Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) continued to voice his frustration with Republican colleagues who are considering another massive coronavirus relief package with little regard for the budget, Axios reported.
Congress is working toward another economic stimulus and relief package, and while Republicans have resisted some of the Democrats’ most costly proposals, they appear poised to make some concessions that will drive the cost higher than Paul is comfortable with.
“Republicans and Democrats compromise every day of the year to spend money we don’t have,” Paul said, during an interview on Fox News. “We were already running a trillion dollars short just with our normal budgetary expenses for the year. We added $3 trillion, now they’re talking about another $1-$2 trillion. We’re going to borrow another $5 trillion in five months.
“They might lose this election because they are acting like Democrats now. I am very upset with my colleagues,” Paul continued. “They went eight years. They should apologize now to President Obama for complaining he was spending and borrowing too much. He was a piker compared to their borrowing and what they’re doing now.”
Last month, Paul questioned why Republicans were so eager to send relief money to people who had not even lost their jobs, and said the GOP luncheon to discuss the relief bill was like sitting down with “Bernie Bros,” a reference to supporters of Democratic Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders.
There is an appearance that Republicans are losing ground in negotiations over the bill — an appearance that’s so obvious that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin explicitly addressed it during a Tuesday Senate Republican lunch.
“There were press reports that [White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows] is indecisive and I’m owned by [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi],” Mnuchin said, according to Politico. “I can tell you those reports are false.”
Democrats are operating from a place of power with little risk, Politico reported. They can be rigid in their demands for the bill, knowing that if negotiations drag on too long and Americans suffer in the process, most, if not all, of the blame will fall on President Donald Trump and the Republicans, who are in the unenviable position of fighting to give people less aid.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) plainly called out what he believes is the ultimate goal of the Democrats’ strategy — a Joe Biden win in November.
“Pelosi has made the decision that it is in the political interest of the Democratic Party to have as many people out of work and home and broke as possible because they believe that’s how Joe Biden wins,” Cruz told Politico. “I understand why she’s doing that. I don’t understand why Republicans would facilitate it.”