Dear Friend,
Below, you can find my latest
update from my week on Capitol Hill!
Dr. Rand Paul
Stands Up for Fiscal
Responsibility
Last night, I released the
following statement after voting against H. Con. Res.
71, the Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Resolution
“The American people are sick
and tired of Congress spending recklessly with no end
in sight. We can’t spend our way to prosperity.
Today, the Senate considered a budget that
simply didn’t measure up and spent too much. I
will fight for the biggest, boldest tax cut we can
pass, but I could not in good conscience vote for a
budget that ignores spending caps that have been the
law of the land for years and simply pretend it didn’t
matter. We can be for lower taxes AND spending
restraint.”
During the debate
and series of votes, I spoke out against an
unsustainable status quo by introducing four
amendments. My proposals would
have: "Read More"
- Provided the tools to make the
cuts called for in the budget, instructing multiple
Senate committees to save approximately $98 billion
for FY 2018.
- Placed a check on the continued
growth of Big Government by eliminating $43 billion in
funding for the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO)
fund that exceeds previously established caps already
in law.
- Allowed legislators to honor their
word to repeal and replace Obamacare by providing
instructions to the Senate HELP, Judiciary, and HSGAC
committees for the purpose of passing repeal and
replace through reconciliation.
- Made sure the
tax cuts are big enough so every American gets a tax
cut by expanding the tax cuts included in the budget
proposal from $1.5 trillion to $2.5
trillion.
You can see some of
the remarks I made about these amendments on the
Senate floor HERE.
 |
| (Dr. Paul
Speaks in Support of One of His Amendments to
the Budget Proposal - Oct. 19,
2017) |
Dr. Rand Paul: "Moving in the
Right Direction for Kentucky
Coal"
Last week, Environmental
Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt moved to undo
the Obama administration's power plant rule, marking
another major victory this year for Kentucky coal
miners.
In an op-ed published in
today's Floyd County Chronicle and
Times, I looked at the progress we have made in
rolling back unnecessary, overbearing regulations and
talked about the increased sense of optimism these
gains are bringing to our coal industry.
"For the past several years,
Kentucky’s coal industry has had two top priorities
when it comes to regulatory relief – rolling back the
Obama administration’s power plant rule and stopping
an overreaching rule on waterways near coal mining
sites," I stated in the
column.
"Throughout those years, I’ve
worked tirelessly to oppose the EPA’s job-killing
regulations and the Obama administration’s war on
coal. We made significant strides in Congress,
but the new administration this year has finally given
us the critical support needed to turn these goals
into reality."
You can read the rest HERE.
Dr. Rand Paul
Holds Hearing on Federal Research
Funding
On Wednesday, I held a
hearing in my Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency
Management Subcommittee, which operates under the
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
(HSGAC), entitled, “Broken Beakers: Federal Support
for Research.”
We explored the federal
government’s role in funding scientific research and
examined how its involvement affects the quality of
the results, including a look at waste and the
creation of wrong incentives. The hearing also
considered whether increased reliance on private
funding would produce better science and better value
for the taxpayer.
To help make sure the
American people receive the best return for their
investment, I introduced my Basic Research Act this
week to increase oversight and transparency in the
grant process. My legislation would also set an
impartiality standard for awarding scientific research
grants and state that the agency shall not seek to
advance any political position or predetermined
conclusion through the
research.
You can read the Basic
Research Act HERE,
and you can watch our hearing HERE.
 |
| (Dr. Paul
Listens to Testimony During His HSGAC
Subcommittee's "Broken Beakers" Hearing - Oct.
18, 2017) |
Dr. Rand Paul
Meets with Kentuckians
On Tuesday, I met with
President Max Shapira, Director of Corporate
Analysis Andy Shapira, COO Allan Latts, and other
representatives of Heaven Hill Brands to discuss
issues including federal funding and the need to lower
our tax rates to help our businesses better compete
with the rest of the world.
On Wednesday, I had another
opportunity to discuss tax reform when I met with
representatives of Yum! Brands, which is based in
Louisville.
 |
| (L-R: Dr.
Paul with Heaven Hill Brands and Yum!
Representatives - Oct. 17-18,
2017) |
I also had a chance on
Wednesday to address several members of the Kentucky
Cattlemen’s Leadership Program about topics including
how we can improve the H-2A visa program and how we
can help more Americans find affordable health
insurance by expanding access to Association Health
Plans.
 |
| (Dr. Paul
with the Kentucky Cattlemen's Leadership Program
- Oct. 18, 2017) |
Media
Wrap-Up
This week, I appeared on Fox
News' America's
Newsroom and Fox Business' Varney
& Co., and I was interviewed by the
Christian Broadcasting Network and One America
News.
I also spoke on the radio with
Leland Conway, Brian Thomas, Larry Glover, Greg
Dunker, Glenn Beck, Dom Giordano, Tom Shillue, Jeff
Kuhner, and Andrew Wilkow.
As
the budget debate unfolded, I also held a conference
call and a press conference with national
reporters.
Have an Issue or
Concern?
If you are a Kentucky resident
and need assistance with a federal agency, please feel
free to contact my Bowling Green office at
270-782-8303. One of my staff members will be
more than happy to assist you.
Stay in Touch with
Dr. Paul on Social Media
You can stay up to date on my
latest news and activities by visiting my Senate
website, www.paul.senate.gov,
or my official Facebook
and Twitter
pages. You can watch my Senate floor speeches
and press interviews at my YouTube channel HERE.
Warm Regards,
 | 
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