Republican Sen. Ted Cruz railed against the economic effects of President Obama’s signature health care law by citing concerns from unions and small business owners during his quasi-filibuster in favor of defunding Obamacare Tuesday, .
Cruz also took numerous shots at the “Washington Ruling Class,” the “privileged corridors of Washington,” the “nastiness” of the Democratic Senate majority, and media pundits.
“I plan to speak in support of defunding Obamacare until I am no longer able to stand,” Cruz vowed, his sharp glare slicing through the Senate with patriotic zeal.
Cruz is speaking against Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid’s plans to hold a vote on a stopgap continuing budget resolution Wednesday, where Reid is expected to strip out language from the House version of the bill defunding Obamacare. Cruz is fighting for a resolution that passed the House that will fund the federal government for fiscal year 2014 without funding Obamacare.
Cruz cited complaints about Obamacare put forth by Teamsters union boss Jimmy Hoffa, Jr., who joined with other union leaders this summer to write a letter to congressional Democratic leaders claiming that Obamacare will “destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.”
“That’s not me saying that. That’s not a Republican politician saying that…That’s the Teamsters,” Cruz said.
Cruz called the 40-hour work week “the backbone of the American middle class” and said that the vast majority of America, which is not as divided as some may claim, would oppose the destruction of the 40-hour work week.
Cruz also dinged the “nastiness” of Democratic attacks on Vitter for proposing his Vitter Amendment, which would have eliminated federal health insurance subsidies to Capitol Hill staffers, so that the staffers would have to experience Obamacare for themselves.
Cruz re-iterated his belief that Obama’s delay of his law’s unpopular employer mandate until after the 2014 midterm elections indicates an acknowledgment, on the part of the White House, that Obamacare is a failure.
“Why is the economy gasping for breath?…Because Obamacare is killing jobs,” Cruz said.