Michael Steele thinks House Speaker John Boehner needs to keep closer tabs on Sen. Ted Cruz.

The former Republican National Committee chairman on Monday poked fun at reports that some House Republicans changed their minds on crucial border legislation last week after meeting with Cruz, the Texas Republican and tea party icon.

“For John Boehner, whenever any of his members says, ‘Hey, I’m about to have pizza and beer with Ted Cruz,’ he should be concerned,” Steele joked. “Really look at the calendar and see if there’s a vote coming up,” he said, adding that Cruz “undermined” GOP leaders.

Steele criticized congressional Republicans for their failure to pass the original House border bill last Thursday, calling it a “sad display” for the GOP.

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“I think it was a very sad display for the party,” Steele said on MSNBC. “I think it showed not just inept but weak leadership.”

Steele said that the new Republican leadership team of Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana “can’t count,” noting the House’s canceled vote on the border bill Thursday after realizing it didn’t have the requisite votes.

Before leaving for recess late Friday, the House GOP passed a modified bill that would fast-track the deportation process for Central American children who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and increase funding for the National Guard.

Steele said that the bill — which has virtually no chance of passing the Senate — didn’t really target the problem in earnest and would hurt Republicans. “You’re not really addressing the issue here that the American people are really concerned about,” he said. “I think this did some damage to the party on the way out the door.”

Last month, Steele predicted there would be backlash from conservatives against McCarthy, a California congressman and ally to ousted former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.