Stop the presses — again.
On Wednesday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) proposed a new bipartisan bill to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): Make birth control available over the counter.
When Ocasio-Cortez tweeted “Birth control should be over-the-counter, pass it on,” the GOP senator responded with “I agree.”
“Perhaps, in addition to the legislation we are already working on together to ban Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, we can team up here as well,” Cruz tweeted. “A simple, clean bill making birth control available over the counter. Interested?”
I agree. Perhaps, in addition to the legislation we are already working on together to ban Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, we can team up here as well. A simple, clean bill making birth control available over the counter. Interested? https://t.co/7kh3kqxN1w
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 12, 2019
Although Cruz is staunchly anti-abortion, the Republican lawmaker has expressed support for contraceptives in the past.
“Now, listen, I have been a conservative my entire life,” Cruz said during a presidential campaign stop in 2015. “I have never met anybody, any conservative, who wants to ban contraceptives. As I noted, Heidi and I, we have two little girls. I’m very glad we don’t have 17.”
This is the second time the conservative lawmaker has floated working on a bipartisan bill with Ocasio-Cortez. In May, he suggested creating a bill to prohibit members of Congress leaving to become corporate lobbyists.
Cruz’s latest tweet echoes the Democratic congresswoman’s proposal for a “straight, clean ban.”
“You’re on,” Cruz responded at the time.
Cruz and Ocasio-Cortez’s offices did not respond to requests for comment.