Rand Paul Gives Glimpse of Trouble Trump May Face with His Party over Government Spending

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ABC News(NEW YORK) — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul gave an indication Sunday of the trouble that President-elect Trump may face from his own party in trying to fulfill campaign promises that cost money.

The former GOP presidential candidate said on ABC News’ This Week that he “won’t vote for a budget that never balances” and that he is working to find a few other conservative GOP senators to join him.

“The current budget that the Republicans are looking at never balances. How can that be fiscally responsible? And how can we look at the public with a straight face and say, yes, we ran on balanced budgets, we’re for the balanced budget amendment, and yet the budget we’re going to introduce, that we’re going to repeal Obamacare with never balances?” Paul said.

Trump this week repeated his promise that he wants a trillion-dollar infrastructure program and he promised during the campaign to repeal Obamacare.

Paul said that with the help of other conservative senators he might be able to block a budget that he considers irresponsible.

“All it takes is a couple of us. If there are a few conservatives in the Senate wing of the Republican Party that will say no to a budget that never balances, we could have the power to say to the leadership, you know what, we need a better budget,” Paul said.

“I don’t know if it will happen, but I know that I will be one that won’t vote for a budget that never balances,” he said.

Paul also addressed reports that ExxonMobile CEO Rex Tillerson has emerged as a likely pick for secretary of state, saying that he is “going to reserve judgment on Tillerson.”

But the Kentucky senator had strong warnings about former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton, who is a possible contender for secretary of state or deputy secretary of state.

“I’ll do anything to try to prevent John Bolton from getting any position because I think his world view is naive,” Paul said. “He still believes in regime change. He’s still a big cheerleader for the Iraq War. He’s promoted a nuclear attack by Israel on Iran. He wants to do regime change in Iran.”

“John Bolton doesn’t get it,” Paul said.

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