‘Rand’s Not Gonna Vote for Anything, Ever’: Republican Senator Says Paul Is a Hard ‘No’ on GOP Bill

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) offered a blunt assessment of Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) position on the Republican spending bill currently being considered by the Senate.

Last week, the House narrowly passed a major spending bill that would extend the 2017 tax cuts while cutting Medicaid to help offset some of the costs. Still, the Congressional Budget Office said if enacted, the legislation will result in an “increase in the federal deficit of $3.8 trillion attributable to tax changes, including extending provisions of the 2017 tax act.”

That figure is a nonstarter for Paul, a longtime deficit hawk who has railed against the bill.

Kennedy appeared on Tuesday’s Kudlow on Fox Business, where he was asked to give an update on where matters stand.

“We’ll end up passing something. I don’t know what that something will look like,” Kennedy said. “We do need to work towards spending less in this bill.”

The senator criticized the House for raising the cap on state and local tax deductions from $10,000 to $40,000. This provision would allow individuals in states with higher income and property taxes to deduct up to $40,000 on their federal tax returns. Congressional Republicans in high-tax states such as California, New Jersey, and New York had lobbied GOP leadership to raise the cap. Kennedy also said the Senate should work as quickly as possible to pass the legislation.

“This bill’s not like wine,” Kennedy continued. “It doesn’t get better with age. We’ve gotta wrap this up in about the next 60 days, and probably the president will have to get it into law. It won’t be unanimous on our side. Senator Paul, who I respect, Rand’s not gonna vote for anything, ever. I mean, he’s just not, and so you just gotta throw that one away.”

Paul made his position on the bill crystal clear last week.

“I’m not persuadable to go against the principles of conservative government,” he told a reporter from NBC News.

Republicans control the Senate 53-47 and will try to pass the bill via reconciliation, which requires a simple majority.

Watch above via Fox Business Network.