Paul says he won’t vote for spending bill that adds to deficit

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he will not vote for an end-of-year spending bill that adds to the deficit.

“I cannot in good conscience vote to add more to the already massive $20 trillion debt. I promised Kentucky to vote against reckless, deficit spending and I will do just that,” Paul said in a tweet accompanied by a video of him speaking about the subject.

His announcement comes as lawmakers have until Dec. 22 to pass a bill to keep the government’s lights on into the new year.

{mosads}President Trump last week signed a stopgap bill that prevented a government shutdown, but lawmakers have yet to reach a long-term spending deal to fund the government.

“The end-of-the-year spending bill will continue spending money like there’s no tomorrow,” Paul says in the video. 

Paul, who voted for the Senate’s tax overhaul earlier this month, said he will vote against “any budget busting spending bill.”

The Kentucky senator in an op-ed last month admitted the Senate’s tax legislation is “not perfect,” but said he will support a bill “as long as it is a real cut.”

A previous analysis of Senate legislation estimated that it would add roughly $1 trillion to the deficit over 10 years.

In a follow-up tweet Tuesday, Paul defended his remarks about not voting for an end-of-year spending bill that adds to the deficit.

Tax cuts — people keeping more of their money — are never the problem. The problem is spending. We should obey our rules, stop the deficit spending, and shrink government.

— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 12, 2017