(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) Sen. Ted Cruz warned Friday on his podcast that eliminating the debt ceiling would ensure a radical leftist like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., takes the presidency.
President-elect Donald Trump called for congressional Republicans to back blowing up the debt limit under the Biden administration Wednesday rather than to carry the “destructive” mess into the incoming Trump administration. On Thursday, Trump reiterated his call to terminate the debt ceiling, saying, “this is the time to do so!”
On Verdict, Cruz rejected conservative calls on social media to allow a government shutdown before Trump’s inauguration. He made the point that Democrats would brand it a “Republican shutdown” and use it to their political advantage.
The Texas senator made clear his opposition to ending the debt ceiling, adding that he expressed his concerns to fellow lawmakers at lunch.
“I told my colleagues today at lunch, I said, ‘Alright, you get rid of the debt ceiling. Get ready for President Elizabeth Warren. And if you don’t like a $36 trillion debt, get ready for a $50 trillion debt,’” Cruz said.
Chaos and Shutdown: What it All Means and What Comes Next. @benfergusonshow and I break it all down on Verdict. https://t.co/J68bI2My80
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) December 20, 2024
He told Verdict listeners, “The Democrats, Elizabeth Warren, wants to eliminate the debt ceiling. AOC wants to eliminate the debt ceiling. Chuck Schumer wants to eliminate the debt ceiling, because they want to spend us into oblivion.”
Cruz said the debt ceiling should be raised and that it is “a real problem” some House Republicans refuse to take the same stance.
“The debt ceiling will have to be raised. My position has always been, I’m willing to vote to raise the debt ceiling if we are getting concessions that are reigning in the out-of-control spending that’s bankrupting our country,” Cruz said. “However, in the House, there are a bunch of Republicans who simply say, ‘I will never, ever, ever vote to raise the debt ceiling no matter what, it doesn’t matter what we get. My answer is no,’ That is a real problem.”
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and the American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
