Paul: Military cuts should be on the table

Senator-elect Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday he believes government spending cuts shouldn't exclude the military.

On ABC’s "This Week," Paul said: “Republicans traditionally say, oh, we'll cut domestic spending, but we won't touch the military. The liberals — the ones who are good — will say, 'Oh, we'll cut the military, but we won't cut domestic spending.'”

“Bottom line is, you have to look at everything across the board.”

Although Paul would not be drawn out on specific cuts, he argued for a bipartisan approach: “I don't see things in terms of political party, so I think this can be something where I can work across the aisle — but the second thing you need is a compromise on where the spending cuts come from.”

Paul also said it might be necessary to raise the retirement age to rein in federal spending: “You may have to. They're already talking about it. I mean, there's a bipartisan commission up here talking about raising age, graduating the benefits, maybe having means testing. You have to look at all of these things. They need to be on the table.”

The prominent Tea Partier described the movement, saying it is “… about the debt. It's concerned and worried that we're inheriting or passing along this debt to our kids and our grandkids, is the No. 1 thing of the Tea Party.”

He said he would support a constitutional amendment and congressional rules to limit spending and balance the budget. He will not vote to raise the debt ceiling.