Washington (CNN) – Sen. Kelly Ayotte said Wednesday she hopes her Republican colleague Sen. Ted Cruz doesn't try to hold up a Senate vote to end the government shutdown and raise the debt limit before Thursday's deadline to avoid default.
"It's up to him. I would hope he wouldn't," the New Hampshire Republican said on CNN's "New Day." "Senators can cause to you run out the clock, but what's he trying to gain at this point? I would hope that whatever comes forward, that we would allow a vote on it as soon as possible."
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Cruz was at the forefront of a Republican strategy to tie anti-Obamacare provisions to must-pass spending legislation last month, a strategy Senate Democrats warned they would reject. Ultimately the move led to the ongoing government shutdown, which started taking effect October 1.
Lawmakers are now trying to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling in one package, but as Congress nears Thursday's deadline, it appears increasingly unlikely they will pass legislation in time.
Ayotte, who's been part of a bipartisan group of senators working to reach a deal, said the Obamacare tactic was "an ill-conceived strategy from the beginning, not a winning strategy."
"I don't think it was worth it, that's why I didn't support it," she told CNN's Kate Bolduan.
A spokesman for Cruz tells Dana Bash that he is not commenting on a hypothetical and will not say what he will do until the senator sees a final deal.
Cruz had a dinner meeting Monday night with a group of House conservatives, and discussed the emerging Senate deal and how they may react to it. The Texas Republican has been having conversations and meetings with various House conservatives throughout the impasse - something that has rankled House GOP leaders.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, was at the meeting, which took place at a Tex-Mex restaurant on Capitol Hill called Tortilla Coast, but he didn't reveal too many details about what was discussed at the dinner table.
"I'll say this, he made some strong, good points. He's taken a leadership position on this from a fiscally responsible and constitutional perspective," King said Wednesday on "New Day."
- CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash and Senior Producer Kevin Bohn contributed to this report.