Sen. Rand Paul, who was first elected in 2010 as a one of the original tea party candidates, declared the movement dead on Wednesday, citing a massive budget deal poised for passage Thursday.
“Both parties have deserted, have absolutely and utterly deserted America and show no care and no understanding and no sympathy for the burden of debt they are leaving the taxpayers, the young, the next generation, and the future of our country,” the Kentucky Republican said on the Senate floor. “The very underpinnings of our country are being eroded and threatened by this debt.”
The debt will now grow much larger under the bipartisan deal, which green-lights unfettered federal borrowing until July 31, 2021. The accord also busts federal spending caps, lifting them by 320 billion over the next two fiscal years. Finally, negotiators left out an extension of the 2011 Budget Control Act, which imposed the caps. It expires in two years.
Paul, who will vote against the deal, said it “marks the death of the tea party in America.”
Paul was elected in the 2010 tea party wave that promoted fiscal discipline. Congress mostly raised spending since Paul arrived, despite his efforts to try to force the chamber to employ fiscal discipline.
The national deficit is approaching $1 trillion, while the debt climbed to more than $22 trillion this year.
Paul wants to amend the legislation with extended budget caps, spending cuts, and a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.
Paul is among a group of Senate conservatives who are poised to vote against the caps deal, which has already won House approval. They’ll vote “no” despite President Trump urging them to support it.
The measure bolsters defense spending, but it also raises domestic spending, adding up to the big increase in the caps.
The Senate is likely to vote on the measure Thursday.
