--- title: GOP Debate: Watch Sens. Paul, Rubio Spar Over Foreign Policy description: Marco Rubio called Rand Paul an "isolationist" canonical: https://time.com/4107732/gop-debate-rand-paul-marco-rubio-military/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-11T04:05:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T12:30:27.504Z article:section: Politics og:title: GOP Debate: Watch Sens. Paul, Rubio Spar Over Foreign Policy og:description: Marco Rubio called Rand Paul an "isolationist" og:url: https://time.com/4107732/gop-debate-rand-paul-marco-rubio-military/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a37061fc5ab1cca/698870733c16396bcc45aa32/496567868.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: GOP Presidential Candidates Debate In Milwaukee og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: GOP Debate: Watch Sens. Paul, Rubio Spar Over Foreign Policy twitter:description: Marco Rubio called Rand Paul an "isolationist" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0a37061fc5ab1cca/698870733c16396bcc45aa32/496567868.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch Rand Paul and Marco Rubio Spar over Military Spending by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Nov 11, 2015 4:05 AM UTC  MILWAUKEE, WI - NOVEMBER 10: Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during the Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal at the Milwaukee Theatre on November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The fourth Republican debate is held in two parts, one main debate for the top eight candidates, and another for four other candidates lower in the current polls. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) MILWAUKEE, WI - NOVEMBER 10: Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during the Republican Presidential Debate sponsored by Fox Business and the Wall Street Journal at the Milwaukee Theatre on November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The fourth Republican debate is held in two parts, one main debate for the top eight candidates, and another for four other candidates lower in the current polls. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)Scott Olson—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Nov 11, 2015 4:05 AM UTC Senator Rand Paul traded barbs with Sen. Marco Rubio on military spending and foreign policy at the Republican debate Tuesday night. The Kentucky senator challenged Rubio’s bona fides as a conservative for wanting to maintain funding levels for the military. “How is it conservative to add a trillion dollars in military expenditures?” he said. “You can not be a conservative if you’re going to keep promoting new programs that you can’t pay for.” Rubio hit back by branding Paul an “isolationist,” listing a number of potential and current threats to national security that he argues justify the military budget. “We can’t even have an economy if we’re not safe,” Rubio said. “There are radical jihadists in the Middle East beheading people and crucifying Christians. A radical Shia cleric in Iran trying to get a nuclear weapon. The Chinese taking over the South China Sea.” The moment kicked off a winding pivot on foreign policy in the middle of the debate, which was set to focus on economic issues. Both Paul and Rubio serve on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4107732/gop-debate-rand-paul-marco-rubio-military/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4107732/gop-debate-rand-paul-marco-rubio-military/"},"headline":"Watch Rand Paul and Marco Rubio Spar over Military Spending","datePublished":"2015-11-11T04:05:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T12:30:27.504Z","description":"Marco Rubio called Rand Paul an \"isolationist\"","url":"https://time.com/4107732/gop-debate-rand-paul-marco-rubio-military/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic","Foreign Policy","Sen. 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