Why Is Ted Cruz ‘Filibustering?’ Texas Senator Wants To Defund Obamacare

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, got the nation’s attention, at least on Twitter, Tuesday afternoon when he began an attempted filibuster to bring attention to his cause: defunding Obamacare. The Texas Senator wants to defund the president’s Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, and he promised speak in the U.S. Senate until he can no longer do so.

It’s generally known that while Cruz’s exceptionally long speech is not a filibuster, some aren’t sure why he's speaking as if her were giving one. With the 42-year-old trending on Twitter with such hashtags like: #TedCruz, #MakeDCListen, #StandWithCruz. #Obamacare, #KeepCruzing and #DefundObamacare.

The reason his speech isn’t a filibuster is because the Senate is going to vote tomorrow to cut off debate.

[To watch Cruz speak, watch live stream footage here]

Regardless, when the Texas Senator, who was born in Canada, took the Senate Floor he said: “I intend to speak in opposition to Obamacare, I intend to speak in support of defunding Obamacare, until I am no longer able to stand.”

His faux-filibuster has already been controversial, though he’s only been speaking since 2:41 p.m. EST. He compared his critics to those who appeased the Nazis. “I suspect those same pundits who say it can’t be done, if it had been in the 1940s we would have been listening to them. Then they would have made television," he said, as quoted by Think Progress. "They would have gotten beyond carrier pigeons and beyond letters and they would have been on TV and they would have been saying, ‘You cannot defeat the Germans.’”

Cruz has also taken his speech to Twitter, where has Tweeted from the Senate floor to try to stop the funding of Obamacare. The senator’s efforts are only symbolic. However, he has been discussed on on social media, practically nonstop since Tuesday afternoon and is a source of excitement for those who back the Texas politician and his views.