Rand Paul Only GOP Vote Against Debt Increase

By: Elias J. Atienza

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican to vote against Senate Continuing Resolution 3, (CR ) which would increase the debt by $9.7 trillion over ten years and does not balance the budget. It would also repeal Obamacare, without a replacement plan.

The resolution was passed 51-48 among partisan lines.

Paul slammed the vote, saying that it was the “opposite of the change Republicans promised.”

“As a physician, I cannot wait to repeal Obamacare and replace it with a health care system that relies on freedom to provide quality, comprehensive, and affordable care,” Paul said in a statement. “But putting nearly $10 trillion more in debt on the American people’s backs through a budget that never balances is not the way to get there. It is the exact opposite of the change Republicans promised, and I cannot support it, even as a placeholder.”

Paul expanded on that, saying Kentucky sent him to “put an end to out of control spending.”

“Kentucky sent me to the Senate to put an end to the out-of-control spending. Unfortunately, this new Congress has chosen to continue the status quo. Not only are we not cutting spending, but we are also proposing an increase at an exponential pace. There is no reason we cannot repeal Obamacare and pass a balanced budget at the same time.”

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