last
fall, he and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, precipitated the 16-day government
shutdown with their demand that Obama gut his 3-year-old health care
law.
The quest had the backing
of the Senate Conservatives Fund and other outside groups that raised
millions during the process — and spent a good chunk of it to boost GOP
challengers such as Bevin and Chris McDaniel, who is running against
Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran.
This
week, the conservative groups Heritage Action and Club for Growth urged
Senate Republicans to oppose lifting the debt limit. Determined to
avoid brinkmanship, the House voted for a debt limit with no strings
attache. After Wednesday's drama, the Senate followed suit.
Republicans
are intent on avoiding the drama of market-rattling fiscal fights,
especially in an election year in which the party sees a legitimate shot
at adding Senate control to their majority in the House. They want
Obama's unpopular health care law to be the main focus in the months
leading up to the November election.
Cruz is unwilling to step back from the fight, even if it undercuts his party's strategy.
"Today
was a classic victory for Washington establishment interests, and the
people who lost today are the American people," Cruz said.
Republican
Sens. Bob Corker and John McCain praised the courage of McConnell and
Cornyn, who avoided days of uncertainty over whether the nation might
default.
"People will see McConnell and Cornyn voted in a responsible way," Corker said.
They avoided public criticism of Cruz.
"I
respect Sen. Cruz's rights to exercise his rights as a senator," said
McCain, who had rallied other Republicans to switch their votes.
Sen.
Patty Murray, D-Wash., the chairman of the Budget Committee, said she
was glad Republican were responsible, adding, "It was painful to watch."
Associated Press writer Henry C. Jackson contributed to this report.
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