Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Friday applauded the crowd at the 2015 Values Voter Summit for the announcement that House Speaker John A. Boehner will retire at the end of next month.
“You want to know how much each of you terrify Washington?” Mr. Cruz told the crowd of social conservatives gathered at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. “Yesterday, John Boehner was Speaker of the House.”
Some of the crowd then cheered and applauded.
“Y’all come to town, and somehow that changes,” the 2016 GOP presidential candidate said to cheers. “My only request is: Can you come more often?”
Referring to Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, he said: “Tony, we need to schedule these weekly — once a week.”
Mr. Boehner told colleagues Friday he is resigning from Congress at the end of October.
Mr. Cruz has been a frequent critic of Republican leadership in both the U.S. Senate and in the House, most recently during the debate over defunding Planned Parenthood as lawmakers try to find a way to keep money for the federal government flowing past Sept. 30.
Mr. Cruz said Thursday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, was that chamber’s de facto leader, while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, was the de facto leader of the House.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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