Sen. Ted Cruz at the Heritage 2015 Conservative Policy Summit

thank you very much Jim thank each of you for having me here good afternoon on this cold when

every day in Washington these are extraordinary times is a remarkable times you know just last week walking down the hallway in the capital I

ran into a janitor carrying a screwdriver coming to change the sign on Harry Reid's door nnj

mn and I'll tell you with all great change there's usually foreshadow you

know one of the first signs Gemma suddenly the democratic senators were nice to us dnmt

they were looking ahead to election day and you'd be on the elevator hate what great Tydeus have

you lost weight you're looking sharp like okay so contemplating losing that chairman's gavel are you it

embrace of Republicans the election was not an embrace one part instead the election my

view was the voters roundly repudiated the path we're on this was an election in which the voters said less than the Obama economy in

any work and we want something different we want real leadership I'm gonna say Republicans have an opportunity an incredible opportunity we

have been once again entrusted with leadership in Congress and I want to say thank you to heritage action for hosting this event because

I understand this event the core focus is you got a majority what he going to do it and you know there's a division of thought in

things done oddly enough the people saying that it doesn't really matter what those things are there were voices who will say if

you stand for anything significant but has electoral risk I mean the last two years people said that her no Republican she shouldn't stand

still shouldn't stand and fight you don't have sixty you know what if we had one sixty seats in the Senate you hear the voices say whatever

done a different way to govern and a different way to win elections yes and I very much agree with present president Ronald Reagan who said the Republican Party is not a

fraternal order it's not simply about paddling around with guys in red sweaters instead of blue sweaters it

is a movement unified around a share set of ideals liberty the constitution and

constitutional that and so what I would encourage my friends my colleagues in the Republican Party in the Senate and the house is

something very very simple stand up and lead let's lead with a big bold positive agenda that

says to the American people you had a referendum and you rejected the Obama agenda there

is a better that's our opportunity I'll tell you or all the Republicans intoning

we must get things done if we simply settle into business and as usual in this town and

smear of individual liberty we will demoralize the millions of men and women who came out in November and gave Republicans the biggest majority in the house since the nineteen twenty not

only will we not when elections will get walloped and will deserve to get while what I would urge my colleagues to do is very very simple you know it's the advice lot