Rand Paul says he will be a “no” vote on the spending bill

Twitter/@RandPaul

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said on Thursday that he will be voting “no” on a continuing resolution to fund the federal government in light of its failure to cut spending.

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“I’ll be a no vote because I’m not going to vote to continue to put the country further into debt,” Paul said on Fox News.

Right now Washington lawmakers are scrambling to avert a government shutdown by Friday night’s deadline. Enough Republicans are opposing on spending grounds to make an extension difficult, as well as Democrats, many of whom are holding their votes unless immigration reform is included.

Paul’s opposition is rooted in what he believes is fiscal responsibility.

“What I would propose is that we spend money at the same rate we spent it last year,” he added. “If you do that for five years you actually balance the budget within five years.”

Paul said on Twitter that the $20 trillion debt leaves no room for spending that will surpass the current budget caps.

“I think it’s inexcusable,” Paul told Fox News Thursday, referring to exceeding budget caps. “So I’ll be a ‘no’ vote because I won’t vote to continue to put the country further into debt.”

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The senator further promised to introduce a budget point that “says we are breaking our own rules here.”

Paul has frequently opposed what he sees as reckless government spending, arguing that tax cuts should be accompanied by spending cuts. In October, Paul said he wanted to eliminate the $43 billion in funding foreign wars that exceeds the federal budget caps Congress previously agreed to in 2011.

The senator said he was prepared to vote “no” on the GOP budget if congressional leaders refused to cut spending.

“I’ve told them I’m a ‘yes’ if they’ll not exceed the budget caps,” Paul said last year. “If leadership is unwilling to compromise with somebody who is concerned about the debt, then they deserve to lose.”

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