During an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Sen. Ted Cruz was asked why Congress didn't force the issue of border funding when the GOP controlled both the Senate and Congress. | Susan Walsh/AP Photo Congress Ted Cruz: GOP wouldn't have lost the House if border funding had passed

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz claimed Friday that Republicans wouldn't have lost the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections had Congress more aggressively pushed border wall funding earlier, adding that Democrats are only opposed to a barrier along the southern border because they "hate" President Donald Trump.

During an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Cruz was asked why Congress didn't force the issue of border funding when the GOP controlled both the Senate and House.


"I agree with you, we should have done much, much more," he told moderator Rich Lowry, editor of National Review.

Trump recently declared a national emergency after Congress could not come up with a deal that included $5.7 billion for border wall funding — a standoff that had led to the longest government shutdown in history.

But Cruz went on to say that the GOP "won some big, big victories the last two years" and that "we shouldn't lose sight of those." The Texas senator said one of their biggest victories was the 2017 passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Cruz, however, said he also warned his colleagues that the GOP would likely lose one of the chambers and therefore advocated to take up border funding by using budget reconciliation, which allows expedited passage of certain budgetary legislation and is "immune from filibuster."

"If they had taken that advice, if we had had that fight, and you had seen Elizabeth Warren screaming on the Senate floor to stop it, Bernie Sanders pulling what little hair he has out of his head," Cruz said.

"In September, October, and it culminated with Republicans standing together funding and building the wall," he said. "I don't think we would have lost the House of Representatives."

The Texas Republican also bashed what he called the "batcrap crazy" Democrats for opposing a border wall, saying that it's brought on by an "emotional, visceral hate."

"Trump equals wall, we, the Democrats, hate Trump, therefore no wall,” he said. "That's it."