Ted Cruz says Democrats want a government shutdown

Sen. Ted Cruz said Wednesday he thinks Democrats want a shutdown to appease their base.

“There is a radical left-wing base that right now has the Democrats terrified,” Mr. Cruz said on “Fox & Friends.”

The reason Democrats are so resistant to the idea of putting any funding for the border wall in the spending bill is because they’re trying to control the more radical side of their base, said Mr. Cruz, Texas Republican.

“I think Chuck Schumer and the Democrats want a shutdown,” he continued. “I think they’re trying to provoke a fight.”

But Mr. Cruz said he’s found a new way to fund the border wall without the Democrats’ help. Mr. Cruz introduced the “El Chapo Act,” which would use the assets of drug lord Joaquin Guzman, known as El Chapo, to fund the border wall. Mr. Guzman’s assets are estimated to be around $14 billion.