U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Bowling Green, said Tuesday he has formally filed for reelection for a third term in the U.S. Senate. [134] After a week of almost daily news reports of new allegations of plagiarism, Paul said that he was being held to an "unfair standard", but would restructure his office in order to prevent mistakes in the future, if that would be what it would take "to make people leave me the hell alone. [23][24] He worked for Downing McPeak Vision Centers for five years. [278] That same month, Paul blocked a Senate resolution that backed the intelligence community's assessment of Russian election interference and that called on President Trump to speak with special counsel Robert Mueller. Rand Paul Supports Free-Market Principles in Health Care and the Repeal of Obamacare. Rand Paul, Who Calls Universal Health Care 'Slavery,' Will Have Surgery in Canada but Insists Hospital Is Private. [303][304], On May 28, 2021, Paul voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack. "[170] Paul said that the campaign finance violations were "an error in filing paperwork or not categorizing" and that going after such violations would turn the U.S. into a "banana republic, where every president gets prosecuted and every president gets thrown in jail when they're done with office. It is sad but we must face it. Our founding fathers went to the local courthouse to be married, not to Washington, D.C. [180] Paul tweeted on September 15 that Graham-Cassidy retained "90% of Obamacare" and dubbed it "more Obamacare Lite". [329][330], Paul has not definitively accepted the scientific consensus on climate change, which has found that global warming is real, progressing, and primarily caused by humans. [97][98], On April 14, he was one of 19 senators to vote against a budget that cut $38.5billion from the budget and funded the government for the remainder of the fiscal year. This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 19:49. [2], Paul was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Glenn Youngkin and South Dakota Gov. "[170], Paul introduced a bill on January 25, 2017, that sought to replace the Affordable Care Act which included each person's having a tax credit of $5,000 and not requiring everyone to have coverage, unlike Obamacare. "[59] On April 15, 2009, Paul gave his first political speech as a potential candidate at a Tea Party rally held in his town of Bowling Green, Kentucky, where more than 700 people had gathered in support of the Tea Party movement..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}The Tea Party Goes to Washington. Nashville: Center Street. [19] In 1994, Paul founded the anti-tax organization Kentucky Taxpayers United (KTU), and was chair of the organization from its inception. William and Duncan attended the University of Kentucky, while Robert attended a private school in the Washington, D.C. [120] Also in March 2013, Paul endorsed fellow Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's 2014 re-election campaign. He was the first member of the United States Senate to test positive. Ultimately, nine people infected with Ebola returned to the United States, two nurses contracted the disease within the US, and two of the returning travelers died. [348], In May 2021, during President Biden's push to convince more Americans to be vaccinated, Paul said he personally was choosing not to get the COVID vaccine, justifying his decision by saying that "I've already had the disease and I have natural immunity" and that "in a free country each individual would get to make the medical decision. Senator or continue a potential bid for president. [338] His remarks generated controversy by suggesting that states should not require parents to vaccinate their children, because parents should have the freedom to make that decision for their children. Term Limits Praises Senator Rand Paul (KY) for Signing Pledge", "What you see of Kelley now is what she was then", "Here's what we know about Sen. Rand Paul's faith: 'Never been easy', "Our liberal media love rage politics and endanger my husband and others who won't back their woke agenda", "Radical Liberalism or Gardening Dispute? [168], FiveThirtyEight, which tracks Congressional votes, found that Paul had voted with Donald Trump's positions the least out of all Republicans, only voting with him 74% of the time by August 2018. [18], While attending Duke University School of Medicine, Paul volunteered for his father's 1988 Libertarian presidential campaign. [214], During the 2014 election, Paul launched a social media campaign titled "Hillary's Losers" which was meant to highlight many of the Democratic candidates that lost their bids for the U.S. Senate despite endorsements from Hillary Clinton. [306][307] Regarding medical use, Paul has endorsed efforts to legalize in Kentucky[308] and introduced the CARERS Act in 2015 to legalize medical cannabis at the federal level. He blamed the rioters as setting back election reform discussions and asked them to "just stop it. But Florida Gov. [182] On September 22, after President Trump tweeted that "Rand Paul, or whoever votes against Hcare Bill, will forever (future political campaigns) be known as 'the Republican who saved Obamacare'", Paul responded that he would not be coerced into supporting Graham-Cassidy with bribes or bullying. [123], In September, Paul stated that the United States should avoid military intervention in the ongoing Syrian Civil War. [121] McConnell had previously hired Paul's 2010 campaign manager, Jesse Benton, as his own campaign manager. Senator. [36], Paul was head of the local chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas during his time at Baylor University. [205], In May 2022, Paul blocked a bipartisan bill that would provide $40 billion in aid for Ukraine during the Russian invasion, citing the need to create a special inspector general to oversee how the aid is spent. ", "Reid vows to block vote on Paul's 'life at conception' amendment to flood bill", "Sen. Rand Paul: Didn't think Obama's view 'could get any gayer, "In Kentucky, a Senate candidate with a pedigree for agitation", "Ron Paul's son borrows tactics for Senate bid in Kentucky", "H.R.3 - No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act", "Paul calls for bipartisan DACA solution", "11 Senate Republicans voted to block Trump's border wall emergency declaration", "In Kentucky, a Senate Candidate With a Pedigree for Agitation", "Rand Paul: Government Should Get Out of the Marriage Business Altogether", "At a Senate hearing and on the House floor, emotional debates erupt over transgender rights", "Patty Murray rebukes Rand Paul for 'harmful misrepresentations' at historic confirmation hearing for Rachel Levine", "Rand Paul Supports Some Military Bases On Foreign Soil, A Big Difference From His Dad", "Rand Paul: Blame Dick Cheney for Iraq violence, not Obama", "Isolationist policies make the threat of terrorism even greater", "GOP's Paul Doubles Down on Isolationism", "Rand Paul Proposes Boosting Defense Spending", "Republican Senator Rand Paul Accuses US of Arming Isis Terrorists", "Rand Paul's hawkish turn breeds unease at libertarian conference", "Rand Paul Calls Obama's ISIS Plan 'Unconstitutional', but he does support the intervention", "I am happy to see a President who can declare victory and bring our troops out of a war. [208] He delivered the Tea Party response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address on February 13, 2013,[209] while Marco Rubio gave the official Republican response. [173] On March 12, Paul accused House Speaker Paul Ryan of being misleading in portraying supporters of the American Health Care Act of 2017 as not being negotiable,[174] and three days later, March 15, furthered that Ryan was "selling" President Trump "a bill of goods" that he had not explained fully to the president. "[176] Later, on April 2, Paul golfed with Trump and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, where they discussed a variety of topics, including healthcare. [89] His first legislative proposal was to cut $500billion from federal spending in one year. [204], In January 2022, a video resurfaced of Paul advising medical students at the University of Louisville in 2013, during which he said "misinformation works, so try to trick your opponents". "[250][251] Prior to the Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States, Paul held the view that the decision to ban same-sex marriage should be in the hands of states. [225][226][227] Paul has since given his support to the idea that the Kentucky Republican Party could decide to hold a caucus rather than a primary, potentially giving Paul more time to decide whether he should run for U.S. "[45] He also said there was no evidence the surveillance of phone metadata had stopped terrorism. "[262] Paul then supported airstrikes against ISIS, but questioned the constitutionality of Obama's unilateral actions without a clear congressional mandate. [321], As a critic of warrantless surveillance of Americans, Paul says "the Fourth Amendment is equally as important as the Second Amendment" and has called for conservatives to more strongly defend Fourth Amendment rights. [142][143], In response to reports that the CIA infiltrated the computers of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Paul called for the firing of CIA Director John O. Paul's grievance with the bill was the accumulation to the debt it would have triggered. By onHeart. He has often cited his involvement with KTU as the foundation of his involvement with state politics. [18] In 1984, Paul took a semester off to aid his father's primary challenge to Republican Senate candidate Phil Gramm. [88] Paul also formed the Senate Tea Party Caucus with Jim DeMint and Mike Lee as its inaugural members. "[331][332] In 2018, Paul called for an investigation of a National Science Foundation grant that went towards educating meteorologists about the science of climate change. [246] In 2011, Paul signed onto the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act which was intended to prohibit federal funding for abortion, with the exception of abortions in the case of rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. [78][79], On June 28, 2010, Paul supporters held their first post-primary online fundraising drive, this time promoted as a "money blast". [272] Paul had previously insisted that he would not confirm Pompeo, citing Pompeo's hawkish foreign policy beliefs. [353][354][355] Paul also released a video of himself calling on people to "resist" public health measures to halt the spread of COVID-19. He also called for the United States to take steps as a counterweight to Russia's strategic influence on Europe's oil and gas supply, such as lifting restrictions on new exploration and drilling for fossil fuels in the United States along with immediate approval of the controversial Keystone Pipeline, which he said would allow the United States to ship more oil and gas to Europe if Russia attempts to cut off its own supply to Europe. [356], On August 11, 2021, Rand Paul disclosed that his wife Kelley Paul had purchased a stake in Gilead Sciences, which manufactures an antiviral drug used to treat COVID-19, on February 26, 2020. [44], In February 2014, Paul joined the Tea Party-affiliated conservative advocacy group FreedomWorks in filing a class-action lawsuit charging that the federal government's bulk collection of Americans' phone records metadata is a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Paul held the floor for 12 hours and 52 minutes. This proposal included cutting the Department of Education by 83percent and the United States Department of Homeland Security by 43percent, as well as folding the Department of Energy into the Department of Defense and eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development. [108], In June 2012, Paul endorsed Mitt Romney after it became apparent that he would be the Republican nominee for the 2012 presidential election.