Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has called on Republicans in Congress to "use the power of the purse" to fight President Barack Obama’s "lawless and illegal" immigration reform,
The Washington Post reported.
Addressing a crowd of conservative activists outside the Capitol Building, the tea party firebrand said, "Congress should stand up and use the power of the purse to say, 'We will fund the operation of the federal government but we will not allocate taxpayer dollars to lawless and illegal amnesty.'"
Standing alongside Rep. Steve King of Iowa and GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota on Wednesday, Cruz added, "Not one dime can be spent by the federal government without authorization from the Congress of the United States."
Taking turns, the three Republicans attacked the president’s executive action that basically gives amnesty to as many as 5 million illegal immigrants, saying that it will take jobs away from Americans.
GOP Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert also took a turn on the podium, and while speaking to the crowd of 100 people he referred to the Bible in his attack on Obama.
"I’m kind to foreigners," Gohmert said. "You haven’t seen it, but at 2 in the morning I’ve given little children food because I knew they were hungry. But as a government, the highest form of Christianity you can practice is to be impartial. That’s throughout proverbs."
Later, when Cruz spoke to reporters, he derided Democrats for "trying to take advantage of the Hispanic community" and claimed they were using widespread immigration reform as a political tool, the Post reported.
"I’ll point out to members of the Hispanic community that Democrats are very fond of using immigration to campaign in election season, and yet when Democrats controlled the White House, the House of Representatives, and the Senate, they did nothing on immigration," Cruz said.
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