Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senator Rand Paul are publicly clashing over the size of spending cuts in President Donald Trump’s latest budget bill. The heated exchange unfolded on Sunday as both Republicans appeared on national television to make their case.
Johnson defended the legislation, calling it the largest spending cut “in the history of planet Earth.” He insisted the bill’s debt ceiling extension is essential to avoid default and economic collapse. “We have to do it,” Johnson said. “There’s no Democrat support, so it has to be part of the reconciliation package.”
Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” passed in the House last week, but it now faces hurdles in the Senate. Paul, a longtime fiscal hawk, said he supports tax cuts and spending reform in theory. However, he blasted the current proposal for offering only “wimpy and anemic” cuts.
Paul warned that the bill’s math doesn’t add up. “They’re going to explode the debt,” he said. “The House is talking about $4 trillion more. The Senate may push it to $5 trillion.”
Speaker Johnson clashes with Rand Paul on how much debt America can afford to carry. Johnson believes raising the limit is unavoidable. Paul strongly disagrees, calling the deficit the greatest national security threat the country faces.
Instead of a long-term ceiling hike, Paul proposed a rolling $500 billion increase every three months. He argued this would force lawmakers to address spending more seriously and keep the debt crisis at the forefront of public debate.
Paul emphasized that someone in Washington must still care about cutting debt. “Deficits are wrong. We need to go in the other direction,” he said.
Despite Johnson’s confidence in Trump’s support and the bill’s importance, Paul’s resistance underscores deep divisions within the Republican Party. Fiscal conservatives remain uneasy about borrowing more while slashing revenue.
Speaker Johnson clashes with Rand Paul again as the bill heads to the Senate, where the final vote remains uncertain.
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