The White House and the Republican leaders of Congress reached a budget compromise on Monday, and conservatives were quick to voice their opposition to the deal's lack of spending cuts and raising of the debt ceiling until President Obama is out of office. On Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took that ire one step further and vowed to filibuster the bill in the Senate, especially the provision about raising the debt ceiling. "I will filibuster the new debt ceiling bill," Paul told attendees of an event at the University of Colorado, Denver. "It is horrible, it's hard for me not to use profanity describing it." He came close, calling it a "steaming pile of legislation."
When Paul tried a similar move in 2011, he said he would only allow a vote on raising the debt ceiling if Congress passed a balanced budget amendment, notes David Weigel at The Washington Post. Congress didn't, but it did raise the debt ceiling. This time, Paul says he plans to make the Senate work over Halloween weekend, allowing the House Freedom Caucus time to try and sink the bill. Paul is running for president, and lagging in the polls.
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