Sen. Ted Cruz won't rule out another govt shutdown

Catalina Camia | USA TODAY

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says he will "continue to do anything" to derail President Obama's health care law.

"I would do anything, and I will continue to do anything I can, to stop the train wreck that is Obamacare," Cruz told ABC News in an interview that aired Thursday.

Asked specifically by ABC's Jonathan Karl whether he would rule out another government shutdown, Cruz said he wouldn't discuss "future tactical concerns" and stressed the focus shouldn't be on "D.C. politics." Pressed again, Cruz framed his response in terms of his fight against the health care law.

The question of whether the federal government could shut down again is something that will hang out there like a dark cloud, since the deal passed by Congress this week funds the government only through Jan. 15 and the debt limit was raised through Feb. 7.

In a series of interviews Thursday, including with Gannett's(Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., acknowledged the damage done to Republicans during the 16-day shutdown. The Senate Republican leader told The Hill that shutting down the government isn't a winner for the GOP.

"There will not be a government shutdown," McConnell is quoted as saying in The Hill. "I think we have now fully acquainted our new members with what a losing strategy that is."

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