President Donald Trump slammed Sen. Rand Paul Tuesday, calling the Kentucky Republican’s ideas “crazy (losers!)” after Paul said he would vote “No” on Trump’s massive “One Big Beautiful Bill” that could add $5 trillion to America’s national debt.
“Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him. This is a BIG GROWTH BILL!”
In an earlier post, Trump complained that Paul “has very little understanding of the BBB, especially the tremendous GROWTH that is coming. He loves voting ‘NO’ on everything, he thinks it’s good politics, but it’s not. The BBB is a big WINNER!!!”
While Trump’s frustration is understandable given the need to pass his ambitious agenda quickly, Paul’s stand against runaway deficit spending deserves serious consideration.
Paul fired back on X, saying he won’t be intimidated by Trump’s pressure campaign.
“I want to see the tax cuts made permanent, but I also want to see the $5 trillion in new debt removed from the bill. At least 4 of us in the Senate feel this way,” Paul wrote.
“The math doesn’t add up. I’m not supporting a bill that increases the debt by $5T. I refuse to support maintaining Biden spending levels.”
“I do support President Trump and I support most of the bill. I’m his biggest defender on foreign policy. But at the same time I want conservative government so I have to fight for what I believe in,” he wrote on X.
Speaking to Breitbart News, Paul laid out the devastating fiscal reality that Republicans are ignoring: “That’s a hard place for me as I support much of what’s in the bill, tax cuts, spending cuts, plus more spending cuts if we can get them. But I can’t reconcile myself to adding $5 trillion in debt, raising the debt ceiling.”
Paul’s warnings about the long-term consequences are particularly prescient: “They’re anticipating $5 trillion in two years, and that means next year’s deficit that some people are saying it’s going to grow to over $3 trillion a year again.”
The senator is also thinking strategically about preserving the Department of Government Efficiency’s mission, and said he’s planning for the future: “My fear is that when this bill passes that the ramifications a year out, two years out, will be, ‘My goodness, what happened to DOGE? What happened to the spending cuts? Why is the deficit so big still?'”
Paul isn’t alone in his concerns in the U.S. Senate. Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rick Scott of Florida, and Mike Lee of Utah have also expressed serious reservations about the bill’s fiscal implications. This represents a significant bloc of fiscal conservatives who remember when Republicans actually cared about spending.
The House-passed version increases the debt limit by $4 trillion, while the Senate blueprint calls for a staggering $5 trillion increase. Even supporters admit the bill will add $3-4 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years, despite claims about growth and spending cuts.
Paul’s broader concern is that Republicans are falling into the same trap as Democrats after Obama’s re-election, shying away from intra-party debates on important issues.
“The debt is going to be $2.2 trillion this year and Republicans have largely continued Biden-era spending levels,” he told Breitbart.
Trump and GOP leadership are pushing for passage by July 4, but the Senate’s 53-47 Republican majority means even four defections could derail the bill. This gives Paul and other fiscal hawks significant leverage to demand real spending reforms.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune met with Trump at the White House Monday and claims Republicans are “on track” for their July 4 deadline, but acknowledged the long road ahead as senators work through changes to the House-passed bill.