'Awkward position': Ted Cruz's quest reportedly gives even Republicans 'consternation

Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-TX) quest to secure broad subpoena power as chair of the Senate Commerce Committee is giving lawmakers pause — including within his party, according to a report.

Most Senate committee chairs have to obtain permission from the ranking member or hold a committee vote to issue a subpoena, according to Bloomberg. However, the chamber's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted to allow its chair, Rand Paul (R-KY) to issue unilateral subpoenas, giving Paul the power to demand documents and witnesses under penalty of contempt without needing such permission.

The Senate Commerce Committee may adopt similar rules, giving Cruz greater investigatory power.

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But his bid to secure such power has faced some "consternation" among Democrats — fearing the move risks damaging bipartisanship — "and even among some Republicans, who worry about giving their colleague so much control," Politico reported Wednesday night.

And that has put Cruz "in an awkward position."

“There were a variety of opinions,” one person, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the situation, told the outlet. “It was to take input.”

Cruz has indicated he plans to target artificial intelligence in his committee, including looking into whether governments censor or manipulate AI models for political gain. But tech billionaires in recent months have cozied up to Trump, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's Tim Cook and X's Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency initiative.

Even so, Republicans in the committee agree Cruz should be able to issue unilateral subpoenas for issues related to illegal immigration and diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs.