ROCKWELL CITY, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz is scolding GOP rival Marco Rubio for skipping recent Senate debates — but he isn't using Rubio's name.

Speaking in Iowa Monday, Cruz said he was "proud to lead" the Senate floor debate to block Planned Parenthood from federal funding last month. The effort failed, but Cruz said: "Where were the other candidates?"

Rubio was the only senator running for president who skipped that debate.

Recently, Rubio has come under criticism for missing hearings and Senate votes while campaigning and raising money for his presidential bid. He has defended the absences, saying that electing a Republican president is the best way to ensure the group's federal funding is eliminated.

Cruz is on a three-day trip through Iowa, which holds the leadoff 2016 presidential caucuses.