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Marco Rubio and Rick Scott vote against Trump-Pelosi two-year budget deal

But it passed the U.S. Senate anyway. Trump says he’ll sign it.
 
DORAL, FL - SEPTEMBER 06:  (L-R), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Florida Governor Rick Scott speak to the media about Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017 in Doral, Florida. It's still too early to know where the direct impact of the hurricane will take place but the state of Florida is in the area of possible landfall.  (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
DORAL, FL - SEPTEMBER 06: (L-R), Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Florida Governor Rick Scott speak to the media about Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017 in Doral, Florida. It's still too early to know where the direct impact of the hurricane will take place but the state of Florida is in the area of possible landfall. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Published Aug. 1, 2019|Updated Aug. 1, 2019

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a two-year spending plan that will also raise the federal debt limit until after the 2020 election. President Donald Trump is expected to sign it.

The bill passed on a bipartisan basis with 67 senators supporting it. Florida’s two Republican senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, were not among them. They both voted against the agreement.

“I voted against the most recent budget deal for one reason: It was an abdication of our moral responsibility to our children and our grandchildren,” Scott wrote in an op-ed published by the Washington Examiner.

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The pact reached between the White House and House Democrats would raise spending by $320 billion, offset partially by $77.4 billion in cuts. It allows the president to continue borrowing money without hitting the debt limit.

Some lawmakers expressed concern at another budget deal that increases the federal deficit. As the New York Times reported, the deficit reached $746 billion this year, a $139 billion increase over last year.

“Let’s summarize: huge debt increases, higher discretionary spending, and no corresponding budget cuts,” Scott said in his op-ed. “That’s irresponsible and I couldn’t go along with it.”

Under President Donald Trump, spending continues to increase and the U.S. Treasury is expected to lose $1.5 trillion over the next decade from the Republican tax cuts he championed in his first term.

“In a town in which Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on anything, the one thing they can agree on is running up the debt and spending a bunch of money," Rubio said in a video he posted ahead of the vote. “It’s a tough deal. I can’t support it.”

Rubio supported an amendment to the spending deal proposed by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to require Congress pass a balanced budget. The measure failed 23-70, with Scott joining the opposition.

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