Rand Splits With Rubio, Cruz To Vote For Deficit-Exploding Healthcare Bill

Daily Caller ^ | RACHEL STOLTZFOOS

[SoConPubbie]

Republican Sen. Rand Paul split with senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to vote for a healthcare bill Tuesday night that will add about half a trillion dollars to the national debt over the next several decades.

Paul sided with the overwhelming majority of senators and representatives who voted for the bill, in a decision almost certain to come up in the primary race, where he is currently joined by Cruz and Rubio.

The “doc-fix” bill solves a recurring problem in the way Medicare payments are made to doctors, extends a children’s health insurance program, and requires higher-income seniors to pay higher premiums, and is hailed by supporters as a rare example of meaningful compromise. (RELATED: McConnell’s Priorities: Balance Budget, Then Increase Deficit In Separate Bill)

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will add $141 billion to the federal deficits over the next decade, and by 2035 it will add half a trillion dollars to the federal debt, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

President Obama applauded passage of the bill in a statement Tuesday, and said he will be “proud” to sign it into law. (RELATED: Senate Overwhelmingly Approves Medicare ‘Doc-Fix’ Bill)

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is also expected to run in 2016, voted with Paul for the bill.

Cruz and Rubio joined just six other Republican senators in voting against the bill: Mike Lee, Jeff Sessions, Richard Shelby, David Perdue, Ben Sasse and Tim Scott.

“While he’s supportive of parts of the bill, he was very concerned about the substantial unfunded cost and ultimately couldn’t vote for it,” an aide to Rubio told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

The bill explicitly exempts itself from a rule known as PAYGO that requires Congress to “pay” for increased spending by finding cuts somewhere else.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee offered an amendment Tuesday that would strike the PAYGO exemption from the bill. Paul, Graham, Cruz and Rubio all voted for the amendment, but it was rejected.

Cruz released a statement Tuesday explaining his vote. “I cannot support the Boehner-Pelosi bill, which institutionalizes and expands Obamacare policies that harm patients and their doctors while adding roughly half a trillion dollars to our long-term debt within two decades,” he said.

“Any deal should be fully paid for and include significant and structural reforms to Medicare that provide seniors more power and control over their health care,” he added.

Paul was not immediately available for comment.

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[SoConPubbie]

"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

[SoConPubbie]

Ted Cruz Ping!

If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.

Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!

CRUZ or LOSE!

CRUZ or LOSE!

[Jane Long]

Rander Pander

[Resolute Conservative]

but... but I thought libertarians were the fiscally responsible ones...

[ClearCase_guy]

Libertarians was just Liberals.

[stephenjohnbanker]

LOL

[circlecity]

This is why we are doomed economically. There are very few politicians on either side who have the will to even slow down the exponential rate of our increase in spending much less doing anything to reduce it. Our debt will be at 30 trillion within 10 years to say nothing of the 100 trillion dollars in unfunded liabliities. Those of us at the end of the baby boom are biggest losers - we’ve paid into systems all our lives which won’t have a dime for us when our time comes. And it’s coming fast.

[Rusty0604]

Aren’t higher income people already having to pay more for medicare while they are still working? So now they have to pay higher premiums once they are on it too?

[Rusty0604]

Classical liberals. They believed in individual freedom and limited government.

[Jane Long]

Son of Ron Ponder....

[Old Sarge]

Son Of Paul.

‘Nuff said.

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Son Of Paul.

‘Nuff said.”

apple-tree-yuck : )

[Theoria]

Obviously, he isn’t a libertarian...he is a proud GOPer.

[navyguy]

“The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill will add $141 billion to the federal deficits over the next decade”

Which means that in Realityville, 10 years from now, we’ll find out it actually added 750 billion.

Never fails.

[MrEdd]

They are fiscally responsible except they demand free stuff.

[kenmcg]

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is also expected to run in 2016, voted with Paul for the bill.

Cruz and Rubio joined just six other Republican senators in voting against the bill: Mike Lee, Jeff Sessions, Richard Shelby, David Perdue, Ben Sasse and Tim Scott.

Randy Rand showing his RINO colors.

[sickoflibs]

Rand knows that way more voters will support giving $$$ to medicaid than will cuts to it.

Also, those getting medicaid tend to vote GOP and watch FNC.

[manc]

Yep, libertarians are just liberals who don’t want to pay their taxes and want their drugs legal.

[yoe]

I am surprised at Cruz, Rubio, and Graham....this is an entitlement....welfare for Docs. and those on Medicare (moi also) If America is to live on as a free nation...these unconstitutional entitlements will have to be whittled down...maybe starting with the HUMONGOUS waste in the over employed Federal Department of Health and Human services, actually all of the gov. agencies. Getting rid of that element alone would free up many needed $$$. sigh...you can't win an election telling a Bureaucrat he/she will lose their jobs due to multiple duplications....to make jobs in the first place...a bad decision along with giving Federal Employees the right to unionize....against the very people who pay their salaries. Vicious circle....gotta start somewhere to reign in this unsustainable mess.

[manc]

I’ve not seen one liberal-tarian as of yet defend this pandering fool.