Cruz Warns Reid Against Using 'Brute Political Power' on Obamacare

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on Sunday called for "party unity" in the days leading up to a vote on the House-passed budget bill that defunds Obamacare.

"Next week is a time for party unity," Cruz said on "Fox News Sunday." "I think next week, all Senate Republicans, I hope, should come together and support the House bill. Senate Republicans should stand united to stop [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid from changing the House bill and, in particular, from inserting the funding for Obamacare with 51 votes. That’s going to be the fight."

Cruz warned against Reid using "brut political power to force Obamacare funding through with just Democrats, exactly the same way he passed the bill three years ago" and said the leader would be "abusing his power" if that is the scenario.

"If the majority's going to run the minority over with a train, the minority has the ability to stop them," he said. "A vote for cloture is a vote for Obamacare." Cloture is a parliamentary procedure by which debate is ended by gaining 60 votes in the Senate and an immediate vote is taken on the matter under discussion.

Cruz is rallying party members to block the procedural move but doesn't know whether he has enough votes to do so because of the risk of a government shutdown.

"The House voted last week to fund the federal government," he said. "If Harry Reid kills that, Harry Reid is responsible for shutting down the government."