'A colossal waste of time': Senators blast Rand Paul for pushing government into brief shutdown

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February 9, 2018 11:02 AM

Senators from both parties attacked Rand Paul for his protest that forced the government into a shutdown.

Sen. Rand Paul delayed a vote on the Senate's massive spending deal, pushing the government to shutdown on Friday morning.
Other Senators from both parties were not pleased with Paul's tactics.
The spending bill eventually passed shortly after midnight despite Paul's display.

The blame game in the Senate over the second government shutdown of 2018 isn't nearly as complicated as the first time around.

Senators from both parties blasted Sen. Rand Paul for his protest Thursday night that pushed debate over a massive spending deal past midnight and effectively triggered the lapse in funding.

Paul was able to block a procedural vote to move the timing of a vote on the funding bill since the request needed the unanimous consent of all 100 Senate members. By blocking the change, Paul forced the chamber to wait until after midnight to vote on the bipartisan deal — pushing the government into a shutdown.

The Kentucky Republicans objection was to the large increase in spending — nearly $300 billion over the current limits over two years — that came in the deal and its impact on the national debt.

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