Warren to Cruz on Planned Parenthood Fight: Bring it On

Liberal firebrand Elizabeth Warren took to Ted Cruz's home turf Sunday to taunt her U.S. Senate colleague over his high-stakes crusade against Planned Parenthood.

"We will not let Ted Cruz shut down this government over Planned Parenthood! He wants a fight over Planned Parenthood? My answer is, ‘Bring it on, Ted!’" Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said during a speech in Austin, drawing loud applause. 

Cruz is playing a starring role in the charge against Planned Parenthood, whose officials have been captured in a series of undercover videos that raise questions about its practice of letting patients donate fetal tissue for medical research. Planned Parenthood has denied any wrongdoing, but Cruz has not ruled out shutting down the federal government in pursuit of cutting off taxpayer dollars to what he calls an "ongoing criminal enterprise." 

After hitting Cruz, Warren went on to take a shot at another GOP presidential candidate: Donald Trump, the real estate mogul whose inflammatory comments on illegal immigration have roiled the 2016 race.

"No matter what Donald Trump says, we believe that immigration makes this country strong," Warren said. 

As Warren finished her remarks, she spoke personally of her ties to Texas, which include a diploma in 1970 from the University of Houston. She recalled how it only cost $50 a semester to attend the school back then. 

"I grabbed that opportunity, and I held on with both hands," she said, "and that college diploma opened a million doors for me."

Warren was speaking at a fundraiser for the Texas Democratic Party that was closed to reporters, but video was provided by those in attendance. 

Disclosure: Planned Parenthood was a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune in 2011. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.