Ted Cruz Talks Government Shutdown, No Kings Rallies

Summary

Bloomberg Talks: Ted Cruz Talks Government Shutdown, No Kings Rallies

Date: October 20, 2025
Host: Julie (Bloomberg)
Guest: Senator Ted Cruz

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, on the 20th day of the government shutdown. Topics include the ongoing political stalemate, the impact on federal workers (especially at airports), the mass “No Kings” rallies over the weekend, allegations of manufactured protests, rising political polarization and rhetoric, free speech and “jawboning,” and NASA’s Artemis program in the context of U.S.-China competition.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Government Shutdown and Aviation Impact

• Immediate Impacts: Senator Cruz emphasizes the pressures faced by federal workers, particularly TSA agents and air traffic controllers, who are working without pay.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 00:57): “There are 50,000 TSA agents right now who are working with no pay...14,000 air traffic controllers who expected to come into work, but they didn’t get a full paycheck. This needs to end. It’s not right. It’s not fair.”
• Political Stalemate: Cruz asserts Republican unity in efforts to reopen the government and blames Democrats for prolonging the shutdown.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 00:57): “The Democrats keep voting to keep the shutdown going, and it’s irresponsible.”
• Blame and “Hostages”: He traces responsibility to a lack of Democratic votes, characterizing Democrats as “holding...the American people hostage.”

2. Political Dynamics and Shutdown Resolution

• Senate Math: Cruz explains the need for 60 votes to pass funding and the importance of Democratic cross-aisle votes.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 02:14): "In order to fund the government under the Senate rules, you need 60 votes. In the Senate there are only 53 Republicans, which means we need at least seven Democrats."
• Democratic Fears: He suggests Democrats are afraid of backlash from their base, referencing “No Kings” rallies.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 02:14): "...the Democrats were terrified of reopening the government before they saw the radicals. And the phrase I kept hearing was that C.H. Schumer was afraid his head would be on a pike. Metaphorically…"

3. “No Kings” Rallies – Analysis and Skepticism

• Peaceful but Skeptical of Size: Cruz is pleased violence was avoided but doubts the reported turnout figures, citing old video misattributed to the event.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 04:10): "I was glad that there were not significant acts of violence. That’s certainly a positive development...I'm a little skeptical about [the total number]."
• Claims of Astroturfing: He characterizes the protests as manufactured, not organic, and attributes funding to organizations allegedly backed by George Soros.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 04:10): “This protest was not organic...this is also bought and paid for...George Soros foundation has given millions to Indivisible, one of the lead groups organizing these protests.”
• Democratic Anger as a Mobilizing Force: He claims the protests primarily reflect “Democrat rage” directed at Donald Trump.

4. Republican Strategy for 2026 Midterms

• Importance of Taking Opposition Seriously: Cruz cautions Republicans not to dismiss the movement, drawing a parallel with the Tea Party’s origins.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 06:09): “Unquestionably we should take political peril seriously...it's dangerous. And I’m telling my colleagues, look, if the election in 2026 depends on results, I think we have a lot to campaign on.”
• Fundraising Disparities: Notes Democrats' fundraising advantage due to energized base.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 06:09): “In terms of fundraising, the Democrats are raising a lot more money because their radicals hate Trump so much and look angry, energized voters show up to vote.”

5. Political Rhetoric, Violence, and Free Speech

• “Jawboning” and Free Speech: Cruz introduces bipartisan concerns about government pressure on media and tech companies (“jawboning”), referencing his proposed legislation to counteract it.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 08:26): “...when this FCC mentioned that as a possibility, I thought it was important to say, look, government should not be in the business of censoring, whether I agree with the speaker or not.”
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 09:19): “I’m introducing legislation, jawboning legislation that would...make it illegal for the federal government to do what the Biden administration did widely, which is pressure private organizations, pressure Big Tech to engage in censorship.”
• Press Freedoms Across Parties: He recounts his opposition to attempts by both Democratic and Republican administrations to pressure or de-license media outlets.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 08:26): “I led the fight to say, no, just because you don’t like what Fox News is saying, the federal government doesn’t get to strip their license away.”

6. NASA, Artemis Program, and the New Space Race

• Competition with China: Expresses concern about Chinese lunar ambitions and asserts U.S. must lead in space exploration.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 10:18): “There’s a unifying theme...and that is producing jobs and beating China. And we need to beat China going to the moon. China has stated they intend to go to the moon by 2030. And we cannot lose the race to the moon.”
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 11:00): “If we wake up in a few years and see China on the moon...I think it would be a blow to America that would make Sputnik seem mild.”
• Support for Sean Duffy at NASA: Praises current acting administrator Sean Duffy for his commitment to the Artemis mission.
  • Quote (Senator Cruz, 10:18): “I think Sean Duffy is doing a fantastic job as the acting administrator. He’s really dived into the role.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the shutdown’s emotional toll:
  “It’s not right. It’s not fair. And I think Democrats are holding not only the US Government hostage, but holding the American people hostage.” — Ted Cruz [00:57]

• On the nature of the protests:
  “They're almost all old white people. They're basically boomers in Mass. Which was fairly amazing.” — Ted Cruz [04:10]

• On political mobilization:
  “Elections can be dangerous when one side is mobilized, is angry. I'll tell you, in terms of fundraising, the Democrats are raising a lot more money because their radicals hate Trump so much…” — Ted Cruz [06:09]

• On pressuring media & Big Tech:
  “Government should not be in the business of censoring, whether I agree with the speaker or not.” — Ted Cruz [08:26]

• On the new lunar race:
  “If we wake up in a few years and see China on the moon...I think it would be a blow to America that would make Sputnik seem mild.” — Ted Cruz [11:00]

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Timeline & Timestamps

• 00:22 – Introduction to shutdown crisis and Cruz’s Capitol Hill perspective
• 00:57–02:14 – Cruz describes airport impacts, blames Democrats, insists shutdown must end
• 02:14–03:48 – Explains Senate math, partisan divisions, anecdote on “No Kings” rally pressure
• 04:10–05:54 – Assessment of “No Kings” rallies: skepticism, peaceful nature, charges of astroturfing
• 06:09–07:42 – Republican risk assessment, energy on the political left, campaign implications for 2026
• 08:09–09:54 – Free speech, government ‘jawboning’, new legislation and previous FCC controversies
• 10:18–11:54 – NASA, Artemis program funding, U.S.-China lunar rivalry, praise for NASA leadership

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Summary

This episode offers a sharp, vivid picture of the shut-down’s real-world effects, a candid account of political maneuvering and protest organization, and a window into Senator Cruz’s policy thinking on technology, space, and free speech. Cruz’s language is forceful and unapologetically partisan, blending warnings about Democratic mobilization with appeals to Republican achievement. He closes with a patriotic call to action on NASA and the new space race, underscoring U.S. technological and geopolitical leadership.

Transcript

[Indiana University Announcer]

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[Senator Ted Cruz]

Bloomberg Audio Studios Podcasts Radio.

[Interviewer Julie]

News as we now enter day 20, yes, of this government shutdown, with each side still playing the blame game. This morning, though, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said the House is going to have to look very closely at stronger measures, as he put it, if the government shutdown does not end this week. Earlier today, we got an inside perspective from Capitol Hill when we sat down with Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, of course, chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, talked about the state of the shutdown, the no Kings rallies over the weekend, and more started by asking him if trouble at the nation's airports will be the factor that ends this shutdown.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

This shutdown needs to end and it needs to end now. We're going to vote today, I think the 11th or 12th time to reopen the government. The Republicans are all aligned. I'm going to vote to reopen the government. What we've seen over and over again is the Democrats keep voting to keep the shutdown going, and it's irresponsible. And you know, I was at Houston's Hobby Airport a couple of days ago. I did a press conference there where I pointed out there are 50,000 TSA agents right now who are working with no pay. They didn't get a full paycheck in the last pay period. There are 14,000 air traffic controllers who expected to come into work, but they didn't get a full paycheck. And this needs to end. It's not right. It's not fair. And I think Democrats are holding not only the US Government hostage, but holding the American people hostage. And we're already seeing delays climbing. And I got to say, every day this goes on, I think we can expect more and more of that at some point. The Democrats need to take their Trump derangement syndrome and set it aside and let the government open.

[Interviewer Follow-up]

Senator, I do have to say, though, you just talked about Americans who are waiting on this. Some Americans likely aren't concerned, whether it's the Democrats or the Republicans who are responsible. So for those or those not getting paychecks, you know, what do you say to them after this has gone on for so long?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, look, one of the challenges in terms of predicting when this is going to end, before you and I sat down, you asked, all right, when's this going to be Over. And I said, I don't know because in many ways the two parties are living in parallel worlds. And I think for the Democrats, they're in an echo chamber where they're listening to their left wing radicals who are happy. Look, last week it was conventional wisdom in the Senate that there was no chance the government would reopen last week. Why? Because the so called no Kings rallies were going to happen this weekend and the Democrats were terrified of reopening the government before they saw the radicals. And the phrase I kept hearing was that C.H. schumer was afraid his head would be on a pike. Metaphorically, not, not advocating violence, but he was afraid of his own left wing radicals. Right. Now listen, the way this is going to end is it's going to take seven or eight Democrats saying, all right, this stunt's gone on long enough, let's end it. And the reason the government is shut down, It's a very simple question of math. In order to fund the government under the Senate rules, you need 60 votes. In the Senate there are only 53 Republicans, which means we need at least seven Democrats. The reason the government is shut down right now is the Democrats are voting party line. All but three Democrats. Three, three Democrats are voting with us to reopen the government. Everyone else is voting no. Until the Democrats give us seven or eight votes, the government will stay shut down. And I don't know if that's a day, I don't know if that's a week, I don't know if that's a month. But at some point this stunt needs to end.

[Interviewer Julie]

You wonder if we get as far as Thanksgiving. That CR was dated for the 21st, but that's the big travel weekend I had in mind when I asked you mentioned no Kings. Pretty incredible optics from over the weekend and the number of cities involved. Were told that it was some 7 million people. And I know that there was a lot of talk and concern ahead of these that there might be rioting, that violence could break out. Were you encouraged to see them be peaceful?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Listen, I was glad that there were not significant acts of violence. That's certainly a positive development. We've seen other rallies, the Black Lives Matter and antifa rallies that turned into violent riots that involved resulted in a lot of people being injured, stores looted, police cars, firebomb. During COVID During COVID So I was grateful that these did not play out that way. I got to tell you that the total number there I'm a little skeptical about. I think those, those estimates are coming from the organizers and we've at least seen, you know, up in Boston, Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren tweeted out this incredible video of a ton of people gathered and said, look at all the people that came out for no Kings. The only problem is the video she sent out was from 2017, not from now. So I'm skeptical as to the numbers. I'll tell you though, look what I am have been laying out. This protest was not organic. Actually, my podcast today, I do do a podcast every week. Verdict with Ted Cruz. Today's podcast is actually bringing the receipts that these protests, they were not organic. One of the things that was striking is they were almost all old white people. They're basically boomers in Mass. Which was fairly amazing. But this is also bought and paid for. This is Astroturf and in particular George Soros. I lay out on the podcast how George Soros foundation has given millions to Indivisible, one of the lead groups organizing these protests. And this is, this is bought and paid for in a way. Look, these protests are really expressing the Democrat rage. We hate Donald Trump. And sadly, that's who today's Democrat Party is in Congress.

[Interviewer Follow-up]

So Senator, if you're saying they're bought and paid for, I mean, don't. Do you think this is something, though, Republicans need to take seriously? If you remember the beginning of the Tea Party, when that wasn't necessarily taken all that seriously. So how should you approach these?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, unquestionably we should take political peril seriously. Number one, I think it's bad for America when one of our two major political parties has gotten so extreme and radical the way the Democrats are. I mean, they're a party that is unified behind hate for Donald Trump. But, but number two, politically, in terms of the midterms in 2026, it's dangerous. And I'm telling my colleagues, look, if the election in 2026 depends on results, I think we have a lot to campaign on. Whether it is securing the border and seeing illegal border crossings drop 99%, whether is ending wars and President Trump negotiating the deal to release the hostages that Hamas had taken, or whether it is the economy and the record amount of money being invested, new factories and new jobs in the United States. I think substantively, Republicans have a lot to campaign on. That being said, and you're exactly right, Julie, there is a lot of energy, there is a lot of anger on the left. And elections can be dangerous when one side is mobilized, is angry. I'll tell you, in terms of fundraising, the Democrats are raising a lot more money because their radicals hate Trump so much and look angry, energized voters show up to vote. And I do worry about just ordinary voters who are happy or complacent who say, gosh, Trump won. Things are good. I don't need to show up and vote. There's no doubt if one side shows up and the other doesn't, that that leads to a bad election.

[Interviewer Julie]

Well, I know that you're very concerned about political rhetoric in this country and political violence. The comments that you made following the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel made some pretty heavy rounds because you were seen as a bit of a contrarian in that case. And you've got a piece of legislation, a jawboning bill that's up before the Senate right now is that, you know, you look at the different ends of the political spectrum and they come around eventually. Is that a different version of a no Kings bill?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

No, look, I think it's very different. Let's be real clear. I believe in free speech.

[Interviewer Julie]

It was Donald Trump, though, who led to Jimmy Kimmel coming off the air, and you were the one who called him out.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, to be fair, it wasn't Donald Trump. It was Brendan Carr, the chairman of the.

[Interviewer Julie]

And I realized there were ratings issues and everything else, but do you see the connection I'm trying to make?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, listen, listen. I disagreed with, with Brendan Carr's comments, and I actually did an entire podcast laying out that. That government should not be threatening to strip the license away from a media outlet to remove someone they dislike. Now, to be clear, it wasn't Brendan Carr who invented. Invented this process. During the Biden administration, the Biden FCC was, was talking about stripping away Fox News license. And by the way, I led the fight against that. I'm the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the fcc. And I led the fight to say, no, just because you don't like what Fox News is saying, the federal government doesn't get to strip their license away. And so when this FCC mentioned that as a possibility, I thought it was important to say, look, government should not be in the business of censoring, whether I agree with the speaker or not. And so I'm introducing legislation, jawboning legislation that would, number one, make it illegal for the federal government to do what the Biden administration did widely, which is pressure private organizations, pressure Big Tech to engage in censorship. But it also will create a right of action, an ability to sue. If the government pressures. If the government jawbones Big Tech or a media organization to censor someone, it creates damages or a right to seek damages for someone who's been censored because I think we should protect free speech whether we agree with or disagree with the speaker.

[Interviewer Julie]

Well, it's interesting. We talk about licenses too. And of course that's a pretty small slice of the media landscape, the political media landscape with cable news and everything else going on right now. But I have to ask you about NASA. We're spending a lot of time on your Commerce Committee here. Bloomberg is reporting. And we heard from Sean Duffy earlier today that the Artemis contract may be going up for bid, that there might be other companies other than Space X involved here. Is that the answer that's needed to finally get America back to the moon?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, listen, I don't know what NASA is going to going to do. I will say I think Sean Duffy is doing a fantastic job as the acting administrator. He's really dived into the role. And NASA, look, NASA is something that is near and dear to my heart. For the last 13 years, almost every single major piece of space related legislation that's passed into law, I've either authored or co authored it. And being a lifelong Houstonian, Johnson Space center is right there. It matters enormously to Houston, it matters to Texas, and it matters to the whole country. One of the most important parts of the one big beautiful bill that Donald Trump signed Into law on the 4th of July is a provision that I wrote that funds $10 billion for NASA to go back to the moon. And it funds Artemis, it funds going back to the moon. And we're in a race. Look, there's a unifying theme behind all of the legislation that I'm fighting for in the Commerce Committee and that is producing jobs and beating China. And we need to beat China going to the moon. China has stated they intend to go to the moon by 2030. And we cannot lose the race to the moon. In my view, if we wake up in a few years and see China on the moon, see China establishing a base on the moon, I think it would be a blow to America that would make Sputnik seem mild. And I'm going to do everything humanly possible to prevent that from happening. And I will say Sean Duffy at dinner with Sean last week, I think he really is diving in and is committed. We will go to the moon and we will beat China. That is very good for America.

[Interviewer Follow-up]

And that was Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas speaking with us earlier this afternoon.

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