Senator-elect Rand Paul (R-KY) was in D.C. on Tuesday, where TPM ran into him and asked for his impressions of the Senate so far. Paul said the Tea Party has already shown its influence through the push for Senate Republicans to ban earmarks.
“We’re pretty excited about the fact that we think the Tea Party is shaping the debate,” Paul said. “Already, the caucus looks like it is going to move forward to having a ban on earmarks, which is a step towards having a more frugal government.”
Senate Republicans are expected to vote on a proposed moratorium on earmarks. The ban would only be enforced only through politics and would have no real force of law.
President Barack Obama has praised Sen. Mitch McConnell’s decision to flip-flop on the earmark issue after being pressured by members of the Tea Party.
TPM also asked Paul about whether focus should be on fiscal or social issues, but Paul said he had a meeting he had to get to.
