Story highlights Ted Cruz was one of the lawmakers blamed for the 2013 shutdown

Susan Collins said she was speechless that he said he opposed shutdowns

Washington (CNN) Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas told reporters on Monday he has "consistently opposed shutdowns," which later led to a response from his Republican colleague Sen. Susan Collins: "I am rendered speechless."

Earlier on Monday, Cruz told reporters he is not for shutting the government down, following a vote to reopen the federal government after its being shuttered nearly three days.

"Look, we shouldn't be shutting the government down. I have consistently opposed shutdowns. In 2013, I said we shouldn't be shutting the government down," Cruz told reporters on Monday."I went to the Senate floor repeatedly asking unanimous consent to reopen the government."

Cruz is widely accused by Democrats and members of his own party of organizing conservative lawmakers to shut down the government in 2013 over a failed plan to defund the Affordable Care Act, though to this day Cruz has disputed that characterization.

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