Cruz: Debt Limit Rise Should Be Tied to Budget Cuts

Senator Ted Cruz, a Tea Party favorite who is influential with some House of Representatives conservatives, said on Monday it would be "irresponsible" for Congress to grant President Barack Obama a debt limit increase without also insisting on spending cuts.

Cruz, who spoke to reporters after remarks at the Heritage Foundation think tank, said he hoped House Republicans would not "go down that road" of agreeing to an increase in the government's borrowing authority without demanding measures to rein in long-term deficits.