Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that if President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” were to “separate out the debt ceiling,” then he would vote in favor of it.
Republican lawmakers have been pushing to secure Trump’s agenda through a reconciliation package, but pushback from some GOP senators, including Paul, has put the current July 4 target deadline in doubt. While discussing his ongoing criticism of the bill, NBC’s Kristen Welker asked if Paul had landed on a firm position.
“I talked to the president last evening after the parade, and we’re trying to get to a better place in our conversations. I’ve let him know that I’m not an absolute no. I can be a yes,” Paul said. “I like the tax cuts. I actually agree with Art Laffer and the supply siders that a lot of times we cut rates.”
“We actually get more revenue, so I don’t have as much trouble with the tax cuts. I think there should be more spending cuts, but if they want my vote, they’ll have to negotiate because I don’t want to vote to raise the debt ceiling $5 trillion,” Paul added. “Congress is awful with money, and so you should give them a more restricted credit line, not an expansive one.”
Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” narrowly passed the House on May 22 by a single vote, with Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio joining Democrats in voting against it.
Since the bill’s push to the Senate, GOP lawmakers have voiced concerns over parts of the package, including provisions pertaining to increasing the debt ceiling, Medicaid reforms and green energy subsidies from the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act.
“Yes, the debt ceiling has to go up, but what I’ve said is it ought to go up three months at a time, and then we should have a renewed debate about the debt,” Paul continued. “We shouldn’t put it up $5 trillion and wait two years, go through another election cycle and be almost towards the end of the Trump administration and say, ‘Oh, whoops, we have added a bunch of debt.’ We should have done better. I think we should keep talking about it.”
Following the bill’s passage through the House, Paul told reporters he would not support the package until the debt ceiling provision is removed, slamming how much it would raise the country’s deficit.
Welker continued to press the lawmaker on what “specifically” he would have done to the package in order to get him to a “yes” vote.
“Separate out the debt ceiling and have a separate vote on it, and I won’t be deciding vote on this. Is this what I tell my supporters? I will be. If I am the deciding vote, they’ll negotiate. If I’m not, they won’t,” Paul said.
“So far, they’ve been sending their attack dogs after me, and that’s not a great persuasion technique,” Paul added. “I will negotiate if they come to me, but they have to be willing to negotiate on the debt ceiling because I’m conservative. I’m not going to no longer be conservative just because the president wants me to vote for something.”
During an interview with Fox News’ Shannon Bream on May 25, Paul called out the GOP for using the “same playbook” as Democrats in their refusal to remove the debt ceiling. However, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson later pushed back on the network, stating that the debt ceiling is a “necessary” part of getting the package through the Senate.
While efforts to get GOP critics behind the package remain tight, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on May 22 that he believes there is a “workable path” to secure the needed votes. With the deadline quickly approaching, Thune can only afford to lose three GOP votes and still get the package to Trump’s desk.
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