Press
Sens. Rand Paul & Mark Warner Introduce the Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2015
U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Mark Warner (D-VA) today introduced the Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2015. This bipartisan legislation will empower those on the front lines of federal spending to find efficiencies and improve productivity to return value to the taxpayer in the form of deficit reduction and less government borrowing. Building on the current federal law, the Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act would allow a U.S. government agency's inspector general to pay a bonus of up to $10,000 … Continue Reading
05.18.15
Sen. Rand Paul Releases Third Edition of ‘The Waste Report’
U.S. Senator Rand Paul today released the third edition to 'The Waste Report,' which is an ongoing project highlighting egregious examples of waste within the U.S. government. The third edition of the 'The Waste Report' exposes thousands of dollars of waste in the U.S. Department of Education. In the coming weeks, the U.S. Department of Education will offer a multi-day writing course designed to teach twenty of their employees how to write an e-mail in the workplace. 'The Waste Report' can be … Continue Reading
05.12.15
Sen. Rand Paul Votes to Release Wrongfully Imprisoned U.S. Citizens in Iran
U.S. Senator Rand Paul issued a statement following the passage of S.CON.RES.16, a concurrent resolution calling for the immediate release of four American citizens unjustly imprisoned in Iran. Among the detainees in Iran is Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American pastor that has been indefinitely imprisoned on account of his religious belief. In November 2013, Sen. Paul was an original co-sponsor of a Senate resolution calling for the government of Iran to immediately release Pastor Abedini. Followi… Continue Reading
05.11.15
Sen. Rand Paul Releases Newest Edition of ‘The Waste Report’
U.S. Senator Rand Paul today released the newest edition to 'The Waste Report.' 'The Waste Report' is an ongoing project to catalog egregious examples of wasteful spending throughout the U.S. government. This week's report uncovers thousands of taxpayer dollars of potential waste in the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA). 'The Waste Report' can be found HERE or below. Nuclear Waste: Dep. of Energy's $13K Treadmills The National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) of the Department of Energy pu… Continue Reading
05.08.15
TIME Op-Ed: What You Discuss on Your Phone Is None of the Government’s Business
I've long said what you discuss on your phone is none of the government's business, and the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit agrees. Today, the federal court struck down the government's sweeping, undefined, and illegal war on civil liberties, ruling that it is unlawful for the National Security Agency to collect the bulk phone records of American citizens. The three judge panel slams the overreach of the NSA's limitless metadata collection and privacy intrusion, writing in the opinion … Continue Reading
05.06.15
Sen. Rand Paul Unveils ‘The Waste Report’
U.S. Senator Rand Paul yesterday unveiled 'The Waste Report,' which will identify egregious examples of wasteful spending throughout the U.S. government. Periodically, 'The Waste Report' will highlight a new example of government waste. 'The Waste Report' can be found HERE or below.Medical Waste: Coast Guard Medical VacationsIn February, the Inspector General (IG) for the Department of Homeland Security issued a report documenting a lack of oversight in the Coast Guard's Travel to Obtain Health … Continue Reading
05.05.15
Sens. Paul, Ernst, & Boxer Introduce Legislation to Arm the Kurds in Support of Fight Against ISIS
Today, U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation to provide for a temporary, emergency authorization of defense articles, defense services, and related training directly to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Other cosponsors include Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Marco Rubio (R-FL). This legislation would allow the U.S. to provide direct assistance to the KRG, a critical partner in the fight agains… Continue Reading
05.04.15
Sens. Paul and McConnell Introduce Bourbon Bill on 51st Anniversary of Congressional Bourbon Resolution
On the 51st anniversary of Congress designating Bourbon as a distinctive product of America, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Rand Paul are introducing legislation which corrects a provision in the tax code to ensure that Kentucky's Bourbon producers are no longer at a disadvantage with their global competitors. Earlier today, Senators McConnell and Paul introduced "The Advancing Growth in the Economy through Distilled (AGED) Spirits Act," which would level the playing fi… Continue Reading
04.30.15
Sens. Paul, Schatz & Rep. Ellison Introduce RESET Act
U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and U.S. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) yesterday reintroduced the Reclassification to Ensure Smarter and Equal Treatment Act of 2015, known as the RESET Act. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would reclassify specific low-level, non-violent drug possession felonies as misdemeanors, eliminate the distinction between crack and powder cocaine for sentencing, and ensure that food products containing drugs are weighed fairly. R… Continue Reading
04.29.15
Sen. Paul Questions Secretary Jeh Johnson on Data Privacy and Encryption “Backdoors”
U.S. Senator Rand Paul today attended the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to question the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson regarding the scope of Fourth Amendment protections for American citizens. During the hearing, Sen. Paul noted that the transition to encrypted data is a market-driven response to the U.S. government's bulk collection of the records of millions of Americans, and reiterated his view that law enforcement should instead … Continue Reading
04.29.15
Sen. Rand Paul Introduces Joint Resolution of Disapproval to Repeal Internet Regulation
Sen. Rand Paul today introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to nullify Internet regulations recently published by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Through the resolution, Sen. Paul will seek a vote in the U.S. Senate against the FCC's unnecessary and overreaching power grab for control over the Internet. "This regulation by the FCC is a textbook example of Washington's desire to regulate anything and everything and will do nothing more … Continue Reading
04.23.15
Sen. Rand Paul Reintroduces Constitutional Amendment Requiring Congress to Live by the Laws it Passes
Sen. Rand Paul today reintroduced a Constitutional amendment that would hold Congress to the same standard as the American people by requiring all laws to apply to Congress, just as they do to ordinary Americans. The legislation similarly contains two provisions that would apply this same principle of accountability to the Executive Branch and Judicial Branch of the federal government. "I oppose allowing Congress to exempt themselves from any legislation. To that end, today, I reintroduced a Con… Continue Reading
04.21.15
Sens. Paul, Wyden and Rep. Lofgren Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Aaron’s Law
Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation today to better target serious criminals and curb overzealous prosecutions for non-malicious computer and Internet offenses. The legislation, inspired by the late Internet innovator and activist Aaron Swartz, who faced up to 35 years in prison for an act of civil disobedience, would reform the quarter-century old Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to better reflect computer and internet ac… Continue Reading
04.21.15
Sens. Paul, McConnell Introduce FOCUS Act of 2015
U.S. Senator Rand Paul and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today reintroduced the Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures (FOCUS) Act of 2015. This legislation removes each and every reference to "foreign law" within the Lacey Act and substitutes the Lacey Act's criminal penalties with a reasonable civil penalty system. The Lacey Act, originally passed in 1900, is a conservation law that attempts to prohibit the trafficking of "illegal" wildlife, fish and plants. It has sin… Continue Reading
04.17.15
Sen. Rand Paul Participates in Bipartisan Panel Discussion on Criminal Justice Reform at Howard University
Sen. Rand Paul yesterday took his conservative message of criminal justice reform to Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C. The panel discussion titled, "From Protest to Politics: A Bipartisan Approach to Criminal Justice Reform" was moderated by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). Panelists participating in the discussion included: Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Reps. Raul Labrador (R-ID), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-VI). "The War on Drugs has had a … Continue Reading
04.17.15
Sen. Rand Paul Introduces Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2015
Sen. Rand Paul yesterday reintroduced the Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2015. This legislation will bring common sense back to federal water policy by redefining "navigable waters," exclude ephemeral or intermittent streams from federal jurisdiction, and restrain the powers that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers hold over American landowners. "Every year, thousands of property owners across America fall victim to the EPA and Army Corps of Eng… Continue Reading
04.16.15
Sens. Paul, Boxer Introduce Bipartisan “Invest in Transportation Act”
U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would extend the Highway Trust Fund and create jobs. The Invest in Transportation Act of 2015, S. 981, incentivizes companies to bring some of the estimated $2 trillion in foreign earnings that are being held overseas back to the United States. "Our nation's highways and bridges are in desperate need of repair and demand our immediate attention. My legislation with Senator Boxer is a fiscally r… Continue Reading
03.31.15
Sens. Paul, Grassley Introduce Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act of 2015
U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last week introduced the Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act of 2015. This legislation will remove Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) impediments to market competition and innovation in America's transportation fuel market. "The EPA's onerous regulation of fuels is artificially limiting options for consumers and producers and preventing the adoption of new fuel options that could benefit our environment, our economy, and our energy se… Continue Reading
03.27.15
Sen. Rand Paul Introduces Amendment to Offset Increased OCO Funding
Sen. Rand Paul today introduced Amendment 992 to S.Con.Res.11, the Budget Resolution. This amendment would pay for the $96 billion of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding in the budget. That funding is exempted from budget caps and slated to cover ongoing war costs and increased defense spending in the regular defense budget contrary to the 2011 Budget Control Act. "First and foremost, a strong national defense should always be the federal government's main responsibility. I believe C… Continue Reading
03.26.15
Sens. Paul, McConnell, Heller, and Capito Introduce Legislation to Help America’s Rural Communities
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation today to help rural communities harmed by Obama Administration policies that restrict access to rural lending opportunities. Sens. Dean Heller (R-NV), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Rand Paul (R-KY) are original cosponsors of the Helping Expand Lending Practices in (HELP) Rural Communities Act, which would provide rural communities with better access to credit opportunities that can help grow their local economies. The Consu… Continue Reading