Tempers flare: Sens. Cruz, Bennet in fiery shutdown showdown on Senate floor

The lawmakers got personal — and loud — as they battled over who did what in past and present government closures.

By Dartunorro Clark @ NBCNews.com, Jan. 24 3:36 pm, WITH VIDEO

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sparred with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., in a fiery exchange on the Senate floor as lawmakers dueled over reopening the government as the shutdown reached its 34th day.

Bennet took to the Senate floor to excoriate Cruz after the Texas lawmaker delivered remarks lamenting unpaid first responders as a result of the shutdown."These crocodile tears that the Senator from Texas is crying for first responders are too hard for me to take," Bennet said, before he raised his voice in anger. "They're too hard for me to take because when the Senator from Texas shut this government in 2013 my state was flooded, it was underwater people were killed people’s houses were destroyed, their small businesses were ruined forever." [....]

Also adding a cross link to excerpts from the WaPo scoop about Mitch's fun luncheon on NCD's thread.