During consideration of a consolidated appropriations bill (H.R. 2882), Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) made a motion to refer the bill back to committee with instructions to amend it to reduce its overall funding by five percent, excluding funding for the Department of Defense and border security.
The Senate rejected Paul’s amendment on March 23, 2024 by a vote of 34 to 63 (Roll Call 106). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because reining in government spending ought to be an urgent priority given that the national debt recently surpassed $36 trillion. Members of Congress must also take more drastic and immediate action to eliminate all spending that is not specifically authorized by Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Their ongoing failure to do so is contributing to the erosion and decline of the American Republic.
