Things got a little heated on the Senate floor Thursday afternoon as the chamber prepared to vote on two contrasting plans to end the partial government shutdown (both of which ultimately failed).

It all began with remarks from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, making the case for passing a measure to pay members of the Coast Guard.

Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., responded with a floor speech in which he likened Cruz’s concerns to “crocodile tears” and lambasted Republicans for partially shutting down the federal government over funding for what he called a “medieval wall.”

Here’s Bennet’s full tirade:

Sen. Ted Cruz, however, was not about to take Bennett’s rant lying down. He fired back with a passionate rebuttal, seizing on Bennet’s use of the word “medieval.”

“I find it amusing a new adjective has creeped in,” Cruz responded. “It’s medieval wall. “I don’t know if there’s something in there that has a moat and has catapults and they’re throwing burning tar. Medieval wall now.”

“It does raise the question,” Cruz continued. “If walls are medieval, why did the senator from Colorado and every other Democrat in 2013 vote for 350 miles of medieval wall? To the extent walls are medieval, they were presumably were medieval in 2013 just as much as they are now.”

For reference, Senate Democrats not only voted for physical border security, but also to axe chain migration and the visa lottery back in 2013.

But Cruz wasn’t finished. He went on to call out Bennet, who does not represent a border state, for taking to the Senate floor to lecture his colleagues “about what it’s like on the border and what works securing the border.”

You can watch Cruz’s rebuttal here. It starts just after the three-hour mark.

It looks like the federal government will remain partially shut down until 2019 and the 116^th Congress. So what happens when Democrats take over the House on Jan 3 and when Rep. Nancy Pelosi takes the speaker’s gavel as expected? That remains to be seen.

Like the Pentagon, Veterans Affairs, and some other federal agencies, appropriations for the legislative branch were covered in the pair of “minibus” spending packages passed and signed in September. So members of Congress don’t have to worry about showing up to negotiate short-staffed, as with other funding lapses. The 116th Congress will be sworn in Wednesday, and a new speaker will be chosen by members of the House.

Then, members of the Democrat-run House and the Republican-led Senate will have to get to work on figuring out how to fund the remaining portions of the federal government that weren’t covered by those bills. They’ll have a week to deal with it before any federal paychecks are actually impacted. Thanks to a last-minute call made by the Trump administration, federal employees will still get their next paycheck and won’t miss one unless the partial shutdown lasts through January 11.

The next step could play out a few different ways. Republican leadership could play a game of “pin the deal on the donkey” and use the new House speaker as an out to strike an agreement that would have been politically untenable under Republican control – like settling for less money – all the while blaming it on Pelosi.

Then there’s the possibility that the partial shutdown continues until Democratic leadership decides, if ever, to go ahead and cut a deal for the $5 billion in requested wall funding. But that probably would require a very long shutdown first, which is where House Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said he sees things headed on Thursday.

There’s also the option that many fiscal hawks and small-government advocates wouldn’t be the least bit heartbroken to see: Keeping the government partially shut down, as Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, says, “till hell freezes over.”

This funding lapse has already defied the standard script for Washington brinksmanship theater by happening in the first place and by lasting longer than a few hours; what happens next is anybody’s guess.

Entering day five of a partial government shutdown, National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd says he "100 percent supports" President Donald Trump's demands for a border wall, even though Judd is working without pay.

Speaking to KTAR News 92.3 FM Wednesday, Judd explained his support for Trump, who is demanding a down payment of $5 billion for a security wall on the southern border. Democrats have refused to vote for wall funding, and so the government is partially closed until a deal is struck.

Many federal workers, including Judd, are working without pay.

“I’m working for free, so I do have skin in the game,” Judd said. “This is personally impacting me but I do believe walls are so important.

“Border Patrol agents know how important the walls are and how effective walls have been. We need walls, especially as we continue to see the number of illegal aliens crossing the border. We’ve got to put in the physical barriers.”

Physical barriers are proven to be effective in curbing illegal immigration and making the border safer. After a 14-mile stretch of double-layer fencing was constructed in San Diego, Calif., apprehensions of illegal immigrants attempting to cross into the U.S. from Tijuana, Mexico fell 95 percent.

“Walls are extremely important,” Judd said. “They help us do our job.”