No one outspends Democrats better than Republicans in power.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) criticized Republicans on Wednesday for borrowing and spending trillions of dollars in coronavirus relief legislation.
“It’s funny that people say Washington Republicans and Democrats never compromise and can’t get along,” Paul said during an interview on Fox News. “That’s actually the opposite of the truth. Republicans and Democrats compromise every day of the year to spend money we don’t have.”
Some of the government’s spending this year includes a $1 trillion bill in March and a $2.2 trillion CARES Act in April. The U.S. Treasury Department also announced on Monday it expects to borrow an additional $2 trillion in the remainder of 2020 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday she will settle for a $3.4 trillion stimulus deal this week.
“We’re going to borrow five trillion dollars in five months,” Paul said. “I remember when Republicans complained about George W. Bush borrowing five trillion in eight years. We’re going to borrow five trillion in five months?”
There might be consequences in upcoming elections for Republicans, Paul said. Conservatives or libertarians that vote Republican might vote third party because of the federal government’s borrowing and spending, he added.
“What if conservatives or libertarians that vote Republican decide … ‘You’re acting like democrats. We’re either staying home or voting for a third party,'” Paul said. “You know what? They might just lose this election now because they’re acting like Democrats now.”
Republicans should be forbidden from calling themselves “fiscally conservative,” Paul added.
“They should apologize now to President Obama for complaining that he was spending and borrowing too much,” Paul said. “He was a piker compared to their borrowing that they’re doing now.”
Paul said the U.S. had a “great economy until the government mandated a depression.”
“The only way to fix this government-mandated depression is get rid of the government mandates and let the economy function as it did normally,” Paul said.