Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's attempt to mollify the hardliners in his conference—namely presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Rand Paul—with Monday's vote to defund Planned Parenthood has already proven futile. Now the issue won't go away and it's creating even bigger fissures between Republicans. Next stop, shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has pledged that there will be no shutdowns on his watch, but Sen.