Senate takes up debate on GOP budget

Senators have officially started debate on a GOP joint House-Senate budget, with a final vote expected later Tuesday.

Senators voted 53-44 to proceed to the budget blueprint. The vote split Republican presidential hopefuls, with Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) voting against starting debate, and Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) voting to take up the budget.

{mosads}Paul also voted against the initial Senate budget in March. Another GOP White House hopeful, Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) missed the budget debate vote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested that the budget was another example of a Republican majority restoring order to the Senate after six years of the chamber being controlled by Democrats.

“This is something many Americans have been waiting a long time to see,” the Republican leader said on Tuesday morning. “It’s something they deserve, and it’s just the latest example of a new Congress that’s back to work on behalf of Americans who work hard and expect Washington to do the same.”

The Republican budget would balance the budget within 10 years, use the Pentagon’s war fund to increase the Defense Department’s budget by $38 billion, and would repeal ObamaCare.

Democrats have said the plan would hurt the middle class and use “gimmicks” to balance the budget.

“The Republican budget cuts virtually every program out there that is designed to help working Americans,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said.

Sanders announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination last week, and is expected to focus on economic inequality in the United States.