This is more an indictment of the Senate GOP leadership than Ted Cruz. Asking the Congress exercise Constitutional power of the purse is not exactly radical.
it is when it's an unconstitutional use of power to attack an organization the majority of Americans favor finding.
First, please elaborate on "unconstitutional." Second, please cite me a poll showing majority support for funding planned parenthood where the question was phrased as including abortion services. The media gets the polling results it wants by glossing over PP's primary service, describing PP as providing "women's health services" and "contraception."
well that's the part being federally funded so....
And that's no doubt how the media excuses its misleading poll questions. But of course, it's a blatant fiction that federal funds are not being used to support abortion just because the group keeps two sets of books. It is no different than trying to argue that money to Palestine is only for food and medicine - not rockets. Money is fungible. Subsidizing one function simply frees up additional money for the other.
Imagine loaning money to a friend who has fallen on hard times, and then discovering him in a casino. It's ok, he assures you, because he's not spending your money at the casino. You're just subsidizing his food and rent so he can spend his other money at the casino!