Ted Cruz votes against amendment that would block Donald Trump's proposed religious test for Muslims

Four Republican senators — including presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — voted against a resolution that affirmed there would be no religious test for people entering the United States. The non-binding amendment was attached to an unrelated security bill and read that, "It is the sense of the Senate that the United States must not bar individuals from entering into the United States based on their religion, as such action would be contrary to the fundamental principles on which this Nation was founded."

Cruz did not attend the meeting, so it was not immediately clear why he opposed the resolution that was aimed at formally rejecting Donald Trump's widely panned plan to bar Muslims from entering the country. However, Cruz hasn't joined the chorus of other candidates in criticizing the ban, having said instead that he "[commends] Donald Trump for standing up and focusing America's attention on the need to secure our borders." According to Politico, "Several Democrats grinned visibly when Cruz's proxy vote of 'no' was cast, with one uttering into a hot mic: 'Ohhh yeah.'"

Nevertheless, the amendment passed 16 to 4, with Republican Sens. David Vitter, Thom Tillis, and Jeff Sessions joining Cruz in opposing it.