In an interview with CNN, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) explained his opposition to last week’s debt ceiling vote and why he’s willing to take heat from members of his own party if it means standing on principle.

“I am not going to affirmatively consent to giving [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid the authority to do this because it’s irresponsible, it is selling our nation’s future down the road,” Cruz said. “I would like to see all 45 Republicans stand together and actually do what we tell our constituents.”

>>> Check Out This Video: Politicians Promise Every Year They Won’t Raise the Debt Ceiling, Then Do It Anyway

CNN’s Dana Bash referenced a Wall Street Journal story calling Cruz the “minority maker” for “forcing” Republicans to take tough votes that could hurt their stance for re-election. Cruz’s response: “I don’t work for the party bosses in Washington, I work for 26 million Texans.”

According to Heritage’s Romina Boccia, the Grover M. Hermann Fellow in Federal Budgetary Affairs, suspending the debt limit is essentially giving President Obama a “blank check” for the next year, further increasing the $17 trillion national debt.

Heritage’s chief economist Stephen Moore agrees:

Technically, this allows Congress to spend however much it wants over the next 13 months with no recourse against an election-year spending spree. So it’s Johnny bar the door on new spending in Washington. This is like suspending all the speed limits on the highways.

>>> Read More: Till Debt Do We Part