WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - In a potential blow to Republican tax reform efforts, Senator Rand Paul, R-Ken., has signaled he is prepared to vote against the budget resolution Republicans intend to use as a vehicle for the tax cuts.
Paul claimed in a post on Twitter that Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are 'torpedoing the budget' by insisting on exceeding caps on spending.
'I have told the White House and GOP leaders that if they simply stick to their own caps, the rest of the Budget is fine and I'll vote yes,' Paul tweeted. 'It is a simple, but important, change they could easily make. The ball is in their court.'
Paul told Politico he wants to get rid of $43 billion in overseas war funding that exceeds federal budget caps Congress agreed to in 2011.
The non-binding budget resolution unlocks the reconciliation process, allowing Republicans to pass their tax reform plan with a simple 51-vote majority in the Senate.
'These are the people who come to our caucus every day and say: 'Oh the budget doesn't matter, it's just a vehicle to get to taxes,' Paul said in an interview with Politico. 'And yet when I ask for something they aren't willing to do it.'
With Senator Thad Cochran, R-Miss., sidelined by illness, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., can only lose one vote and still pass the budget resolution.
McCain has also indicated that he is undecided on the resolution and has called for an agreement that would increase the spending caps.
Despite signaling his opposition to the resolution, Paul voted along with other Republicans on a motion to proceed with debate. The 50 to 47 vote came down strictly along party lines.
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX