Cruz Says Republican Government Shutdown Was “Absolutely” Worth It

Asked by Fox News anchor Chris Wallace about whether the Republican government shutdown over Republicans’ obsession with repealing the Affordable Care Act was “worth it,” Sen. Ted Cruz had a surprising response, according to The Hill:

“Absolutely.”

Well, we here in the Democratic Whip Press Shop have some follow up questions for Senator Cruz:

• Was it worth  costing the economy $2 to $6 billion in lost economic output?
• Was it worth shaving at least 0.6% off of annualized fourth-quarter 2013 GDP growth?
• Was it worth $450,000 a day in lost government revenue due to National Parks closures?
• Was it worth costing the economy $160 million per weekday from furloughed workers?
• Was it worth putting Americans’ health at risk because employees at the Centers for Disease Control were furloughed?
• Was it worth delaying small business loans processing and approval?

We don’t think so, and a look at recent poll numbers shows that Americans don’t either.