Rand Paul: Republicans should apologize to Obama for complaining about spending

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tore into his fellow Republicans on Fox News Wednesday for considering a coronavirus relief package that could cost more than $1 trillion, calling on them to apologize to President Obama "for complaining that he was spending and borrowing too much" during his time in office.

Why it matters: Paul's comments, while tongue-in-cheek, underscore the divisions within the Senate Republican conference, where as many as 20 GOP senators are likely to vote against any coronavirus relief bill — even if a deal is reached between Democrats and Trump administration.

The state of play: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday that she's willing to settle for a price tag of $3.4 trillion, which is the cost of the relief package that House Democrats passed in May. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday that he's "extremely doubtful" the two sides will reach a deal if negotiations continue past Friday.

What they're saying: "Republicans and Democrats compromise every day of the year to spend money we don't have. We were already running a trillion dollars short just with our normal budgetary expenses for the year. We added $3 trillion, now they're talking about another $1-$2 trillion. We're going to borrow another $5 trillion in five months," Paul told Fox News.

"They might lose this election because they are acting like Democrats now. I am very upset with my colleagues. They went 8 years. They should apologize now to President Obama for complaining he was spending and borrowing too much. He was a piker compared to their borrowing and what they're doing now."

Go deeper: GOP Sen. Sasse slams Mnuchin and Pelosi as "big government Democrats"