Senator Ted Cruz of Texas says the effort to defund Obamacare has stalled in Congress. “We do not have the votes right now,” he said in an interview with CNN’s State of the Union. But he is confident that a “grassroots tsunami” could prod lawmakers, especially House Republicans, toward his cause.

“The House of Representatives should pass a continuing resolution that funds the federal government in its entirety, every aspect of the federal government, except Obamacare,” Cruz said. “It should explicitly prohibit any funding for Obamacare, mandatory or discretionary.”

When asked whether he will support primary challenges to incumbent Republicans next year, Cruz said he would “likely . . . stay out of all incumbent races,” though he hopes to be involved in Senate contests with open GOP primaries.