During consideration of the congressional budget for fiscal 2017 (Senate Concurrent Resolution 3) on January 4, 2017, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) pointed out in a speech on the Senate floor that this proposed budget would add nearly $10 trillion to our national debt over the next 10 years without ever balancing the budget. He added: “I’m not for it. That’s not why I ran for office. It’s not why I’m here. It’s not why I spend time away from my family and from my medical practice. It’s because debt is consuming our country.” Paul went on to introduce a substitute amendment that would balance the budget by 2024.
The Senate rejected Paul’s substitute amendment on January 9, 2017 by a vote of 14 to 83 (Roll Call 3). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because fiscal responsibility is an excellent first step toward constitutional responsibility.
