Ted Cruz Warns of Mitch McConnell's 'Worst' Mistake

Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, told Fox Business' Stuart Varney on Thursday that pushing for the failed border deal was the "worst" mistake that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has made.

The Context:

For months, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate negotiated an $118 billion package that would give funding to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan while also providing $20 billion for U.S. border security and reform America's immigration system. The bill failed on Wednesday by a vote of 49 to 50.

McConnell tried to push Senate Republicans to support the bill as he has been trying to keep the effort to fund Ukraine alive among the GOP. However, after the border deal received criticism from Republicans in Congress, he decided to vote against it.

What We Know:

Cruz called the border deal a "bad bill" while appearing on Fox Business' Varney & Company on Thursday.

"Do you want Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to step down?" Varney asked Cruz.

Cruz responded: "Look I think it is well past time. I think there have been a lot of enormous mistakes, but this mistake was the worst. And throughout this battel, he goes out and what he is saying is benefiting [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer and the Democrats."

McConnell told Newsweek via email on Thursday: "I think we can all agree that Sen. Cruz is not a fan."

The Views:

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, was an outspoken critic of the border deal, saying that it would be "dead on arrival" in the House. When the bill's language was released, Johnson said the bill was "even worse than we expected."

Meanwhile, Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, told CNN's Jake Tapper after the bill failed on Wednesday: "Eighteen thousand border patrol agents have all said this would be the best bill they've ever seen, in the past two decades or more."

"This is good for our country. Start putting your country before yourself. Stop worrying about being a Republican or Democrat," Manchin said.

What's Next:

After the border deal failed on Wednesday, the Senate voted to begin debating on a deal that excluded border security and solely focused on foreign aid. There will be a vote on Thursday to see if the Senate will move forward with the funding package.

"We will recess until tomorrow and give our Republican colleagues time to figure themselves out," Schumer, a New York Democrat, said on the Senate floor on Wednesday evening. "We'll be coming back tomorrow at noon, and hopefully that will give the Republicans the time they need. We will have this vote tomorrow."

When asked about the new effort of a foreign aid package without border security, Cruz told Newsweek via email on Thursday: "I will not vote for a standalone last Ukraine, I will not vote for additional funding to secure Ukraine's border until we secure our own borders. And that was the position of every single Republican senator just a couple of months ago.

"To be clear, I think it is critically important to defeat Russia and to defeat Putin. I have voted for every Ukraine military funding bill to date. But at this point, what is happening at our southern border is an existential crisis. It is caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats. They want this invasion to happen. I think Senate Republicans should use every bit of leverage we have to force the administration to follow the law."

Biden did show his support for the bipartisan border deal ahead of the vote and when it failed, he blamed former President Donald Trump who vehemently opposed the bill.

Biden said during a closed-door fundraiser in New York City on Wednesday that Republicans were are "walking away because they've got Donald Trump calling and threatening them," according to CNN.

Update 2/8/24, 11:05 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and comment from McConnell and Cruz.