A top Republican known for his conservative fiscal policy says he is against the U.S. government spending money it cannot repay to bail out those negatively affected by the coronavirus.
Speaking to a masked C-SPAN reporter, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul reiterated his position on spending, saying he’s against borrowing from China to fund another round of economic relief for small businesses underwater because of the coronavirus.
“As far as any more relief, though, there is no money,” Paul said. “There’s no rainy day fund. There’s no savings. I mean, there really is no money. It means we’d have to borrow money from China and other countries, and I’m not for spending more money that we don’t have.”
On March 26, Senate lawmakers passed the $2 trillion economic relief package known as the CARES Act, which aimed at softening the blow to companies and small businesses across the United States. The massive relief bill came after members of Congress and market analysts urged action for months to decrease the national debt which today stands at $24 trillion.
Congress was forced into action again in mid-April when $350 billion that was set aside for the small business loans program ran out of money. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said his office is reviewing applicants after critics noted that many large-scale businesses took money from the fund, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Harvard University, and Shake Shack.
Paul, a noted big government skeptic, tested positive for the coronavirus in late March and made a full recovery at his home in Kentucky. After testing negative weeks later, Paul, who is a physician by trade, volunteered his services at a local hospital in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Paul refused to wear a mask during today’s legislative session and asked the reporter to enunciate her words more clearly because the mask made it difficult to understand her question.
“Of all the people you’ll meet here, I’m about the only safe person in Washington,” Paul told reporters outside the Senate. “I’ve already had (the) virus, so I can’t get it again and can’t give it to anybody.”
