The Senate on Friday morning advanced its reconciliation bill which aims to advance Trump’s priorities to secure the southern border, unleash domestic energy production, among other priorities, while leaving Trump’s proposed tax plan for the next bill.
The 47th president had endorsed passing one “big beautiful” bill to pass his legislative agenda. Republicans plan to use budgetary reconciliation, an arcane legislative procedure, to pass his tax, energy, and immigration agenda, which allows Trump and congressional Republicans to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Despite Trump’s endorsement, Senate Republicans moved forward with their two-bill strategy and worked into the late hours of Friday morning to advance the bill by voting on a series of amendments to the legislation in what is known as a “vote-a-rama.”
Paul proposed his amendment during this late-night series of voting, which would cut spending by $1.5 trillion.
The Senate, however, rejected the measure 74,26 with many Republicans joining Democrats to block the Kentucky conservative’s measure.
On Thursday, the Bluegrass State senator urged his Republican colleagues to push for more aggressive spending, contending the Senate Republican budget resolution that would raise, not cut, federal spending.
“Americans will pay dearly for Congress’s inability to say no to the welfare and warfare state. It will mean confiscatory tax rates, high inflation, rising interest rates, and a weak economy,” Paul remarked.
He asked if Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader Elon Musk are laser-focused on slashing spending, then why does the Senate not also follow suit.
Paul asked on the Senate floor, “If we were fiscally conservative, why wouldn’t we take the savings from Elon Musk and DOGE and move it over here and help with the border? Why would we be doing a brand new bill to increase spending by $340 billion?”
Paul was the sole Republican vote against the Senate Republican budget resolution.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3
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