Many members of the Congressional Black Caucus were curious why Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) decided to join them on a 20-hour flight to South Africa, but Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) said today that she thinks the time together was productive.

Cruz was the only senator, and one of two Republicans, to join the 22-member congressional delegation to Nelson Mandela’s memorial service last week. Moore noted today on MSNBC’s “Jansing & Co.” that many of the other members, such as Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), had personal connections to the issues from working against apartheid. …

But she also said there were benefits to having him on the trip. ObamaCare was a particular focus of the discussions. “He sort of stuck to his guns about it, but I do think we were able to break through some of the talking points and really challenge them,” Moore said.