Senate

Paul won’t back GOP budget paving way for ObamaCare repeal

by Jordain Carney - 01/04/17 6:39 PM ET

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that he will vote against a budget resolution that paves the way for lawmakers to repeal ObamaCare.

“The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same,” he said on the floor. “What will be the first order of business for the new Republican majority? To pass a budget that never balances.”

The Senate is expected to vote next week on a shell budget resolution that includes guidelines for repealing the Affordable Care Act.

{mosads}Paul said he couldn’t support the resolution despite assurances from his colleagues that it’s “not really a budget.”

“I was told again and again, swallow it, take it, they’re just numbers,” he said. “If the numbers don’t matter … why don’t we put in numbers that balance?”

Republicans are using a process known as reconciliation to clear the budget through the upper chamber with only 50 votes. With Republicans’ 52 seats, they can only afford to lose one other GOP senator in addition to Paul.

The Kentucky Republican has blasted GOP leadership for weeks, urging for them to negotiate with him on a balanced budget.

He said Wednesday that he will offer an alternative next week that would balance in five years.

“I, for one, will put forward a conservative opposition to the Republican majority’s budget,” he said. “Will there be some agencies that get less money? Yes. But it would force us to go to the government and pick and choose what is good spending what is not good spending.”

Paul told reporters that he would also meet with House Republicans to try to rally support to stop the budget resolution.

He also told reporters that he would likely ultimately support ObamaCare repeal despite advocating this week for repeal and replacement to happen simultaneously.

Under the GOP repeal guidelines, four committees would have until late January to hand over their repeal proposals.

Tags Rand Paul