House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended the GOP-backed “big, beautiful bill” raising the debt ceiling in a “Fox News Sunday” interview on May 25. The bill’s proposal to increase the debt ceiling by $4 to $5 trillion aims to prevent a government default but prompted opposition due to concerns about expanding national debt.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, R, criticized the measure as insufficient in spending cuts and warned it would escalate the deficit and national debt dangerously. Paul expressed that he cannot support increasing the debt limit by $5 trillion and described the proposed spending reductions as insufficient, highlighting the budget deficit as a serious national security concern.
While Johnson argued the debt ceiling increase shows seriousness to creditors and does not add new spending, Paul insisted Republicans must confront mounting debt, otherwise, “The emperor has no clothes.”
