Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) loathed Donald Trump when he battled him in the GOP presidential primary last year, but Paul has come around on the man watching Trump maneuver as President. So much so, in fact, that Paul has emerged as one of Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters, a frequent golf buddy who is “all in” on Trump’s tax reform proposal.
On Friday, Paul echoed President Trump’s sentiments by stating he wants the “biggest, boldest cuts possible – and soon!” on his Twitter account. Although he did not go into specifics about the plan, it is clear that Trump and Paul are on the same page working toward reform.
“The Budget passed late last night, 51 to 49. We got ZERO Democrat votes with only Rand Paul (he will vote for Tax Cuts) voting against,” Trump said in a tweet. “This now allows for the passage of large scale Tax Cuts (and Reform), which will be the biggest in the history of our country!”
Although Paul refused to budge on the budget, Trump was clear in signaling to his supporters that Paul remains a crucial ally on tax reform. Earlier this month, Paul introduced Trump as he signed a healthcare executive order allowing policies to be sold across state lines as well as the expansion of association health plans. The budding bromance between Paul and Trump has never looked more promising.
“When you got Rand Paul on your side, it has to be positive,” Trump said.
According to a Reuters report, the House budget resolution will need to be reconciled with the much-different version passed by the Senate. This will mean more negotiations, expected to last another couple of weeks. The tax code has not been overhauled since 1986, and Paul and Trump both have their work cut out for them to meet their ambitious goals.
I think the Trump train just off the McConnell tracks and onto the Rand Paul tracks, which is far better.