Archive for the ‘Rand Paul’ Category

Sen. Rand Paul calls on Biden to allow unused COVID funds to be spent on post-disaster rebuilding – Fox News

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

In the wake of devastating flooding that has swept through Eastern Kentucky, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is pushing for money dedicated that to the coronavirus pandemic that was not spent to be used to help his home state and other disaster sites.

In a Tuesday morning tweet, Paul said he was going to be sending a letter to President Biden and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, calling on them to allow the COVID-19 money to be used for rebuilding.

"Today I will be sending a letter to President Biden and Gov. Beshear asking that unspent COVID funds be allowed to be used for rebuilding in areas where a disaster has been declared," Paul said. The senator then added that he will be introducing a bill in Congress that would let states, cities and counties use pandemic money for disaster responses.

Fox News reached out to the White House and Beshear's office for comment but neither immediately responded.

EASTERN KENTUCKY FLOODING: VIDEO EMERGES OF DEVASTATION AROUND CITY OF HAZARD

The recent flooding in the Bluegrass State killed at least 37 people, and first responders have rescued some 1,300 people amid the debris of washed-away towns. On Friday, Beshear said two people were still missing.

BIDEN DECRIES HEARTBREAKING KENTUCKY FLOOD DEVASTATION, LINKS IT TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Biden declared the flooding a federal disaster last week, giving the state access to federal resources to pay for rescue and rehabilitation efforts. He visited the area alongside First Lady Jill Biden and Beshear on Monday, describing the devastation as "heartbreaking."

As far as state action, Beshear said a special legislative session will likely be needed to devise a relief package.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Hundreds of residents have been displaced by the flooding, with many now staying in Kentucky state parks, travel trailers and Red Cross and emergency shelters. Additionally, floodwaters badly damaged water systems and the National Guard has been helping distribute bottled water to residents.

Fox News' Kelly Laco, Julia Musto, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The rest is here:
Sen. Rand Paul calls on Biden to allow unused COVID funds to be spent on post-disaster rebuilding - Fox News

Dr. Rand Paul Honors Larry’s Mini Mart of Whitley City as Senate Small Business of the Week | Senator Rand Paul – Senator Rand Paul

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:August 5, 2022Contact:Press_Paul@paul.senate.gov, 202-224-4343

WASHINGTON, D.C. Recently, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, recognized Larrys Mini Mart of Whitley City, Kentucky as the Senate Small Business of the Week.

Dr. Paul entered the following into the Congressional Record:

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize Larrys Mini Mart of Whitley City, Kentucky as the Senate Small Business of the Week.

When Larry Sumner founded Larrys Somerset Oil in 1973, he had no idea it would grow into the family business that it is today. Larry got his start in business when he opened his service station in Somerset, KY. Three years later, he relocated to Whitley City. It was there in Whitley City that Larrys children watched their father run a business that bolstered their home-town community. As the Sumner children grew older, they learned first-hand what it meant to devote ones energy to their customers, so it was only natural that they inherited their fathers entrepreneurial nature. Thus, Larry Sumners business continues operating today in the exact location he moved to in 1976, with the Sumner children at the helm of operations.

Today Larrys Mini Mart, as it is now called, is Whitley Citys one stop shop for full-service gas, kerosene, and diesel. Unlike the days of old, most people nowadays pump their own gas and rarely interact with the folks working at their local gas stations. That is not the case for Larrys Mini Mart, as they carry on the tradition of pumping gas for their customers, always doing it with a smile. Larrys is also the local stop where folks can drop in to pick up cold drinks, snacks, ice, and anything else they might need whether in a hurry or just for an afternoon excursion. Larrys Mini Mart even goes beyond what a typical service station offers by renting out their extra storage space to their loyal customers.

When the late Larry Sumner first opened his business back in the 1970s, he wanted to create a place that was more than the average filling station. He understood that offering quality service and a wide variety of conveniences would make his store a success, but his dream went beyond those of profits. Larry Sumners goal was to create a place that would foster community within the town of Whitley City. When Larry Sumners son Mark and daughter Marlo took over the business in 1998 following their fathers death, they stayed true to his mission. Today, as it has always been, Larrys Mini Mart is a place where locals can come to catch up on the latest news in the county, whether that news travels through the local paper or word-of-mouth. As is often the case with small towns, sometimes it takes a trip down to Larrys just to hear about the goings-on about town, and the late Larry Sumner would not have it any other way.

Larrys has often been recognized for the quality service they provide to their community. Most recently in 2020, Larrys Mini Mart received McCreary County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Month. They have also won McCreary County Business of the Year numerous times due to the charitable spirit of the owners and staff. Throughout their years of operation Larrys Mini Mart has supported local school systems and all their various sporting activities. Larrys has become a well-known for hosting car wash fundraisers for various causes within their community. Larrys Mini Mart has also contributed to the Banquet of Blessings, a McCreary County tradition that provides a free Christmas meal to anyone in need. Larrys has also contributed to the local chapter of Relay for Life, a cancer awareness nonprofit. Moreover, the public library, the local chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the McCreary County Chamber of Commerce, right down to the McCreary County Little League baseball team, have all seen support from the fine folks at Larrys Mini Mart.

Larrys Mini Mart is known not only for their quality service and charitable spirit, but they also maintain their reputation for being a fantastic place to work. Currently, Mark Sumner and his wife Stephanie operate Larrys with the help of their daughter Taylor and their son Tyler. This family affair fosters a friendly environment, to which Charlie Strunk and Crawford Tucker can attest; the two have been a partof the Larrys Mini Martteam for over forty years. That type of longevity clearly shows that Larrys is not your average service station. Larrys Mini Mart is a community institution that goes above and beyond to support their friends and neighbors, whether it be during or outside of their regular business hours. Congratulations to the Sumner family and entire team at Larrys Mini Mart. I look forward to seeing your continued growth and success in Kentucky.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Paul continues the tradition of honoring Americas small businesses and entrepreneurs. The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship oversees proposed legislation on matters relating to the Small Business Administration and investigates all problems relating to Americas small businesses.

###

Read more from the original source:
Dr. Rand Paul Honors Larry's Mini Mart of Whitley City as Senate Small Business of the Week | Senator Rand Paul - Senator Rand Paul

Paul’s wife says senator wants to subpoena Fauci records – WHAS11.com

Rand Paul has promised to wage a vigorous review into the origins of the coronavirus if Republicans retake the Senate and he lands a committee chairmanship.

FANCY FARM, Ky. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul wants to subpoena the records of the countrys top infectious disease expert, the senator's wife said while standing in for him at Kentucky's premier political event Saturday.

Paul, a Republican, has repeatedly clashed with Dr. Anthony Fauci over the government's COVID-19 policies and the origins of the virus that caused the global pandemic. Paul's wife, Kelley, waded into the dispute while promoting her husband's candidacy during the political speaking at the Fancy Farm picnic in western Kentucky. Paul is seeking a third term and is being challenged by Democrat Charles Booker on November's ballot.

Now I promise you this, come November when we win, Rand Paul will subpoena every last document of Dr. Faucis, Kelley Paul said.

Rand Paul and the state's senior senator, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, missed the stump-style speaking event because of Senate duties in Washington.

Sen. Paul and other conservative critics have focused their ire at how the pandemic was handled on Fauci. Paul has promised to wage a vigorous review into the origins of the coronavirus if Republicans retake the Senate and he lands a committee chairmanship. The Senate currently has a 50-50 split, but Democrats have the edge with Vice President Kamala Harris tie-breaking vote.

Continuing her comments about Fauci, Kelley Paul said: Now some people ask why me, why is Rand so hard on poor Dr. Fauci? Well it's simple, because the American people deserve the truth.

We deserve the truth about the origins of a virus that killed millions of people, she added.

U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but believe Chinas leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic, according a Biden-ordered review that was released last summer.

Booker, a former state lawmaker, told the picnic crowd that Paul votes against the interests of Kentuckians, denouncing him as a terrible senator and an embarrassment to the state.

Rand Paul is voting against infrastructure because he doesnt care about Kentucky," Booker said. "He is not going to invest in our health care because he doesnt care about Kentucky.

Meanwhile, Paul has access to "the best health care your tax dollars can buy, Booker said.

The event gave Booker a chance to make inroads against Paul, with a statewide television audience watching the speeches that also featured GOP candidates running for governor in 2023. The Fancy Farm political speaking is the traditional start of the fall campaign in Kentucky.

Speaking to jeering Paul supporters, Booker said: Even if you boo, I'm fighting for you to get quality health care.

Booker and Paul's wife spoke to a boisterous crowd of Republicans and Democrats. The event is a rite of passage for statewide candidates, who are tested in stump-style speeches in the August heat while facing taunts and shouts from partisans from the other party.

In her speech, Kelley Paul also focused on surging inflation, and the strain it's putting on family budgets, at a time when Democrats control the White House and Congress.

Democrat policies are killing the middle class," she said. "Record inflation, soaring gas prices, empty shelves. The economy is tanking and every American knows it.

Booker is a progressive who promotes such social programs as Medicare for All and a basic universal income, saying the initiatives would help people in both poor urban neighborhoods and struggling rural communities. He also supports a clean-energy agenda and criminal justice changes.

Paul was first elected to the Senate in the tea party-driven wave of 2010. Paul rails against socialism and big-government programs he says encroach on individual liberties and drive up the nations debt.

Booker is the first Black Kentuckian in state history to be the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate.

Kentucky hasnt elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in three decades.

Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. ForAppleorAndroidusers.

Have a news tip? Emailassign@whas11.com, visit ourFacebook pageorTwitter feed.

More here:
Paul's wife says senator wants to subpoena Fauci records - WHAS11.com

Rand Paul votes no on veterans health care bill – LINK nky

U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted no on the PACT Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, which seeks to give healthcare funds to veterans who were exposed to toxic waste pits and Agent Orange.

Paul was one of eleven Republican senators to vote against the bill, which would have expanded access to healthcare for those seeking help after being exposed to Agent Orange, a herbicide mixture used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War, according to the Aspen Institute.

The healthcare bill would also help those exposed to toxic waste pits, which were pits built to dispose of waste on military bases. The practice of the pits occurred in most American wars until the mid-2010s. The waste often included plastics, rubber, chemical, and medical waste.

Paul said he voted against the bill because it has potential economic implications for the country.

We must take care of our veterans and keep our country strong, Paul said on the Senate floor. This bill puts our economy, though, at risk by creating presumptions of service connection for the most common of ailments.

A presumption of service connection is when Veterans Affairs assumes a veteran has a condition because of their military service.

The ailments Paul referred to include hypertension and asthma.

According to the CDC, 50% of men and 44% of women in the United States have hypertension, Paul said, arguing that this bill will cost hundreds of billions of dollars at a time when the national debt is climbing over $30 trillion and inflation is at a 40-year high.

Charles Booker, the Democratic candidate challenging Paul for the Senate, Tweeted that Pauls vote is a slap in the face to veterans.

Kentucky is home to 300,000 veterans, Booker Tweeted. What Rand Paul did yesterday is a slap in the face to every single one of them.

Paul also said the national debt is the fault of Congress, and veterans shouldnt pay for the governments mismanagement.

I propose we pay for this bill by establishing a 10-year moratorium on foreign aid, Paul said.

Booker said he would vote in favor of veterans.

Unlike Rand Paul, I wouldve voted to provide increased VA benefits to toxic exposed veterans, he Tweeted.

Here is the original post:
Rand Paul votes no on veterans health care bill - LINK nky

How Ukraine Triggered a War Inside America – The National Interest Online

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday, June 19, that the war in Ukraine could last for years, but that the West must not let up in supporting Ukraine, even if the costs are high, not only for military support but also because of rising energy and food prices.

Yet polling indicates that support for Ukraine aid among Americans is slowly slipping as the conflict turns into a grinding battle of attrition that increasingly appears to favor the invading Russian forces. The Pew Research Center has found that a plurality of Americans no longer believe that the United States is not providing enough assistance to Ukraine, with the share who think that Washington is providing too much assistance rising from 7 percent to 12 percent between March and May.

The downturn in support has been particularly stark among Republicans. According to a Morning Consult poll taken in May, the share of GOP voters who say Washington is doing too much to halt Russias invasion of Ukraine has more than doubled from 13 percent to 27 percent between early March and mid-May, while the share of those who think the United States is not doing enough has dropped from 36 percent to 25 percent. These attitudes closely coincide with the mounting belief among Americans, according to YouGov/Economist polling from mid-March to mid-June, that Ukraine is losing. The share of Americans who think Russia will be the eventual winner of the conflict has reached its highest point since March at 29 percent.

The number of Americans who are explicitly against further aid to Ukraine, though still relatively small, has steadily risen in past months. This shift has been accompanied by a growing minority of Republican lawmakers and GOP candidates who have expressed skepticism over continued U.S. involvement in the Ukraine conflict. The result has been something of an avalanche effect: with each subsequent bill in support of Ukraine, a few more Republicans joined the side of the skeptics. This creeping dissent came to a head with the passage of President Joe Bidens May request for $40 billion in weapons and economic aid to Ukraine, which drew opposition from as many as fifty-seven House Republicans.

In what could be remembered as a watershed moment for contemporary American foreign policy discourse, the conservative Heritage Foundationlong a proponent of what Frederick Jackson Turner famously described as a vigorous foreign policysurprised its allies and opponents alike by taking a stance against the bloated bill, arguing that it suffered from a lack of strategic clarity and meaningful oversight.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), supported by ten of his Republican colleagues, blocked the bill from being fast-tracked. Kyiv would become the largest yearly recipient of U.S. military aid over the past two decades, Paul said. It is more than any other country spends on their entire military expenditures ... our total aid to Ukraine will almost equal the entire military budget of Russia. Paul sought to modify the $40 billion aid package with the appointment of an inspector general to oversee how the money is being spent. Paul was overruled by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who worked with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to get the mammoth aid bill over the finish line without any amendments.

But what exactly is motivating the opposition to Ukraine aid among some Republicans and GOP candidates?

A growing chorus of voices on the Right are driving opposition to giving Ukraine the assistance it needs. You even see these sentiments emanating from the Heritage Foundation, which is shocking, said Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Atlantic Councils Eurasia Center. Theres long been an isolationist wing within the GOP that wants to focus on U.S. priorities, pointing to the disasters in Afghanistan and Iraq as evidence of the stupidity of nation building. They arent wrong about Afghanistan and Iraq, but supporting Ukraine from Russias unprovoked attack is hardly nation building, Haring added.

These Congressional Republicans, whose growing ranks include Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), have been criticized as isolationists and anti-Ukraine by their detractors within and without the GOP. Honestly there is an isolationist wing within the party thats traditionally been there, Rep. Michael McCaul told the Washington Post.

Still, others have questioned the use of these labels. It is absolutely unfair to characterize lawmakers who oppose sending more U.S. taxpayer dollars to Ukraine or want to see greater oversight of our aid to that country as anti-Ukraine, said Will Ruger, former President Donald Trumps nominee for ambassador to Afghanistan and vice president for research and policy at the Charles Koch Institute. These legislators just happen to be pro-American and have a different view than others about how best to support U.S. national interests in this case and how they read the cost-benefit analysis of such efforts. The charge of isolationism is now and has always been just a pejorative slur used against those who have perfectly legitimate reasons for opposing any particular U.S. intervention or activism. It is simply trying to police who is a legitimate voice and using the slur to marginalize voices of realism and restraint.

Conservative Ukraine detractors are informed by a wide range of foreign and domestic concerns that are difficult to distill into a unitary set of ideas. Author and politician J.D. Vance, fresh off his win in the Ohio Senate primary election, has become one of the loudest conservative voices of Ukraine skepticism. Using American power to do the dirty work of Europe is a pretty bad idea, said Vance at a Washington conference in April. We dont have that many non-insane people in Washington. I need you to be some of them. Vances message is resonating with a part of the GOP base that sees Washington policymakers as overly preoccupied with a far-away foreign conflict at a time when they should be focusing their undivided attention on the multiple crises gripping American life. Some Republicans understand that the politics have changed post-Trump, said a foreign policy expert familiar with the thinking of Congressional Republicans. The Republican base was always realist, but the edifice is still somewhat interventionist. The old pre-WWI roots of American republicanism and anti-interventionism are coming back, and might argue, for good, especially after the disastrous last thirty years.

Haring said she supports Pauls proposal for an inspector general to oversee Ukraine aid spending, citing a growing concern among watchdogs that the funds making their way to Kyiv could be misappropriated by local authorities. But there is an attitude among some conservatives in Washington DC that the inspector general proposal and other initiatives to draw soft boundaries around Ukraine spending do not sufficiently address the underlying long-term problems in U.S. foreign policy. That would just add an additional tier of bureaucracy, the foreign policy expert said, adding that the establishment of sub-departments and specialized commissions within the State Department and Pentagon has only served to push U.S. foreign policy in a more interventionist direction over time.

The Ukraine conflict has become a rallying point for a growing wing of the conservative movement espousing a commitment to realism and restraint, broadly defined as the position that Washington should abandon ideas of liberal universalism in favor of a foreign policy grounded in realist thought. Realism and restraint is a much stronger force now than the last time we saw green shoots of Republican opposition to primacy in the 90s that didnt last after 9/11. There is a larger body of ideas circulating within this paradigm and the approach is more institutionalized, even on the Right, said Ruger.

For these GOP lawmakers and candidates, the implications of realism and restraint extend beyond the immediate conflict unfolding in Ukraine. I think this opposition isnt just about these legislators putting on their green eyeshades or worrying about escalation with a nuclear Russia, said Ruger. It is also about a growing block of Republican politicians who are explicitly questioning establishment bromides and rethinking U.S. foreign policy more broadly with greater realism in mind. So, in one sense it is about the particular case of Ukraine, how we got here, and how engaging stacks up relative to our interests. But in another sense, it is about something broader and how the particular fits into it.

The realism and restraint faction within the GOP is best conceived not as a concrete party platform, but as a loose coalition organized around shared attitudes about Americas place in a changing world order. While this group doesnt agree on everything, especially how to deal with the relative rise of China, they have different assumptions and views about the nature of the world that is emerging and Americas proper role within it than many of their, often older, colleagues, said Ruger. So, they dont reflexively think of our allies as sacred the way Joe Biden does and even many other Republican voices do. They dont think as idealistically and in as Manichean a fashion as we see with many Democrats and saw with many Bush-era Republicans. They dont see threats the same way.

More:
How Ukraine Triggered a War Inside America - The National Interest Online