Rand Paul Disinvited Amid Budget Bill Dispute

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and his family were disinvited from the annual White House congressional picnic, an exclusion widely interpreted as retaliation for his opposition to President Trump's signature budget legislation, the 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' Paul described the move as 'incredibly petty' and unprecedented for a sitting senator at this traditionally bipartisan event. He linked the snub to his fiscal concerns about the bill's impact on the national debt and criticized the administration for allegedly orchestrating a social media campaign against him. Trump has publicly criticized Paul for his dissent, and Paul also cited broader disagreements over tariffs and civil liberties. The White House has not specified who made the decision to disinvite him. The incident has heightened tensions within the GOP as the fate of the budget bill remains unresolved.