GOP senators amused as Ted Cruz seeks to move bill: ‘The foot’s on the other hand’

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has become the subject of much bemusement among his Senate GOP colleagues as he has taken a detour from his role as a conservative rabble-rouser to playing the lead on reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The Texas senator, long known for stirring up trouble for leadership, has suddenly gone in the reverse as he has prodded Republicans against gumming up the works for the last must-pass bill in Congress for months.

But the irony is not lost on lawmakers who have watched Cruz’s mischief up close and personal, especially on government spending battles throughout the years.

“It’s been entertaining to be able to watch,” one Senate Republican told The Hill before quoting the movie “Airplane!” “What’s the old Hollywood joke? ‘The foot’s on the other hand.’” 

Multiple senators told The Hill that Cruz has been on the receiving end of numerous jokes from colleagues during weekly Senate GOP luncheons each of the past two weeks. Most members have given him high marks for his work on the FAA, but can’t help themselves as Cruz tries to keep the bill on track to pass ahead of Friday’s midnight deadline and keep unrelated amendments out of a final bill. 

“Let’s just say he’s taking a lot of ribbing right now in there,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said with a laugh as he stepped out of Wednesday’s lunch to take a call. “Of course, he’s making a pitch that this is different than all the other times when he’s insisted on having amendment votes, because this one was much more transparent. … People are slightly amused by his compliance.” 

As a second Senate Republican put it, Cruz has been frustrated by the last minute-holds and “obstinance” of some members. 

“A lot of times, it’s [been] him. … So he’s getting a little bit of his own medicine,” the member quipped. “It’s a little humorous.” 

Cruz, the top Republican on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has been tasked with completing the deal on the FAA that would reauthorize the program for five years. So after more than a decade of giving leadership headaches and accruing seniority, he’s been put in what has been unfamiliar territory by negotiating what lawmakers have described as a complex package. 

He has also tried to argue that the process and structure of the FAA bill should be a model for further bipartisan negotiations. Cruz said he and Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) went through regular order and had a lengthy markup process, with members on and off the committee winning inclusion of amendments and priorities.

The bill passed through the panel unanimously, putting it in the position it is now. 

Cruz is under particular fire this go-around from members as the FAA bill represents the final attempt for lawmakers to attach their pet priorities, most of them unrelated to aviation and travel, to a must-pass legislative item until the fall and, ironically, the push to fund the government for fiscal 2025. He was, of course, one of the architects of the 16-day government shutdown back in 2013 as conservatives pushed to defund the Affordable Care Act. 

Nevertheless, Cruz is very much in on the laughter, members say. He is widely known in the Senate for his sense of humor. 

“One thing about smart people is — they’re smart,” Cramer said. “I think he gets the joke.”

Cruz told The Hill that during Wednesday’s lunch, one moderate member “was having great joy giving me grief” at the ongoing battle to keep the FAA push on the rails as lawmakers 

“I just laughed and said, ‘I’m not even going to fight back,’” Cruz said in a brief interview.

The massive bipartisan undertaking also comes at an important time for Cruz, as he is up for reelection in November and is staring down a match-up with yet another well-funded House Democrat, Rep. Colin Allred (Texas).

The two-term senator remains a favorite for reelection in the Lone Star State, but he has tried for months to burnish his bipartisan bonafides in order to lock down moderates and cut off any avenue for Allred to replicate the scare provided six years ago by former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas).

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently declared that Democrats were going to pick off the seat despite decades-long struggles by the party in the state and the uphill climb they face. No Democrat has won statewide in Texas since 1994. 

Cruz said he plans to campaign on the FAA bill back home in the coming months. One of the main wins for the state in this package is expected to be a direct flight between Reagan Washington National Airport and San Antonio. Cruz noted that San Antonio is home to a large population of active duty service members and veterans, and that a flight to and from an airport that’s mere steps from the Pentagon would be of great benefit to the state.

Senate GOP leaders readily acknowledge Cruz’s past, given his penchant for giving them agita. However, they concede that he has carried a lot of weight on the FAA front and that being put in that type of position can alter one’s thinking. 

“Sometimes, when you’re in the position of wanting to get an outcome, the legislative process looks slightly different to you than it may at other times,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said, hailing Cruz for “handling a difficult bill with a lot of moving parts.”

“People are having fun with it,” he added with a laugh. “It’s all good-natured humor.”