Harry Reid calls Ted Cruz a ‘schoolyard bully’ over budget battle
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) a “schoolyard bully” during a contentious exchange Monday on the Senate floor.
The two senators battled as Cruz rose to object to Reid’s motion to appoint conferees to a House-Senate budget committee. Cruz said he was concerned that the conference report—which cannot be filibustered—would be used to raise the nation’s debt ceiling.
Senator Ted Cruz
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He asked that Reid amend his motion to go to conference to make out of order any provisions raising taxes or raising the debt ceiling. Reid said Cruz had a chance to amend the Senate budget—which raises $975 billion in new tax revenue from tax reform—when it was considered on the floor.
He said Cruz’s request to eliminate all taxes in a final House-Senate budget was absurd.
“The senator from Texas was on the losing side…now he wants us to adopt the losing side’s view or we cannot go to conference,” Reid said. “My friend from Texas is like a schoolyard bully,” Reid added.
“He pushes everybody around and is losing and instead of playing the game according to the rules, he not only takes the ball home with him, but he changes the rules — that way no one wins except the bully who tries to indicate to people that he has won.”
Cruz, a Tea Party favorite, shot back that “I wasn’t aware we are in the schoolyard.”
Reid cut him off, saying “enough.”
This is the second time Republicans have blocked an effort to go to conference on the budget.
