Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Thursday that Democrats’ anxiety over a growing progressive movement is stalling what could otherwise be productive bipartisan talks on permitting reform, an issue with clear potential for cross-party cooperation.
“That dynamic is dangerous right now because they are terrified of the extreme left. Finding a middle ground on ideological issues right now is … the prospects for success, particularly between now and election day, are not high,” Cruz said at an energy summit hosted by Club for Growth and Arnold Ventures.
“Schumer is truly terrified right now,” Cruz added, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Cruz’s comments offered a blunt political read on how progressive momentum ahead of the 2026 midterm elections could shape the calculations of more establishment Democrats, particularly those already serving in Congress, as lawmakers weigh whether they can still move on major policy issues before November.
“They’re in the middle of a revolution,” Cruz said. “Their problem is that they’re very driven by their interest groups. They’re captured by their activists.”
The Texas Republican made the remarks during an address at an energy affordability summit hosted by the Club for Growth, a free-market organization that promotes limited government. The gathering focused heavily on permitting reform, one of the few energy policy areas where Republicans and Democrats have found room for agreement.
While lawmakers remain divided over how aggressively to reduce regulations and how far any legislative overhaul should go, speakers at the event argued that cutting bureaucratic red tape could help expand domestic access to American energy projects.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright pointed in particular to regulatory barriers that have slowed the growth of nuclear energy, a power source increasingly drawing support from both Republicans and Democrats as a cleaner alternative outside the traditional fossil fuel debate.
“We have built three new nuclear reactors in like the last 40 years. It went quickly from: we didn’t even know about the technology, to 20% of US electric generation from nuclear reactors,” Wright said.
“We created the Nuclear Regulatory Commission … in the name of safety, no malintent. But since that creation, we’ve built almost no reactors in the United States since. If it’s so uncertain and so long to permit something, it’s just not worth investing in. That’s awful! Nuclear is just an awesome energy technology.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio., stressed that many of the discussions around reform have come down to a matter of practical details.
“There’s a lot of conversations going on not about who’s going to fight with whom or who is going to take credit for it, but rather what is the mechanics of getting it done,” Moreno said at the Club for Growth event.
“When it comes to permitting reform, if we can actually pull this off, Scott, what does it mean? It means lower energy prices for all Americans, us taking better care of our environment, being good stewards for the next generation. Those are worthy goals that should unite all of us, and I’m hopeful that we can get that done,” Moreno said, speaking to conservative political commentator Scott Jennings, a moderator at the event.
Despite a sense of optimism among several speakers — and even from Cruz himself — Cruz warned listeners that progressives already have a very real presence inside the Capitol that casts a shadow on permitting reform and other areas.
“It is not the case that every Senate Democrat is a Marxist or Islamist. What is the case is that every Senate Democrat is terrified of the Marxists and Islamists. Because that’s where the energy is in their party, that’s where the power is, that’s where the money is; it’s where the young people are. I think Mamdani is the single most powerful Democrat in the country,” Cruz said, referring to the socialist mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani.
Since Mamdani, a self-proclaimed socialist, came to power earlier this year, a series of progressive candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) have won key primary races and even toppled veteran incumbents.
A few notable races include New York’s socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier and her victory over incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., the veteran chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Along those lines, Melat Kiros, another socialist in Colorado, unseated 30-year incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo.
With pressures like that, Cruz argued that it’s difficult to find legislators who are willing to separate themselves from progressives.
He believes there isn’t leadership to push back against that progressive momentum.
“Look, Schumer is known for a lot of things but acts of principle and courage are not among them,” Cruz said.
