Little children are being poisoned, at the behest of his fellow Repubs, and Ted Cruz decides to grandstand. Per Politico:
Ted Cruz is standing in the way of a bipartisan Senate bill to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Flint, Mich., and other communities that need to upgrade their drinking water infrastructure…
Cruz, who is campaigning ahead of Thursday’s Republican debate, has placed a “soft hold” on the aid package to give him more time to study the details of the proposal, the Texas Republican’s spokeswoman Rachael Slobodien said Thursday. Without naming Cruz, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a lead negotiator on the Flint aid package, acknowledged a hold was preventing it from moving to the floor, but Inhofe said he was hopeful the impasse could be resolved. Slobodien also said she did not expect Cruz to hold up the bill permanently.
Democrats say their members all support the package to provide at least $850 million in aid toward deficient water infrastructure and health programs in Flint and elsewhere, despite deep cuts to an advanced vehicle manufacturing loan program. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), a leader in the negotiations, said those cuts amount to “ending a program that I authored” in a 2007 energy law and that the package meets “every test Republicans gave us.”…
Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton, who chairs the energy panel, and Democrat Dan Kildee, whose district includes Flint, cosponsored H.R. 4470, which the House this month approved 416-2. The bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency to notify the public when concentrations of lead in drinking water exceed levels triggering action and improve federal, state and local communication.
The Senate would amend that bill by adding the funding assistance under the approach envisioned by architects of the Flint deal.
Democrats have elevated Flint into a broader narrative on race in their primary with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders agreeing to debate there March 6. Clinton, who has been endorsed by Flint Mayor Karen Weaver, in particular, using it to highlight her appeal to black voters, including a new 60-second ad showcasing her recent visit there.
But Republicans have their own electoral factors to consider…
If none of his competitors use the “Ted Cruz is in favor of letting little children be poisoned by their government” attack tonight, they all deserve to lose. (Of course, they deserve to lose anyway… )
Cruz Invokes Alamo, Facing Own Last Stand in TX… https://t.co/KVCB4ptIup
— DRUDGE REPORT (@DRUDGE_REPORT) February 25, 2016
The Alamo. A battle in which every last Texan was killed. https://t.co/pIPSLnnBQC
— AlGiordano (@AlGiordano) February 25, 2016
Open Thread: Ted Cruz Really <em>*Is*</em> A Cartoon VillainPost + Comments (114)