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| Senior Senate Republicans rebuke Ted Cruz for Mitch McConnell 'lie' attack | Senior Senate Republicans rebuke Ted Cruz for Mitch McConnell 'lie' attack |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Senior Senate Republicans lined up on Sunday to rebuke Texas senator Ted Cruz for attacking majority leader Mitch McConnell, in an extraordinary display of intra-party division played out live on the Senate floor. | Senior Senate Republicans lined up on Sunday to rebuke Texas senator Ted Cruz for attacking majority leader Mitch McConnell, in an extraordinary display of intra-party division played out live on the Senate floor. |
| Related: Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz could face off in debate – under Senate rules | Related: Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz could face off in debate – under Senate rules |
| As the Senate met for a rare Sunday session, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and John Cornyn of Texas each rose to counter a stunning floor speech Cruz gave on Friday in which he accused McConnell, of Kentucky, of lying. | As the Senate met for a rare Sunday session, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and John Cornyn of Texas each rose to counter a stunning floor speech Cruz gave on Friday in which he accused McConnell, of Kentucky, of lying. |
| None of them mentioned Cruz by name but the target of their remarks could not have been clearer. | None of them mentioned Cruz by name but the target of their remarks could not have been clearer. |
| “Squabbling and sanctimony may be tolerated in other venues and perhaps on the campaign trail, but they have no place among colleagues in the United States Senate,” said Hatch, the Senate’s president pro tempore. Cruz is running for president. | “Squabbling and sanctimony may be tolerated in other venues and perhaps on the campaign trail, but they have no place among colleagues in the United States Senate,” said Hatch, the Senate’s president pro tempore. Cruz is running for president. |
| “The Senate floor has even become a place where senators have singled out colleagues by name to attack them,” Hatch continued, “... and impugn their character in blatant disregard for Senate rules. | “The Senate floor has even become a place where senators have singled out colleagues by name to attack them,” Hatch continued, “... and impugn their character in blatant disregard for Senate rules. |
| “Such misuses of the Senate floor must not be tolerated.” | “Such misuses of the Senate floor must not be tolerated.” |
| After Hatch spoke, Cruz rose to defend himself for making the accusation that McConnell had lied when he denied striking a deal to allow a vote to revive the federal Export-Import Bank. | After Hatch spoke, Cruz rose to defend himself for making the accusation that McConnell had lied when he denied striking a deal to allow a vote to revive the federal Export-Import Bank. |
| He said he agreed with Hatch’s calls for civility but declared: “Speaking the truth about actions is entirely consistent with civility.” | He said he agreed with Hatch’s calls for civility but declared: “Speaking the truth about actions is entirely consistent with civility.” |
| Around 20 senators of both parties were on the floor to watch some of the speeches. Cruz’s floor speech on Friday had brought nearly unheard-of drama and discord to the chamber. | Around 20 senators of both parties were on the floor to watch some of the speeches. Cruz’s floor speech on Friday had brought nearly unheard-of drama and discord to the chamber. |
| The responses to it were just as remarkable, as senior Republicans united to defend an institution they revere and take down a junior colleague of their own party who has gone from being an occasional nuisance to being a threat to the Senate’s very ability to function with order. | The responses to it were just as remarkable, as senior Republicans united to defend an institution they revere and take down a junior colleague of their own party who has gone from being an occasional nuisance to being a threat to the Senate’s very ability to function with order. |
| Related: Ted Cruz accuses Mitch McConnell of 'flat-out lie' in rare Senate floor attack | Related: Ted Cruz accuses Mitch McConnell of 'flat-out lie' in rare Senate floor attack |
| McConnell said that given support for the Export-Import Bank, no “special deal” was needed to bring it to a vote. | McConnell said that given support for the Export-Import Bank, no “special deal” was needed to bring it to a vote. |
| The little-known bank is a federal agency that helps foreign customers to buy US goods. Conservatives oppose it as corporate welfare and are trying to end it. | The little-known bank is a federal agency that helps foreign customers to buy US goods. Conservatives oppose it as corporate welfare and are trying to end it. |
| The Senate was meeting on Sunday to vote on the bank as well as on a repeal of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act. Both were amendments to a must-pass highway bill that the Senate is trying to complete ahead of a 31 July deadline. | The Senate was meeting on Sunday to vote on the bank as well as on a repeal of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act. Both were amendments to a must-pass highway bill that the Senate is trying to complete ahead of a 31 July deadline. |
| If Congress does not act by then, states will lose money for highway and transit projects in the middle of the summer construction season. | If Congress does not act by then, states will lose money for highway and transit projects in the middle of the summer construction season. |
| On Sunday, by a vote of 67-26, the Senate limited debate on a measure that would reauthorize the bank until September 2019. |