Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), one of the few Republican holdouts against the GOP’s “big, beautiful bill” doubled down on his criticism Tuesday, blasting the massive spending package as “weak.”
“The spending cuts are weak, they’re anemic, and they need to do more,” Paul told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in an interview, as the legislation is being weighed by the Senate. “Nothing in the bill changes the course of the accumulation of debt.”
He is just one of four GOP senators who have voiced skepticism of the bill. Sens. Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Rick Scott (Fla.) have also argued that cuts to the federal share of Medicaid and renewable energy tax breaks included in the megabill, which is full of President Trump’s domestic agenda, are not enough.
Republicans can afford to lose up to three Senate votes to pass the bill.
“I think that if the conservatives will hold strong, the bill could be materially changed for the better, and that means adding in more spending cuts,” Paul told host Rebecca Quick.
The Kentucky Republican also reiterated his desire to consider an increase to the debt ceiling in a separate vote. He suggested incrementally raising the limit as frequently as every three months, rather than every few years.
“If you have an irresponsible teenager and they max out their credit card, you don’t give them more credit. You give them less credit,” he said. “Congress is an irresponsible teenager.”
His comments come a week after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that over the next 10 years, Trump’s spending priorities could increase the national debt by $3.3 trillion. The CBO’s assessment also forecasts a $1.3 trillion cut in federal spending in that time frame.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a federal think tank, predicted that the addition to the debt could be as much as $5 trillion.
The senator’s opposition has frustrated his party’s leaders, who have reportedly looked to sidestep him in negotiations over the bill.
Paul did applaud the bill’s expansion of Trump’s tax cuts, which come to roughly $3.75 trillion.
Significant portions of the House-passed legislation have already been removed or altered since last week after being examined by Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to determine if they could be passed by a simple 51-person majority.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is now hoping to bring the legislation to the floor for a vote before the end of the week. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Thune have been optimistic that Congress can get the bill to Trump’s desk by July 4 — even with the changes.
Paul maintained Tuesday that the bill is still not where it needs to be to get his vote.
“I do believe the bill is going to become less bad, more beautiful,” he said. “But it has a ways to go.”
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