Republican Senator Paul says he plans to vote for Senate tax bill

Republican Senator Rand Paul, a fiscal hawk who has sometimes opposed his party's spending plans, said on Monday he planned to vote for the Senate tax bill and urged his colleagues to do the same.

Paul, writing in a Fox News online opinion piece, said that while the Senate tax reform bill was not perfect and he would "prefer a larger cut," he planned to support the measure because it achieved some of his goals and he could push for more changes next year.

"This tax bill is a true test for my colleagues. I'm not getting everything I want — far from it. But I've been immersed in this process. I've fought for and received major changes for the better — and I plan to vote for this bill as it stands right now," Paul wrote.

(Reporting by David Alexander; Editing by Doina Chiacu)