Newly-released emails suggest that Dr. Anthony Fauci went out of his way to hide information during the COVID-19 pandemic — and then lied about doing so when questioned about it by members of Congress.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) shared screenshots of two separate emails, both of which contained information that Fauci apparently did not want to see the light of day — in both cases, Fauci had clearly instructed the recipient to &#8220;delete&#8221; the message once it had been read. Paul also shared a copy of a letter addressed to Fauci on September 9, referencing the emails in conjunction with his prior testimony — during which he claimed several times that he had not attempted to hide or delete any relevant information regarding the pandemic from Congress — and calling for him to testify again.
&#8220;Newly released emails show Fauci directed colleagues to &#8216;delete this after you read it&#8217; — dating back to Feb. 2020,&#8221; Paul wrote. &#8220;He denied it under oath. These documents are now public, and Fauci will finally testify before Chairman Rand Paul.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨BREAKING: Newly released emails show Fauci directed colleagues to “delete this after you read it”—dating back to Feb. 2020.
He denied it under oath. These documents are now public, and Fauci will finally testify before Chairman Rand Paul. <a href="https://t.co/kHrUDjfRXI">pic.twitter.com/kHrUDjfRXI</a>
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRandPaul/status/1965766261918630136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Paul included in the letter a list of documents that Fauci, 84, was to provide within two weeks, no later than 5 pm on September 23. In addition to emails, attachments, calls, texts, and voicemails, Paul requested all telephone numbers, messaging app usernames, and email addresses — whether government or private — that Fauci used between January 1, 2018, and January 1, 2023.
He followed the letter with additional X posts showing the emails in question.
&#8220;Freshly released emails expose another layer of the Fauci COVID Coverup. In April 2020, his staff flagged my post on NYC’s soaring death rate. Fauci’s reply? Call me &#8216;full of s**t,&#8217; spin the numbers, and order your staff to &#8216;delete this after you read it.&#8217; He knew the reckoning was eventually coming.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The coverup began while the virus was barely on America’s radar. Just one day after the Feb. 1, 2020 Proximal Origins call, Fauci, Francis Collins, and Jeremy Farrar plotted how to “get ahead of the science and the narrative” under WHO.
Fauci ended with: “Please delete this… <a href="https://t.co/lAVuPB8mZJ">pic.twitter.com/lAVuPB8mZJ</a>
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRandPaul/status/1965766267580580311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The coverup began while the virus was barely on America’s radar,&#8221; Paul wrote on X. &#8220;Just one day after the Feb. 1, 2020 Proximal Origins call, Fauci, Francis Collins, and Jeremy Farrar plotted how to &#8216;get ahead of the science and the narrative&#8217; under WHO. Fauci ended with: &#8216;Please delete this after you read it.'&#8221;

Leading Health Officials Testify On Federal Government’s Response To Monkeypox Outbreak

‘Delete This After You Read It’: Fauci Ordered Staff To Cover Up Email Defending COVID Lockdowns

'Delete This After You Read It': Fauci Ordered Staff To Cover Up Email Defending COVID Lockdowns

Anthony Fauci

Congress

COVID-19

Francis Collins

Politics

Rand Paul

After news broke in 2015 that an Obama administration drone strike on al Qaeda had inadvertently killed multiple Americans, the former president found himself an unlikely defender: Republican presidential candidate and senator Rand Paul, one of the most outspoken drone critics in the country.
“I do think that there is a valuable use for drones,” Paul <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rand-paul-defends-obama-drone-strikes/">said</a> at the time, in comments that drove the news cycle. “And as much as I’m seen as an opponent of drones, I think in military and warfare, they do have some value.”
Flash forward ten years, and Paul isn’t giving the Trump administration the same courtesy. In response to a U.S. military strike that took out a Venezuelan drug-running boat operated by the terrorist organization Tren de Aragua, the libertarian senator is laying into Vice President JD Vance for his defense of the strike.
After leftist activist Brian Krassenstein said that the strike on the drug smugglers was a “war crime,” Vance <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-dont-give-a-s-vance-goes-viral-with-defense-of-cartel-strike?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=‘I+Don’t+Give+A+S***’%3A+Vance+Goes+Viral+With+Defense+Of+Cartel+Strike">replied</a> by saying that he didn’t “give a s***” what Krassenstein called it. The comment set off Paul, who said that the suspected terrorist drug dealers didn’t get due process and called the vice president “despicable and thoughtless.”
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-dont-give-a-s-vance-goes-viral-with-defense-of-cartel-strike?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98I+Don%E2%80%99t+Give+A+S***%E2%80%99%3A+Vance+Goes+Viral+With+Defense+Of+Cartel+Strike">‘I Don’t Give A S***’: Vance Goes Viral With Defense Of Cartel Strike</a>
“JD ‘I don’t give a s***’ Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is the ‘highest and best use of the military,’” Paul wrote on X. “Did he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Did he ever wonder what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation?? What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial.”
The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” centers on the story of a black man falsely accused of rape. 
Vance hasn’t been swayed by Paul’s tirade, with a source close to the vice president calling out Paul for his selective criticism when it comes to drone strikes.
“The Vice President believes in the Trump doctrine and using overwhelming force to protect core American interests and save American lives,” the source close to Vance told The Daily Wire. “That pisses off hypocrites like Rand Paul, who during his failed run for president defended Obama droning American citizens without due process, but now is sticking up for foreign terrorists thanks to his debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Back in April 2015, Paul said regarding the Obama drone strikes that “you really don’t get due process or anything like that if you are in a war zone.” The Obama strikes took out two American operatives of al-Qaeda and an American and a French aid worker who were being held hostage. Obama took responsibility for the deaths, saying that it was the result of an intelligence failure.
“I tend not to want to blame the president for the loss of life here. I think he was trying to do the right thing,” Paul said regarding the strike, in the same interview in which he praised the “valuable use for drones.”
Prior to his defense of Obama, Paul made a name for himself opposing drone attacks. In 2013, he did a 13-hour filibuster in opposition to John Brennan’s nomination to be CIA director, where he attacked the Obama administration for not ruling out drone attacks on American citizens. Paul pointed to that filibuster in his response to The Daily Wire, saying that he has been the “foremost critic of drones being used on civilians, especially Americans” during his time in the Senate. 
Paul told The Daily Wire that the recent strike by the Trump administration did not meet his standards. He said that the strike was not part of a “declared war” and was conducted in opposition to Coast Guard rules. He also criticized the fact that the Trump administration has not yet identified the occupants of the boat.
“The recent drone attack on a small speedboat over 2,000 miles from our shore without identification of the occupants or the content of the boat is in no way part of a declared war and defies our longstanding Coast Guard rules of engagement which include: warnings to halt, non-lethal force to capture, and ultimately lethal force in self-defense or in cases of resistance,” he said. 
The recent strike criticized by Paul was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-drone-strikes-cartel-drug-boat-trump-posts-video-for-world-to-see-beware">announced</a> last week by President Donald Trump, who said Tuesday that 11 narcoterrorist members of Tren de Aragua had been killed in international waters as they left Venezuela for the United States. 
“Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military,” Vance said on Saturday, in the comments that set off Paul. 
The Trump administration has taken increasingly strong action to target Tren de Aragua. 
In February, the violent gang was <a href="https://www.state.gov/designation-of-international-cartels">designated</a> as a foreign terrorist organization. The State Department said that the group “has conducted kidnappings, extorted businesses, bribed public officials, authorized its members to attack and kill U.S. law enforcement, and assassinated a Venezuelan opposition figure.”
Later, Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/invocation-of-the-alien-enemies-act-regarding-the-invasion-of-the-united-states-by-tren-de-aragua/">invoked</a> the Alien Enemies Act to speed up the deportation process for Tren de Aragua members apprehended in the United States. The White House said that the gang had “infiltrated” the country and was conducting “irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions” against America. Trump said that the gang was using narcotics as a weapon to weaken and destabilize the country. 
After the strike last week, taking out the drug boat, Venezuela flew two armed F-16 fighter jets over the USS Jason Dunham, an Aegis guided-missile destroyer. The Pentagon said the action was a “highly provocative move” that was “designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations.”

MixCollage-08-Sep-2025-03-56-PM-5518

Veep’s Allies Shoots Back At ‘Hypocrite’ Rand Paul’s Drone Criticism: ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’

Barack Obama

Donald Trump

Drones

Tren De Aragua

Venezuela

A Senate panel on Wednesday advanced a bill that seeks to prohibit members of Congress, presidents, and vice presidents from trading or holding individual stocks — although the ban would not force a full divestment for current office holders until if and they win and start another term.
Part of an effort led by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), the legislation passed through the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in an 8-7 vote. Democrats joined with Hawley in supporting the <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26036909/s-1498-hawley-substitute-as-modified-wal25677.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">measure</a>, while the rest of the Republicans opposed it.
“Americans have watched politicians earn a fortune using information not available to the general public while the average family struggles to get by. It&#8217;s just wrong,&#8221; Hawley said. &#8220;Members of Congress should be focused on delivering results for their constituents, not returns on investments. It&#8217;s time to find out where members stand. It&#8217;s time we restore trust in Congress and ban all members from trading and holding stocks.&#8221;
Featuring a name <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/06/29/opinion/pelosis-prime-profits-prove-its-time-to-ban-congress-stock-trading/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inspired</a> by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her strong performance in the stock market, the bill initially offered by Hawley sought to keep just lawmakers and their spouses from stock picking, but allow for investment in diversified mutual funds, Exchange-Traded Funds, and Treasury bonds. President Donald Trump even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sen-hawley-reintroduces-pelosi-act-to-curb-congressional-stock-trading-trump-signals-approval" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> he would sign the legislation.
A change was later offered to add the president and vice president to the ban, part of what Axios <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/29/white-house-lobbies-hawley-stock-trading-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> to be Hawley&#8217;s bid to gain Democrat support. But with the White House raising Article II concerns, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee ultimately approved a version that bars only current office-holders from stock trading if they get elected to another term — effectively giving Trump a pass, given he&#8217;s in his second term. Still, that was enough for the Democrats.
&#8220;The American people think ALL politicians, Democrats and Republicans, use our position to enrich ourselves,&#8221; Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) <a href="https://x.com/SenatorSlotkin/status/1950599974686691459" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> in a post on X. &#8220;Today, we sent a bill to the Senate floor that bans Members of Congress, the President, and VP from trading stocks. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good first step, and we should pass it into law.&#8221;
Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/congressional-stock-trading-ban-clears-senate-committee-republicans-arguing-insults-2025-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that even though full divestment from individual stocks would not be required immediately, it would prevent Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and lawmakers from buying stocks right way and, 90 days after enactment, disallow them from selling stocks.
Now the legislation heads to the full Senate, where the GOP has a 53-seat majority.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said he opposed exempting Trump because he believes &#8220;everybody should be treated fairly.&#8221; He also bemoaned how it excluded the courts and staff of office-holders.
Another Republican on the panel, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfalT1gSTbo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">derided</a> what he called &#8220;legislative demagoguery.&#8221; He noted that insider trading laws and financial disclosure rules already exist. In addition, Johnson warned the measure would &#8220;make it very unattractive&#8221; for people to run for office, particularly those with business experience.
There is GOP support for a congressional stock trading ban in the House. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has signaled that she will <a href="https://x.com/RepLuna/status/1950317068911263752" target="_blank" rel="noopener">force</a> a vote.
&#8220;Members of Congress should be banned from trading individual stocks because their access to privileged, nonpublic information creates unavoidable conflicts of interest that erode public confidence in government,&#8221; Luna <a href="https://x.com/RepLuna/status/1950589449600929876" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X.
&#8220;As lawmakers, we receive classified briefings, shape economic policies, and interact with industry leaders, giving us insights that can influence stock prices. Even if no laws are broken, the appearance of profiting from this access fuels distrust among Americans,&#8221; she added. &#8220;The American people do not trust the US government and banning stock trading is a step forward to building that trust.&#8221;

Sen. Josh Hawley

Senate Panel Votes To Ban Stock Trading For Lawmakers, President, And VP — But Spares Trump

Corruption

Executive

Josh Hawley

Ron Johnson

Stock Market

U.S. Senate

Mike Waltz is one step closer to becoming President Donald Trump&#8217;s U.S. ambassador to the United Nations thanks to the help of a Senate Democrat.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 12-10 on Thursday to favorably report Waltz&#8217;s nomination to the full chamber. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), ranking member of the panel, joined with all but one Republican in voting &#8220;yes.&#8221; Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and the rest of the Democrats voted against Waltz.
In a <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/1948413228628742521" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>, Shaheen said she disagrees with Waltz on some issues, &#8220;including his use of unclassified systems to coordinate sensitive documents.&#8221; However, the New Hampshire Democrat added that she views Waltz as representing a &#8220;moderating force with a distinguished record of military service and an extensive background in national security policymaking,&#8221; and she suggested the United States is &#8220;better off&#8221; with him as opposed to potential &#8220;alternatives.&#8221;
Shaheen also declared that she intends to hold Waltz &#8220;accountable&#8221; in the months and years ahead, and noted that she welcomes the Trump administration&#8217;s &#8220;commitment&#8221; to distribute $75 million of &#8220;lifesaving&#8221; foreign assistance.
Waltz, a former Florida congressman and Green Beret veteran, was ousted from his role as Trump&#8217;s national security adviser after he took responsibility for the &#8220;Signalgate&#8221; controversy earlier this year. Trump then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/curveball-amid-rumors-that-mike-waltz-was-fired-trump-gives-him-another-top-admin-post" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picked</a> Waltz to become his envoy to the United Nations after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-pulls-stefanik-nomination-united-nations-ambassador" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pulling</a> Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as his nominee for the role. Stefanik is now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elise-stefanik-reportedly-set-to-challenge-hochul-for-new-york-governor" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expected</a> to run for governor of New York against the Democrat incumbent, Kathy Hochul.
During Waltz&#8217;s confirmation hearing, Paul confronted the nominee on the issue of war powers. Paul was the sole Republican to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-rebuffs-dem-bid-to-limit-trumps-iran-war-powers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vote</a> with the majority of Democrats in June for a failed measure that sought to stop Trump from launching further attacks on Iran with the consent of Congress.
&#8220;I guess it just worries me that you come more from the Liz Cheney wing of the party than the Donald Trump wing of the party,&#8221; Paul <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/1945157737844777039" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, to which Waltz contended in his reply: &#8220;I am squarely with the president &#8230; in terms of the limits on hard power.&#8221;
Paul <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/24/congress/waltz-nomination-overcomes-rand-paul-hurdle-00474459" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> told colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he was willing to vote in favor of Waltz, but without a favorable recommendation.

Miek Waltz

Trump’s UN Nominee Mike Waltz Clears Hurdle With Dem Assist

Jeanne Shaheen

Mike Waltz

Presidential nomination

U.S.

United Nations

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Monday that he planned to &#8220;reissue&#8221; a criminal referral for Dr. Anthony Fauci and send it directly to President Donald Trump&#8217;s Justice Department.
Paul made the announcement via an X post after a New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/13/us/politics/biden-pardon-autopen-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare">report</a> shed light on the number of pardons and commutations — supposedly issued by former President Joe Biden — that were signed with the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admits-he-used-autopen-for-mass-criminal-pardons-says-he-didnt-review-every-case">autopen</a> at the direction of Biden&#8217;s Chief of Staff, Jeff Zients.
According to the NYT, a number of pardons — including so-called &#8220;preemptive&#8221; pardons for people like Fauci, retired General Mark Milley, and members of Biden&#8217;s family who had not actually been charged with crimes yet — were discussed at a meeting on January 19.
<blockquote>
At the Jan. 19 meeting, which took place in the Yellow Oval Room of the White House residence, Mr. Biden kept his aides until nearly 10 p.m. to talk through such decisions, according to people familiar with the matter.
The emails show that an aide to Mr. Siskel sent a draft summary of Mr. Biden’s decisions at that meeting to an assistant to Mr. Zients, copying Mr. Siskel, at 10:03 p.m. The assistant forwarded it to Mr. Reed and Mr. Zients, asking for their approval, and then sent a final version to Ms. Feldman — copying many meeting participants and aides — at 10:28 p.m.
Three minutes later, Mr. Zients hit “reply all” and wrote, “I approve the use of the autopen for the execution of all of the following pardons.”
</blockquote>
Paul, in response to the news that Fauci&#8217;s pardon had been among those that were issued by autopen on Zients&#8217; orders, declared his intention to push ahead with a criminal referral for Fauci.
&#8220;Today I will reissue my criminal referral of Anthony Fauci to Trump DOJ!&#8221; he said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today I will reissue my criminal referral of Anthony Fauci to Trump DOJ! <a href="https://t.co/trIhJHAOlx">https://t.co/trIhJHAOlx</a>
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1944763596614902143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Perjury is a crime. And Fauci must be held accountable,&#8221; he added a short time later.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Perjury is a crime. And Fauci must be held accountable. <a href="https://t.co/a1IlzAm154">https://t.co/a1IlzAm154</a>
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1944788688463872287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Paul has long held that Fauci intentionally <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trying-to-cover-your-a-rand-paul-charges-fauci-with-attempting-to-change-definition-of-gain-of-function-research">buried evidence</a> that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated in a lab that specialized in gain-of-function research — and worked diligently to silence any in the scientific community who dared to dispute his repeated claim that it had developed naturally. He has also repeatedly accused Fauci of lying under oath to hide his own connections to the lab and type of research in question.

Anthony Fauci and Rand Paul

Why Rand Paul Says Biden’s Autopen Puts Fauci Back In His Crosshairs

Crime

Joe Biden

Pardon

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified Wednesday to a congressional committee in favor of President Donald Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” saying it would be &#8220;cataclysmic&#8221; for lawmakers to let the package die.
Bessent&#8217;s remarks came in response to a question from House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax Chairman Mike Kelly (R-PA).
“Let’s go to what actually is going to happen if this bill doesn’t get passed,&#8221; Kelly asked Bessent. &#8220;How is it going to affect hardworking American taxpayers?”
&#8220;It would be cataclysmic,&#8221; Bessent <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1932868781040136656">responded</a>. &#8220;It would be the largest tax hike in history. It would be a disaster for businesses, for working Americans, and for our status in the world.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecScottBessent?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecScottBessent</a>: If the One Big Beautiful Bill doesn&#39;t pass, &quot;it would be cataclysmic. It would be the largest tax hike in history. It would be a disaster for businesses, for working Americans, and for our status in the world.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Aaihs72JyP">pic.twitter.com/Aaihs72JyP</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1932868781040136656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Bessent&#8217;s warning comes as the Senate considers whether or not it will pass the bill, which passed the House by just one vote. Two House Republicans <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-holdouts-sound-alarm-36t-debt-crisis-trumps-big-beautiful-bill-passes-house-vote" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted against</a> it. <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5341080-republicans-debate-fiscal-deficit-cuts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Senate Republicans</a> seem divided on the bill, with  Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky notably <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5314189-rand-paul-house-gop-budget-bill/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expressing</a> his dissatisfaction with the bill’s debt ceiling.
Replying to Kelly, Bessent warned that if the bill does not pass, “We would see increases in taxes of thousands of dollars on working Americans. We would see business contract, and we would see a substantial increase in the unemployment rate.”
Proponents of the bill, which <a href="https://taxpolicycenter.org/features/2025-tax-cuts-tracker#:~:text=TAX%20CUTS-,Expiring%20TCJA%20Provisions,set%20to%20expire%20after%202025.&amp;text=Near%20doubling%20of%20the%20standard,State%20and%20local%20taxes%20(SALT)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extends</a> the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, argue that killing it threatens the national economy, while opponents claim that the bill only adds trillions to the national debt while reducing healthcare and nutrition benefits.
Kelly also asked Bessent to comment about what more can be done to move the economy in the right direction.
“The combination of small business and manufacturing, along with the President’s tax agenda for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, a tax cut for seniors, and the ability to buy a new, American-made car and deduct the interest will solve this horrendous affordability crisis,&#8221; Bessent replied.
“The way to think about it, Congressman — we are dealing with two things here: we are dealing with affordability and we are dealing with inflation,” Bessent said.
“We are working to pull [affordability] down. That can be pulled down two ways: through price levels or [increasing] real wages. I think we can do both but the real fill-up here would be [to] increase real wages for working Americans.”
Later in the hearing, Representative David Kustoff of Tennessee reiterated Kelly’s concerns about the danger of killing the bill.
Bessent agreed, saying that, “I think it could set off a financial crisis the likes of which we have not seen since ‘08, ‘09.”

Senate Finance Committee Holds Confirmation Hearing For Scott Bessent

Not Passing ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Would Be ‘Cataclysmic,’ Treasury Secretary Warns

Budget

Scott Bessent

Senate

President Donald Trump singled out Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) for criticism on Tuesday in a dispute over the &#8220;One Big, Beautiful Bill.&#8221;
The scolding took place on Truth Social shortly after Paul made an appearance on TV in which the senator said he would not support the legislation in its current form because it aims to raise the debt ceiling by several trillion dollars.
&#8220;Rand Paul has very little understanding of the BBB, especially the tremendous GROWTH that is coming. He loves voting &#8216;NO&#8217; on everything, he thinks it’s good politics, but it’s not. The BBB is a big WINNER!!!&#8221; Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114619628833129608" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in one post.
Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114619648032728687" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> in another post, &#8220;Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas. His ideas are actually crazy (losers!). The people of Kentucky can’t stand him. This is a BIG GROWTH BILL!&#8221;
On CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk Box,&#8221; Paul <a href="https://x.com/RandPaul/status/1929908175748088234" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the &#8220;main thing&#8221; he objects to in the massive bill, which contains many provisions in line with Trump&#8217;s second-term agenda, is how it would raise the debt ceiling by another $4-5 trillion. As it stands, the national debt is approaching $37 trillion.
&#8220;That&#8217;s an indication that we&#8217;ll borrow that much. It&#8217;s an indication that we&#8217;ll put the debt on the back burner,&#8221; said Paul, who added that he did not join &#8220;most of the Republicans&#8221; who voted to &#8220;continue the Biden spending levels&#8221; with the six-month continuing resolution Congress passed in March.
Paul said he believes there are three or four Republicans in the Senate who might oppose the bill as it stands. That amount could be enough to stall the legislation&#8217;s progress, given the GOP has only a 53-45 <a href="https://www.senate.gov/history/partydiv.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">majority</a>.
&#8220;If there are four of us who want it to be more fiscally conservative, I think we can really reduce the spending levels and perhaps separate out the debt ceiling as well,&#8221; Paul said.
The senator also noted that he is &#8220;pretty much open to compromise on everything else in the bill,&#8221; specifically expressing support for how it seeks to retain the 2017 tax cuts.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also defended the legislation from Paul&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rand-paul-warns-big-beautiful-bill-explode-debt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">critique</a> on the debt ceiling in a recent &#8220;Fox News Sunday&#8221; interview. He alluded to how the reconciliation process Republicans are using allows Congress to bypass the Senate&#8217;s 60-vote filibuster threshold.
&#8220;We have to do it,&#8221; Johnson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/speaker-johnson-rebuts-rand-pauls-debt-warning-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;We&#8217;re not going to get any Democrats to assist on that. So, to get it through the Senate and make sure we don&#8217;t crash the U.S. economy and default on our debts for the first time in history, it has to be part of the reconciliation package.&#8221;

Senator Rand Paul

Trump Puts Rand Paul On Blast Over ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

Debt Ceiling

Mike Johnson

National Debt

Spending Bill

Tax Cuts

The White House is banking on the highest court in the land to save President Donald Trump&#8217;s sweeping tariffs on foreign nations that were blocked by a trio of judges in an ongoing legal fight this week.
&#8220;These judges are threatening to undermine the credibility of the United States on the world stage,&#8221; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in a briefing on Thursday, adding moments later, &#8220;Ultimately, the Supreme Court must put an end to this, for the sake of our Constitution and our country.&#8221;
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a>: &#8220;Last night the Trump administration faced another example of judicial overreach&#8230;Three judges of the U.S. Court of international trade&#8230;brazenly abused their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump&#8230;the courts should have no role here.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/NchnASHzJP">pic.twitter.com/NchnASHzJP</a>
— CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1928144137611522120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the New York-based Court of International Trade <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-court-blocks-trumps-sweeping-liberation-day-tariffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> Trump&#8217;s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA) and struck down his sweeping levies on imports from countries around the world.
The Trump administration is challenging the ruling and <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cafc.23106/gov.uscourts.cafc.23106.7.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a> it &#8220;plans to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court&#8221; on Friday &#8220;to avoid irreparable national-security and economic harms at stake&#8221; if a federal appeals court does not provide interim relief.
Leavitt said the U.S. Court of International Trade judges &#8220;abused their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump&#8221; and &#8220;failed to acknowledge that the President of the United States has core foreign affairs powers and authority given to him by Congress to protect the United States economy and national security.&#8221;
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After the Republican-led Senate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-rejects-bid-to-stop-trumps-liberation-day-tariffs-vance-stifles-attempt-to-resurrect-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> last month a resolution spearheaded by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to stop the national emergency declaration that Trump used to impose his “Liberation Day” tariffs, the courts &#8220;should have no role here,&#8221; Leavitt insisted.
&#8220;America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges,&#8221; Leavitt said, alluding to negotiations the U.S. is having with other nations to strike trade deals.
There are more hurdles ahead for the Trump administration. Another federal judge issued a <a href="https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-5-29-2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruling</a> on Thursday, around when Leavitt spoke to reporters, that placed a stoppage on the president&#8217;s tariffs.
In a post on X, Sen. Paul <a href="https://x.com/RandPaul/status/1928111254704386119" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;I have said time and time again that the Founders wanted to prevent one person from having unilateral control and decision-making powers. That’s why the power of the purse and the ability to tax lie with Congress, not the president.&#8221;

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt

SCOTUS ‘Must Put An End’ To Tariff Blockage, White House Says

Judges

Karoline Leavitt

Supreme Court

Tariffs

Trade War

White House

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) criticized the version of President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;One Big, Beautiful Bill&#8221; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-passes-one-big-beautiful-bill-in-massive-win-for-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> by the House last week, warning that it would significantly increase the national debt.
In a Sunday interview with anchor Shannon Bream on &#8220;Fox News Sunday,&#8221; Paul expressed support for the bill&#8217;s tax cuts but described its spending cuts as &#8220;wimpy and anemic.&#8221; Even so, Paul said he could support the bill — if not for concerns about it adding to the nearly $37 trillion national debt.
&#8220;The problem is the math doesn&#8217;t add up,&#8221; Paul said. &#8220;They&#8217;re going to explode the debt by — the House says $4 trillion, the Senate&#8217;s actually been talking about exploding the debt $5 trillion.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Great joining <a href="https://twitter.com/ShannonBream?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShannonBream</a> on <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNewsSunday?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNewsSunday</a> to talk about why I oppose the Big Beautiful Bill. <a href="https://t.co/ylvf4TKXrz">pic.twitter.com/ylvf4TKXrz</a>
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenRandPaul/status/1926639668960883102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Proponents <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-budget-chief-responds-fiscal-hawk-heartburn-over-big-beautiful-bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tout</a> how the bill aims to make reforms to rein in spending programs, such as kicking illegal immigrants off Medicaid, and foster economic growth. Yet that may not be enough. Like the House, the Senate has a slim GOP majority, and it&#8217;s not guaranteed the bill will prevail in its current form.
Paul, who lamented that the U.S. deficit remains about $2.2 trillion, said he would consider backing the legislation if its proposed $4-5 trillion debt ceiling increase is removed.
&#8220;There&#8217;s got to be someone left in Washington who thinks debt is wrong and deficits are wrong and wants to go in the other direction,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The idea that we&#8217;re going to explode deficits and the projections are now looking at over $3 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. I think it&#8217;s just &#8230; not a serious proposal.&#8221;
Confronted with the prospect of a coming U.S. default, Paul said he proposed an amendment that would raise the debt ceiling every three months to leverage spending cuts. However, Republicans are adopting the &#8220;same playbook&#8221; as the Democrats and keep avoiding the issue, he said.
Paul cautioned that borrowing to fund &#8220;free stuff&#8221; such as healthcare drives a $3 trillion deficit, triggering inflation that harms beneficiaries, and he bemoaned a failure to advance DOGE-proposed spending cuts or rescission packages.
The national debt, with $7 trillion in spending against $5 trillion in revenue, is the &#8220;greatest threat&#8221; to U.S. national security, Paul said.
&#8220;Conservatives do need to stand up and have their voice heard,&#8221; he declared. &#8220;This is a problem we&#8217;ve been facing for decades now, and if we don&#8217;t stand up on it, I really fear the direction the country is going.&#8221;

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

Rand Paul Warns ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will ‘Explode The Debt’

Taxes

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) defended President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to begin the process of shutting down the Department of Education, arguing that it has not shown tangible results to justify its existence.
Paul made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CBS News&#8217; &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; with Margaret Brennan when asked about whether low-income schools would continue to receive federal subsidies if the Department is closed.
&#8220;I think the bigger question is, if we&#8217;re sending all this money to Kentucky and all the other states, why are our scores abysmal?&#8221; Paul asked. &#8220;Why do two-thirds of the kids not read at proficiency? Why do two-thirds of the kids or more not have math proficiency?&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s been an utter failure,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I&#8217;d leave it back to the states. It has always been a position, a very mainstream Republican position, to have control of the schools by the states, send the money back to the states, or, better yet, never take it from the states.&#8221;
He said that states are much better equipped at knowing how to spend money on the education needs in their states than the federal government.
&#8220;When I talk to teachers, they chafe at the national mandates on testing, they think are not appropriate for their kids,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They think they waste too much time teaching to national testing. The teachers would like more autonomy, and I think the teachers deserve more autonomy.&#8221;
Paul said that he would rather have &#8220;a guarantee that my kids can read and write and do math&#8221; than worry about any guarantees from the federal government that it will continue pumping billions of dollars in education funding.
&#8220;The number of dollars has gone up exponentially and our scores have gone the other way,&#8221; he said. &#8220;So dollars are not proportional to educational success. What I want is success. And I have talked a lot about this. I think there are innovations we can do where there&#8217;s more learning via some of the best teachers and we pay them more. I would like to have an NBA or NFL of teachers, the most extraordinary teachers, teach the entire country, if not the entire world.&#8221;
WATCH:
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After President Trump&#8217;s cuts to the U.S. Education Department, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) says he&#8217;d like to see &#8220;an NBA or NFL of teachers,&#8221; with &#8220;the most extraordinary teachers&#8221; reaching &#8220;the entire country&#8221; or &#8220;the entire world&#8221; virtually.
&#8220;What we need to do is have the best… <a href="https://t.co/bgreJj8NS6">pic.twitter.com/bgreJj8NS6</a>
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) <a href="https://twitter.com/FaceTheNation/status/1903854414512721968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2025</a></blockquote>

Rand Paul Defends Trump Ending Education Dept: I Want ‘NFL Of Teachers,’ ‘Most Extraordinary Teachers’

Department of Education

Education

Trump Administration

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump&#8217;s pick to lead the Department of Labor, told lawmakers on Wednesday that if confirmed she would respect state right-to-work laws after previously backing a bill that would have repealed laws allowing workers to opt out of labor unions. 
Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican congresswoman from Oregon, told lawmakers in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions multiple times that she would not oppose right-to-work states. This is a reversal from her time in Congress, when she backed the PRO Act, legislation that would have overturned state laws allowing a worker to not be forced to join a union or pay union dues to be employed. 
During the hearing, Chavez-DeRemer indicated to both Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) that she would not challenge right-to-work laws. 
When asked by Cassidy whether she still supported the PRO Act, Chavez-DeRemer responded by saying that she recognized she was “no longer a lawmaker,” and would work to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda. 
“I respect the right of the right-to-work states, and I have said that. That bill was imperfect, I understand that, and I am no longer a lawmaker,” she said. 
Later, she more explicitly said she would support the laws of right-to-work states during a back-and-forth with Paul, who had previously said he would not back her nomination. 
“The right to work is a fundamental tenant of labor laws where states have a right to choose if they want to be a right to work state,” she told Paul. “I fully, fairly, and support states who want to protect their right to work. I have said that to every senator I have visited with.” 
“So you no longer support the aspect of the PRO Act that would’ve overturned state right-to-work laws?” Paul asked.  
“Yeah,” she responded. 
“That’s a yes?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied, and Paul said that he had “no more questions.” 
When asked after the hearing about whether he would potentially change his vote on her confirmation, Paul said that he would be reexamining her answers. 
“I’m going to think about her answers and think about whether or not a conversion at this last moment is sincere,” he said. 
Chavez-DeRemer was also asked during the hearing about her previous work at Planned Parenthood when she was in her 20s. 
“I am supportive of the president’s agenda. I have a 100% pro-life voting record in Congress and I will continue to support the America First agenda, which we know includes life,” she said when asked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) whether she was pro-abortion or pro-life.
“Good answer,” he replied. 
Chavez-DeRemer has a “B” rating from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which notes she did vote to oppose some pro-life measures in Congress, saying that she “publicly opposed passage of bills that would permanently stop taxpayer funding of abortion across the federal government.”
Her confirmation appears to be on track as most of the Republicans on the committee and a few of the Democrats appeared likely to vote to advance her nomination. 
A number of unions, including the International Franchise Association, the National Restaurant Association, the National Retail Federation, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association, have also announced support for her nomination.

Chavez-DeRemer Labor Hearing in Washington

Trump Labor Nominee Says She Will Respect State Right-To-Work Laws

Cabinet

Labor Unions

Like his father <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2011/06/24/news/economy/ron_paul_gold_audit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before him</a>, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is pushing for an audit of the gold reserves at the United States bullion depository at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He proposed that the Trump administration&#8217;s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been scrutinizing various aspects of the federal bureaucracy, help in the endeavor.
Over the weekend, the X account for ZeroHedge <a href="https://x.com/zerohedge/status/1890856057368347006" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested</a> technology executive Elon Musk, who is overseeing the DOGE effort, &#8220;take a look inside Fort Knox just to make sure the 4,580 tons of US gold is there.&#8221; Musk <a href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1890869046096060559" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a>, asking, &#8220;Surely it&#8217;s reviewed at least every year?&#8221; Paul then replied to Musk, <a href="https://x.com/RandPaul/status/1891125412442370355" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, &#8220;Nope. Let&#8217;s do it.&#8221;
According to the United States Mint <a href="https://www.usmint.gov/learn/tours-and-locations/fort-knox?srsltid=AfmBOoowzZJPVc66duhbOfyS-nWWxEEoSDbvvowtvGmm6CvHzeKP_dby#accordion-d08d17b2a7-item-17dfee3991" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>, Fort Knox has 147.3 million ounces of gold holdings. It says roughly half of the Treasury&#8217;s &#8220;stored gold (as well as valuables of other federal agencies)&#8221; is kept there. The website also notes the gold is held as an asset of the United States at a book value of $42.22 per ounce and only &#8220;very small quantities&#8221; have been removed for purity testing &#8220;during regularly scheduled audits. Except for these samples, no gold has been transferred to or from the Depository for many years.&#8221;
Fort Knox broke from its &#8220;strict no visitors policy&#8221; in 1974 to allow journalists and a congressional delegation into its vaults to view the gold reserves, the U.S. Mint noted, adding the Treasury Secretary &#8220;allows the visit when rumors persist that all the gold had been removed from the vaults&#8221; and previously, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the only person other than authorized personnel to access the vaults.
During an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmAi0c69biA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> on Fox News over the weekend, Paul talked about how he has tried to gain access to the Fort Knox gold vaults for a decade and missed his opportunity in 2017 when the bullion depository opened for a second time for then-Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, and congressional representatives.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve been trying to go down and see the gold and make sure it&#8217;s all there for about 10 years. During the first Trump administration I got permission. You have to get permission all the way up to the Secretary of Treasury. And then the Secretary of Treasury said, &#8216;Well, I want to go down there, too.&#8217; And then he said, &#8216;I want to go down there when the eclipse is coming through Kentucky, too, so I can see the eclipse and the gold at the same time,'&#8221; Paul explained.
&#8220;But they came when I wasn&#8217;t there,&#8221; Paul continued with a chuckle. &#8220;So I tried for 10 years. I set up the appointment and then because they wanted to see the eclipse, they changed the appointment. I didn&#8217;t get to go down but the secretary of Treasury and the senior senator from Kentucky did go down and attest that they believe they saw the gold down there.&#8221;
Asked by &#8220;Fox and Friends&#8221; co-host Lawrence Jones what he thinks is the problem, Paul replied: &#8220;I think some of them may not think it needs to be audited all the time, but I think the more sunlight, the better. More transparency, the better. And also it brings attention to the fact that gold still has value and implicitly — not explicitly, but implicitly — gold still gives value to the dollar. That&#8217;s why we don&#8217;t get rid of it. You know we&#8217;ve got it. The IMF has it. The World Bank has it. Most of the central banks around the world have gold. And it&#8217;s an implicit trust that the dollar still has some backing.&#8221;

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