Now That We Have Won, Republicans Will Push to Repeal Obamacare Even if President Obama Vetoes Legislation, Says Senator Ted Cruz
Calling the Republican sweep of the Senate and Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections "another chance" from the people, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the GOP will push for a "complete and total repeal" of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law widely known as "Obamacare."
"The two issues that dominated campaigns this cycle, if you look at what Senate candidates ran on all over the country. The number one issue was stopping Obamacare and the number two issue was stopping President Obama's amnesty," said Cruz in a Fox News interview shortly after the GOP had gained the majority of seats in both the upper and lower houses.
"If Republicans are gonna keep the trust of the people who elected us, we need to deliver on those promises. So with Obamacare, I think we should start by using reconciliation to pass complete and total repeal," he noted.
He further noted that even if President Obama choses to veto legislation to repeal Obamacare, the GOP will work on stripping the law of the most difficult areas.
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"The president will in all likelihood veto that [repeal]. If that happens then we should systematically repeal the most onerous parts of Obamacare. We should pass legislation saying, 'you can't have your insurance cancelled because of Obamacare. You can't lose your doctor because of Obamacare.' We should pass legislation saying, 'you can't be forced into part-time work like so many people especially single-moms have been,'" said Cruz.
"We should pass legislation saying no bail-outs for insurance companies under Obamacare. And force the president to face those single rifle shot repeals and decide whether he's going to listen to the American people or decide to remain an absolute partisan. If he vetoes those bills, I think there is a chance we might get the votes to override those vetoes," he added.
Cruz explained that the strong support of the Republican Party at the polls should also not be seen as a sign of trust but as an opportunity for the party to lead by listening to voters.
"The American people have spoken resoundingly clearly and have said we are not happy with the direction the country is going. They are not happy with the direction, stagnation and malaise and as a result they have risen up and retired Harry Reid as majority leader [in the Senate]," said Cruz.
"Now that we have won the election, it is incumbent on Republicans to stand up and lead. It is incumbent on us to deliver with a bold, positive, optimistic agenda, focused on jobs, economic growth and opportunity, focused on defending our constitutional rights," he said.
"The fact that the people rose up and voted the Democrats out of power doesn't necessarily mean that they trust the Republicans. They have given us another chance, but we've got to earn that trust and the way to earn that trust is to listen to the priorities of the people," warned Cruz.
Cruz who was asked if he is planning a presidential run, said America will have their answer between January and June of 2015 when he believes all the potential candidates will reveal their intentions.
