Johnny Isakson questions Ted Cruz's strategy on CRomnibus

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga) joined a crowd of GOP senators Saturday who questioned Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) motivation behind the holdup of the CRomnibus bill to fund the federal govement.  Utah Sen. Mike Lee is one of the very few lawmakers supporting Cruz’s actions on this issue.  

”I don’t know what the strategy is, said Isakson on Saturday after cancelling his flight home to Atlanta.

That’s pretty mild compared to words like ”ridiculous, ”counterproductive, and ”miserable that were used by other Republicans in the Senate. Cruz was behind the govement shutdown in 2013 which achieved nothing but kept the lawmakers in Washington over the winter break.  The Texan’s strategy this time around is very similar:  he can’t ultimately stop the passage of the bill or the immigration action that he’s opposing, but the Senators can’t leave Washington until federal funding is all sorted out.

So many Republicans are vocal about their criticism this year because the Senate staying in session longer means that some of President Barack Obama’s nominations, including nine judicial and few executive branch nominees that conservatives oppose, might pass. Next year, the GOP has a majority in both chambers and any controversial nominees are not likely to pass.

Cruz says he’s opposing the CRomnibus because of the funding for Obama’s immigration executive orders that’s included in the bill. Other lawmakers accuse him of seeking the limelight and the attention of the conservative Tea Party activists ahead of his 2016 presidential run. There is no way for Republicans to stop the immigration executive orders because Obama would veto any legislation attempting to do so.

”This reminds me very much of the shutdown last year where the strategy made absolutely no sense and was counterproductive, Maine Sen. Susan Collins said. ”I believe we’re in the same kind of situation today.