GOP budget hawk Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), one of the three Republicans who voted against President Donald Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), said on Meet the Press this week: “Washington’s spending addiction is out of control. I refused to support the $2T GOP deficit or the $3T Democrat deficit. I don’t want a shutdown, and I’ll support legislation to ensure our troops are paid, but I won’t rubber-stamp reckless budgets from either party.”
Paul added, “America needs diplomacy over endless war, real debate before military action, and fiscal sanity, not $2–3 trillion deficits from either party. I’ll stand with President Trump when he’s right and stand up to government overreach when he’s not.”
Washington’s spending addiction is out of control. I refused to support the $2T GOP deficit or the $3T Democrat deficit.
I don’t want a shutdown, and I’ll support legislation to ensure our troops are paid, but I won’t rubber-stamp reckless budgets from either party. pic.twitter.com/Sgh7uWnYko
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 20, 2025
Having failed to align with MAGA on a number of issues, Paul’s comments are being met with some criticism on social media. As one responder on X replied, “Rand, YOU had all year to put together a balanced budget. The FY2026 budget is due out the same time each and every year. Get the flip to work and start earning that 174k you are getting. We aren’t getting our monies worth with you or most of Congress.”
And while the federal government shutdown continues, Paul is also calling for an audit of the Federal Reserve, a move aligning him with Trump, who has been a fierce critic of the Fed, attacking its board and trying to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook.
According to Paul, “No other government agency wields as much power over our lives as the Fed. They dictate interest rates and manipulate the so-called ‘free market.’ It’s time to remove the cloak of secrecy and audit the Federal Reserve.”
Paul has also introduced the ‘End the Big Bank Bailout Act,’ which he says “would prevent the Fed from paying interest rates to big banks that refuse to lend money to small businesses and American families.” Paul argues that without the interest on deposits, banks would put their money to work in the lending sector.
Note: In September, Paul reintroduced his Six Penny Plan, calling for an annual 6 percent cut across all federal agencies, which Paul says would balance the budget in five years. (Paul first introduced the plan during the first Trump administration in 2017.)