Sen. Rand Paul has vowed to hold up a trillion-dollar “minibus” spending package that needs to be approved by the end of the day on Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown.
When The Hill asked how long he intended to hold it up, the senator shrugged and signaled that he hadn't decided yet.
“I will hold it up primarily because we’re bankrupt, and it’s a terrible idea to keep spending money at this rate,” Paul told the outlet on Wednesday.
“The spending bills before us will lead to a $1.5 trillion deficit for the year. We’re borrowing about $1 trillion every three months. It’s an alarming pace of accumulation of debt,” the Kentucky senator continued.
Sen. Paul added, “My opposition to this will be based on how much” the package would contribute to the U.S. debt.
The total debt already stands at $34.5 trillion, the senator pointed out.
Funding for multiple federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and the State Department, will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Friday if the package is not approved.
“Lawmakers shouldn’t pass bills they haven’t had time to review, debate and amend. Spending bills are no exception. Ignoring this truth has contributed to our $34 trillion national debt,” Lee wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Lawmakers shouldn’t pass bills they haven’t had time to review, debate, and amend.
Spending bills are no exception.
Ignoring this truth has contributed to our $34 trillion national debt.
Please like and share if you agree.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) March 20, 2024
In another post, Lee wrote that nobody has seen the package yet, which is over 1,000 pages long — yet lawmakers are still expected to vote on it. “Prepare to vote on a spending bill (more than 1,000 pages long) on Friday. You can see it Thursday. Maybe.”
This is shameful.
Adults don’t treat other adults like this.
Lawmakers in both political parties should be deeply offended by this rope-a-dope tactic by The Firm™️. https://t.co/lc0WeWMY8M
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) March 20, 2024
It’s Wednesday.
The Firm™️ has a spending bill it wants Congress to pass by Friday.
The Firm™️ has yet to show anyone that bill.
This is a sham legislative process.
Congress should extend current funding to April 12th to give lawmakers time to review, debate & amend the bill.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) March 20, 2024
