Senior Senator Rand Paul has indicated he is not an ‘absolute no’ on President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’, revealing what it would take for him to support the legislation. In an interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Paul stated that he is not an ‘absolute no’ and could become a ‘yes’ if the debt ceiling provisions are addressed. He acknowledged the need to raise the debt ceiling but suggested it should be done in three-month increments, allowing Congress to continue discussing debt issues. The bill, which would make the 2017 Trump tax cuts permanent, includes the ‘no tax on tips’ provision in addition to spending cuts and a large debt ceiling hike. Paul criticized the current state of Congress and suggested giving them a more restrictive credit line.
Meanwhile, Trump has criticized Paul’s opposition to the bill, claiming he is ‘playing into the hands of Democrats’. The political tension between the two figures has been further exacerbated by a recent incident at a White House picnic where Paul claimed he was uninvited, to which Trump insisted he was invited. Paul also came out against censuring Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Ca., after he was forcibly removed from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference. Padilla interrupted Noem’s press conference, rushed the stage and attempted to ask her a question as federal agents attempted to push him out of the room. The senator was subsequently removed from the room and handcuffed.