September 30, 2015 5:51 PM

Sen. Cornyn says Cruz tactics would set the pro-life movement backward

“The conclusion of many, including myself and many folks in the pro-life community, was that associating the Planned Parenthood issue with the whole pro-life debate on a tactic that was destined to fail was just not a good one.”

Sen. Ted Cruz’s attempt to shut down the federal government over the issue of funding Planned Parenthood was “a tactic destined to fail,” U.S. Senator John Cornyn told reporters on a conference call this afternoon.

An 11^th hour vote in the U.S. House, late Wednesday, will keep the federal government open until December. Cornyn, as a member of the Senate leadership team, was a part of that decision, which Cruz roundly criticized in an hour-long floor speech on Monday, castigating Republican leaders for a lack of conviction. Still, Cruz’s colleagues blocked him from putting the Planned Parenthood issue on the table.

After the vote, even former ally Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, was saying Cruz had gone too far in his bid to be the Republican presidential nominee. Paul, who is also running for the nomination, suggested Cruz was “done” in terms of finding allies in the chamber for legislation. Cornyn, asked to comment, did not call out Cruz by name but noted the contested Republican primary had led to candidates going to any lengths to disassociate themselves from Congress.

By Kimberly Reeves