Somebody's got to do something about it. Someone has to take a stand. And there needs to be a conservative wing of the Republican party, and sometimes I'm it. Right now I am it, said Paul. I'm opposed to deficit spending. I proposed an alternative, the penny plan, which would balance over five years. And I will vote for that.
Only two Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) voted against the bill. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was the lone Democratic supporter. The intrigue: Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), all who often oppose short-term funding bills, were among those who got the gesture. "Some of the more high-profile folks really do need protection," Burchett told Axios on Friday.
WASHINGTON - Congressional defense hawks in the Senate are once again pushing to boost the topline of the defense budget in fiscal 2026, but as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill in September, they will have to face an even more pressing question: Will they be able to pass a full-year spending bill at all? Congress failed at passing FY25 appropriations after talks between Republicans and Democrats broke down, resulting in the approval of a full year continuing resolution in March. The bill marked the first time the Defense Department will have been funded under a CR for an entire year.