Republican Senator Rand Paul says he’ll oppose Trump until $5 trillion national debt hike is scrapped

Senator Rand Paul said on Sunday that he will not support President Trump’s flagship domestic legislation unless a controversial $5 trillion debt ceiling hike is removed.

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Paul said the current plan, known as the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” includes borrowing levels that he refuses to accept. 

“I can’t vote to raise the debt ceiling $5 trillion,” Paul said. “There’s got to be someone left in Washington who thinks debt is wrong and deficits are wrong and wants to go in the other direction.”

According to Fox News, the Senate is now facing pressure from the White House to pass the bill before July 4, following its earlier passage in the House of Representatives. 

Paul has backed parts of the proposal, including tax cuts and some spending reductions, but he’s drawing a line at the size of the proposed debt increase.

Paul blasts Senate plan and offers smaller debt ceiling extension

Paul, a longtime budget hawk, said the current bill is packed with spending cuts that are “wimpy and anemic.” He argued the plan does little to address the country’s massive deficit, which is projected to reach $1.9 trillion this year—almost identical to last year. Speaking to host Shannon Bream, Paul warned that this package repeats the same mistakes that both parties have made for years.

As an alternative, Paul proposed a smaller, short-term debt ceiling hike of $500 billion over three months. He said that approach would force Congress to hold frequent votes on future spending and allow Republicans to demand actual reforms each time. “If you do it for two years … it goes on the back burner and the debt accumulates like it always had,” Paul said. “This is more of the same. This is what the Democrats have always done, and this is the Republicans using the same playbook.”

Paul doesn’t believe this bill is about responsibility. He believes it’s about convenience. “We bring in about $5 trillion in revenue. We spend $7 trillion,” he said. “That’s about what we do. … What we’re really stuck with is the math doesn’t work.” He described the bill’s debt ceiling hike as a move that would allow spending to spiral further out of control without any new guardrails.

Trump wants bill passed by July 4 but Paul says no deal

Trump, who is pushing hard for the Senate to approve the legislation before Independence Day, has described the bill as a “big, beautiful” achievement after weeks of talks among Republican lawmakers. But despite that label, Paul remains unconvinced. He said the debt ceiling provision undermines everything conservatives are supposed to stand for.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who helped shepherd the bill through the House, also said on Fox News that the proposal would not raise federal spending. But Paul fired back, repeating that the cuts in the bill are nowhere near enough to stop the debt from rising.

“I think the cuts currently in the bill are wimpy and anemic,” Paul said. “But I still would support the bill even with wimpy and anemic cuts if they weren’t going to explode the debt.”

Paul also said the only way he could vote yes is if the plan drops the $4 trillion to $5 trillion debt ceiling increase entirely. Without that, he said his vote remains a firm no. “Unless the plan drops its increase to the debt limit, I’m voting no,” he said, closing the door on any deal that includes what he sees as a blank check.

As it stands, Paul’s resistance leaves Trump’s legislative agenda in a tricky spot. If Senate Republicans join Paul in opposing the bill, the timeline for passage could collapse before it reaches the president’s desk.

Paul has made clear he’s not trying to block Trump just for the sake of it. But without serious cuts and a much smaller debt ceiling increase, he says he has no choice.

KEY Difference Wire: the secret tool crypto projects use to get guaranteed media coverage