Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Wednesday he will hold up a package of six spending bills that would keep parts of the government open through September "because we're bankrupt and it's a terrible idea to keep spending money at this rate," The Hill reported.
"The spending bills before us will lead to a $1.5 trillion deficit for the year. We're borrowing about $1 trillion every three months. It's an alarming pace of accumulation of debt," Paul told the news outlet.
"My opposition to this will be based on how much" the package would add to the U.S. debt, he added.
The package comprises six appropriation bills negotiated by the GOP-led House and Democrat-controlled Senate. President Joe Biden said he would back the legislation.
Funding for several key agencies expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday.
The action comes six months into the fiscal year, with Congress still only halfway home in passing spending measures expected to total about $1.65 trillion. Lawmakers passed the first portion of spending bills earlier this month, representing about 30% of discretionary spending for the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. Now, lawmakers are focused on the larger package and, in what has become routine, are brushing up against a partial shutdown deadline.
The package is expected to provide about $886 billion for the Pentagon. It will also fund the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and others.
Overall, the two spending packages provide about a 3% boost for defense, while keeping nondefense spending roughly flat from the year before. That's in keeping with an agreement that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked out with the White House, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.