Well, that escalated quickly.
As widely reported by varied entities, the Senate’s “vote-a-rama” commenced over the weekend, and much of the focus has been on the degree to which the Democrats may exhibit recalcitrance.
For instance, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana noted that former majority leader Chuck Schumer was likely to play hardball.
“Senator Schumer is worried about his own personal politics, and I don’t expect him to tread lightly. They’re gonna throw everything at us they can, and hit us with everything but a chair. But we’ll pass it,” Kennedy remarked confidently.
Kennedy was not inaccurate: Schumer did indeed rage against many of Trump’s policies, in particular the tariffs, which he blasted as “one of the dumbest things [Trump] has ever done.
“President Trump’s tariff tax is one of the dumbest things he has ever done as president, and that’s saying something. Markets are plummeting. Six trillion dollars in values gone. The odds of a recession are rising. JP Morgan says the dumbest, most avoidable recession in American history. But the Trump recession is headed our way, and Donald Trump, meanwhile, is golfing,” Schumer raged.
While Schumer’s rampage is not surprising, the sudden opposition to Trump amongst key Republican leaders is.
According to a recent report from Politico, none other than Senator Rand Paul intends to “demand a vote” regarding “an amendment that would allow the GOP to increase the debt limit by no more than $500 billion, far less than the $5 trillion increase allowed under the budget framework.”
The Kentucky senator, famed for sparring with Fauci during the pandemic, has indeed become a rather curious figure during Trump’s second term.
Starting with the fact that he is openly opposed to raising the government’s ability to spend by the degree Trump has requested.
“When you look at the fact that this budget resolution’s going to borrow $5 trillion, you scratch your head and say ‘What’s up here? Is there somebody not really being honest with us?” Paul queried.
In a brief interview with the press, Paul further highlighted his opposition to raising the spending limit to such an enormous level.
“From a conservative point of view, the more we vote on the debt ceiling, the better, because it draws attention to it. I would like to see whether or not the promises of reduced spending materialize. And we say to our leadership: ‘Okay, you’re promising to cut spending. If you cut spending, I’ll vote for another three-month increase in the debt ceiling. But if you don’t actually do what you’re promising, then maybe you don’t get a debt ceiling increase.’ So we’re going to use some leverage on it,” Paul mused, “from a conservative point of view, the more we vote on the debt ceiling, the better, because it draws attention to it.”
However, while Paul’s stance is surprising, the reality is that Democrats are far worse off during this “vote-a-rama” relative to their majority pasts.
“While Senate Democrats have filed hundreds of amendments to the budget measure, only a few dozen are expected to get votes,” Politico admitted.
No kidding.
The entirety of the results for the “vote-a-rama” may be reviewed here.
The Democrats’ weakening influence aside, Paul’s sudden divergence from Trump’s plans has led many conservatives to question exactly what the end game is.
As the market turmoil mounts, is Paul poised to take an even more aggressive stance against Trump’s plans?
Time remains to tell, but it’s certain that quite a few odd developments are in store in the coming weeks.
Author: Jane Jones
