Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is to blame for the fiscal fiasco on Capitol Hill, according to a source close to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

With the debt-limit deadline looming and the House GOP unable to pass its new fiscal plan, Boehner is on the hot seat.

{mosads}Asked how Boehner gets out of this mess, a GOP lawmaker close to Boehner responded, “With a clear, consistent history of what actually happened … to remind everybody we had a grand strategy until Cruz played the stupid card.”

In mid-September, House GOP leadership intended to force the Senate to vote on defunding ObamaCare before passing a temporary funding bill that would have averted the government shutdown.

But that plan didn’t attract enough GOP votes and was shelved.

Pushed by Tea Party lawmakers, Boehner subsequently embraced Cruz’s strategy.

In mid-July, before heading home for a five-week recess, a lawmaker who was worried about Cruz’s strategy on ObamaCare went to Boehner’s office. The GOP member urged the Speaker to “get in front of the issue or else the battle will be set for us,” according to a source.

Boehner didn’t speak out against Cruz’s fiscal game plan, and the senator’s effort gained momentum among GOP voters in August and September.