Cruz slams GOP leaders for ‘amnesty’ deal

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) slammed GOP leaders for “cutting a deal” on “executive amnesty” in the compromise over funding for the Department of Homeland Security in his speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday.

“In Washington, K Street and Wall Street love amnesty, they support the substantive policy,” Cruz said to strong applause. 

{mosads}“There is a mendacity about Washington — they want to take a show vote, but they don’t actually want to follow through on what they say.”

Cruz compared his controversial style of lawmaking, which included a 21-hour talking filibuster over ObamaCare and a call to let the government shut down over the healthcare law, to a “disruptive app” in the tech world that changes the paradigm for how a good or service is distributed. 

“What I’m trying to do more than anything else is bring a disruptive app to Congress to move power back to the American people,” he said, mentioning how ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft changed the model for ordering taxis.

“Everyone that has a vested interest in keeping decision-making in the smoke-filled rooms, in both parties, fights vigorously because they don’t want the power to be back with the American people.”

Cruz didn’t block debate on the clean funding bill that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) brought to the floor on Wednesday. To pass, it now only needs a simple majority. 

A vote on the new bill could come as soon as Thursday, with GOP leadership separating actions to roll back President Obama’s executive orders on immigration into another bill. However, many House conservatives have said they won’t support a clean bill that doesn’t include the immigration provisions.