FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Sen. Rand Paul stood by his vote against President Donald Trump's spending bill during stops in central Kentucky, saying the increased spending is "out of whack" and adding to the country's debt.
"They increased spending - Republican increased spending - by $500 billion, more than twice the findings of cuts that DOGE found. This is why it just makes no sense at all that we did this," Paul said.
Paul told the crowd in Georgetown on Friday that he's not comfortable with that math and he's not comfortable adding to the country's debt.
"I truly believe that the number one threat to our national security, and to our country, is actually the debt," said Paul.
His resistance on the bill did not sit well with the President, who criticized him on social media. However, Paul indicated that he has spend time with Trump since the vote.
"It wasn't lightly that I opposed the president. I like him. I played golf with him last week. He was friendlier to me on the course. That still doesn't mean we talked very much, but we did play golf," Paul said.
Paul noted that there are aspects of the bill that he does support, particularly tax cuts that could benefit Kentucky farmers when it comes to expensing equipment.
"A lot of these families are farming families. They have to buy heavy equipment. So, let's say you buy a combine. It's half a million dollars. If you can expense that in a year, it makes it much easier to get going or trying to become profitable or buying another. So, that part of the bill is a great aspect," Paul said.
However, Paul maintains that government overspending is unsustainable.
"Your taxes is about $5 trillion and we spend $7 trillion. Does anybody run their farm or their business that way where you spending 20-25% more than you bring in? You just can't do that. You can't do it for the long term," Paul said.
