Senator Rand Paul is BUDGET-SHAMING Republicans for their clamoring and applauding for more spending. And he’s right. And he’s blocking the vote on the budget over it.

Watch below:

He says he’s gonna keep it up until three in the morning.

From USA Today:

Sen. Rand Paul, a conservative Kentucky Republican and one-time presidential contender, temporarily blocked a Senate vote on a sweeping bipartisan budget deal on Thursday — a move that could force Congress to miss a midnight funding deadline and trigger a partial government shutdown. The bipartisan budget deal would lift strict budget caps and pave the way for lawmakers to spend an extra $300 billion over the next two years on defense and domestic programs. It seemed poised to easily clear the Senate — until Thursday afternoon. That’s when Paul objected and said he would only allow the budget bill to advance if GOP leaders gave him a vote on an amendment to restore the budget caps, set in 2011 to rein in deficit spending. If Paul got an amendment, then every senator would want one. And if any amendment passed, it would blow up the budget agreement. “All Senator Rand Paul is asking for is a 15-minute vote on his amendment to restore the budget caps,” Paul’s spokesman, Sergio Gor, said in an email Thursday. “He is ready to proceed at any time.”







Yes, there’s some grandstanding here, and he won’t succeed in stopping this, but I’m glad there’s at least one conservative who is still principled on lowering federal spending – I wish there were more.

Here’s more about his budget blockade from an earlier post.

Update:

RAND PAUL HAS SUCCEEDED.

BREAKING: Congress to miss midnight shutdown deadline as Senate recesses until 12:01 a.m. Friday. — The Associated Press (@AP) February 9, 2018

WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE:

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is telling agencies to prepare for a lapse in federal funding ahead of a possible government shutdown as Congress attempts to pass a two-year budget deal. “The Office of Management and Budget is currently preparing for a lapse in appropriations,” an agency official said Thursday night, according to Reuters. “As we stated earlier today, we support the Bipartisan Budget Act and urge Congress to send it to the President’s desk without delay.” Man this sucks. I barely survived the last government shutdown holocaust… what are the chances I’ll survive this one too?!?! Lame.