Ted Cruz lays out agenda for Republican-led Congress after midterms with repealing Obamacare at the top of the list
- Republicans are all but certain to maintain their edge in the House, but the fate of the Senate still hangs in the balance
- If the GOP does win, it should 'jumpstart the economy, safeguard constitutional liberties, and strengthen our national security,' Cruz said
- The presumed 2016 presidential candidate's list of priorities reads an an awful lot like an abridged manifesto for higher office
If Republicans take control of Congress next month, their first orders of business should be to green light the Keystone pipeline and repeal Obamacare, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says.
Cruz, the vice chair of Senate GOP's campaign arm, made a 10-point pitch for Republicans on Sunday in USA Today and argued that the party should make it their goal to 'jumpstart the economy, safeguard constitutional liberties, and strengthen our national security' if they reclaim the Senate and keep a majority in the House.
Republicans are all but certain to maintain the edge in the lower chamber, but the fate of the Senate still hangs in the balance and as many as 10 seats are still up for grabs.
GOP Sen. Ted Cruz addresses a crowd at a Houston, Texas church last Thursday. The Republican firebrand made a 10-point pitch to Republicans on Sunday that includes a call to action to repeal Obamacare
Though Cruz is second-in-command of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, he is not part of the formal leadership structure in the Senate, and the presumed 2016 presidential candidate's list reads as much like the beginnings of a manifesto for higher office as it does a governing document.
In it Cruz advocates for a 'pro-jobs, growth agenda' and 'fundamental tax reform.' He also makes the case for a balanced budget amendment.
His other priorities include reigning in the Environmental Protection Agency, 'stopping illegal amnesty' and securing the border, blocking the appointment of activist judges, auditing the federal reserve, ending the culture of corruption in Washington, rebuilding the military and repealing Common Core and restoring America's leadership.
Cruz said Republicans should also pass legislation that 'strips American citizens who join ISIL of their U.S. passports against innocent men and women.'
In a nod to his presidential aspirations Cruz also called for the restoration of America's leadership international community.
'We should lead boldly. No Washington games,' he said.
'We will either pass a serious agenda to address the real priorities of the American people — protecting our constitutional rights and pulling us back from the fiscal and economic cliff — or the Democrats will filibuster or veto these bills,' he continued.
'And, if they do so, we will have transparency and accountability for the very next election.'
Cruz is surrounded by well-wishers after he addressed the crowd on Thursday. The freshman senator if expected to announce his intention to seek higher office after the midterm elections conclude
Even if Republicans manage to wrestle control of the Senate away from Democrats they'll still have to contend with the president's veto power. If Obama sends a bill back to Congress the Constitution dictates that only a two-thirds vote in both chambers can override his decision.
Cruz addressed that scenario in his op-ed in USA Today and argued that a presidential veto may be easier to overturn than it would appear at first glance.
'Democratic senators may not be quite so eager to join their 2014 colleagues in losing their jobs over Obama's refusal to listen to the people,' he said in the section on Obamacare.
The Texas Republican argued that even if the GOP is unable to eliminate the president's signature law, it should try to gut as much of it as possible.
'We should pass repeal legislation (forcing an Obama veto), and then pass bill after bill to mitigate the harms of Obamacare,' he said.
'In 2017, I believe a Republican president will repeal Obamacare in its entirety,' he posited.
'n the interim, we should pass positive healthcare reform to start over, allowing the purchase of insurance across state lines, expanding health savings accounts, and making health insurance, personal, portable, and affordable.'
Cruz has not formally announced his intentions to run for president yet but political insiders expect him to throw his hat in the ring sometime later this year or early next year, potentially setting off a messy competition between Texas Gov. Rick Perry to be the state's favorite son.
Perry has indicated several times that he's preparing to run for president for a second time in 2016, having lost the GOP nomination to Mitt Romney during the last election.
At least two dozen other Republicans are also considering presidential campaigns next year. Among them are Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Bush led an ABC News/Washington Post poll released on Sunday with 15 percent of the vote. Paul and Huckabee were close behind with 12 percent and 11 percent of the vote respectively.
No other candidate received double-digit support in the survey, and Cruz ranked in the bottom of the pack, receiving support from just four percent of prospective voters.
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