DENVER -- Republican senator and presidential candidate Rand Paul vowed Tuesday to attempt to block the bipartisan budget agreement that raises the debt ceiling and funds the government to 2017.
"I think that it is a horrible - I can't even, it's hard for me not to use profanity in describing it," Paul told reporters before a rally here. "It's a bill that shows a careless disregard for debt," he added, vowing to do everything he can to stop it.
The deal, announced Tuesday by outgoing House Speaker John Boehner, faces opposition from conservatives who argue that the compromise will raise the nations borrowing power without significant changes to entitlement programs or addressing the nation’s growing debt. However, the agreement has support from both the White House and GOP leadership and is expected to pass.
Fellow senators and 2016 candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz also oppose the deal.
Instead of supporting this agreement, Paul said, "We should be using the leverage of the debt ceiling to force spending restraint."
Pushed by NBC News on the economic impact of potentially breaching the debt ceiling, which will be reached Nov. 3, Paul dismissed the statutory limit.
"The debt ceiling is a canard put forward by those who want to spend money...we have plenty of money to pay our interest, we would never default even if we didn't raise the debt ceiling," the Kentucky senator said.
Under Senate rules though, it’s unlikely Paul will be able to do much more than briefly delay a vote – meaning an all-night talk-athon or filibuster is not expected.
