WASHINGTON — During a congressional hearing examining the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and gain-of-function research, multiple scientist witnesses contradicted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/anthony-fauci">Dr. Anthony Fauci&#8217;s</a> claim that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) never funded gain of function research.
“The statements made on repeated occasions to the public, to the press and to policymakers by the NIAID director, Dr. Fauci, have been untruthful. I do not understand why those statements are being made because they are demonstrably false,” Rutgers University microbiologist Dr. Richard Ebright said Wednesday, responding to a question from Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/josh-hawley">Josh Hawley</a> (R-MO).
Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rand-paul">Rand Paul</a> (R-KY) said on Wednesday afternoon that this contradiction, backed by the other witnesses, was the most &#8220;damning&#8221; thing to come out of Wednesday&#8217;s hearing — the first hearing examining the role of gain-of-function research (a process in which researchers may stitch viruses together to make a “chimeric” virus for the purpose of studying a response).
&#8220;I was told directly to my face, and the quote is there from Dr. Fauci, they had never ever funded gain-of-function research in Wuhan,&#8221; Paul told The Daily Wire as he left the hearing, referring to <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2021/05/11/fauci-denies-funding-gain-of-function-wuhan-lab/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fauci&#8217;s May 2021</a> assertion that “the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_419350" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-419350" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-419350 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GettyImages-1397749482-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/08/GettyImages-1397749482-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/08/GettyImages-1397749482-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/08/GettyImages-1397749482-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/08/GettyImages-1397749482-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/08/GettyImages-1397749482-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/08/GettyImages-1397749482-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/08/GettyImages-1397749482-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; MAY 17: Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci gestures as he waits for the beginning of a hearing before the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies of Senate Appropriations Committee at Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill May 17, 2022 in Washington, DC.  (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;All three witnesses contradicted that,&#8221; Paul continued. &#8220;I think that&#8217;s a big deal because the first hearing we have had where scientists who actually look at this information [and], as informed as he is, completely disagree with him and say that the research was gain-of-function and the NIH paid for it.&#8221;
The witnesses at Wednesday&#8217;s hearing called for significantly greater oversight of gain-of-function research. Dr. Steven Quay, the founder of Seattle-based Atossa Therapeutics Inc., warned that &#8220;the work of this committee is critical to protecting the American people and, really, the world at large, from future manmade pandemics.&#8221;
Paul has previously called for Fauci to resign from his position for refusing to admit that the agency funded such risky research.
“Until you accept responsibility, we’re not going to get anywhere close to trying to prevent another lab leak of this dangerous sort of experiment,” the Kentucky Republican <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2021/11/04/rand-paul-demands-fauci-resign-gain-of-function/">told Fauci in November</a>. “You won’t admit that it’s dangerous, and for that lack of judgment, I think it’s time that you resign.”

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In ‘Damning’ Capitol Hill Testimony, Scientists Contradict Fauci’s Claim That NIH Never Funded Gain-Of-Function Research

Rand Paul Touts 'Damning' Statements From Scientists On Origins Of COVID

Anthony Fauci

Coronavirus

COVID-19

Pandemic

Rand Paul

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, practically dared Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) to make good on threats to investigate him if Republicans are able to take back the House and the Senate following November&#8217;s fast-approaching midterm elections.
Fauci, who appeared Tuesday morning on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;New Day,&#8221; insisted to anchor John Berman that all he had ever done was to help save millions of lives by putting forth common sense ideas that helped the government implement sound public health policies.
WATCH:
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Fauci to <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RandPaul</a>: &quot;All I have ever done, if you go back and look at everything I’ve ever done, was to recommend common-sense, good CDC-recommended public health policies that have saved millions of lives. If you want to investigate me for that, go ahead.” <a href="https://t.co/nKUMLQY4VU">pic.twitter.com/nKUMLQY4VU</a>
&mdash; Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1551896366783385601?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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A Monday report published by The Hill indicated that Paul — who could become chairman of the Senate&#8217;s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee if Republicans win control of the Senate in November — was absolutely planning to get Fauci under oath and into the hot seat.
&#8220;One way or another, if we are in the majority, we will subpoena his records and he will testify in the Senate under oath,&#8221; Paul said.
Fauci told Berman he was not concerned, saying, &#8220;My records are an open book. They are talking about things that are really bizarre, John, like crimes against democracy by shutting down the government. All I have ever done — and go back and look at everything I’ve ever done — was to recommend common sense, good, CDC-recommended public health policies that have saved millions of lives. If you wanna investigate me for that, go ahead.&#8221;
The Kentucky Republican has already gone <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/cheap-politics-rand-paul-puts-fauci-on-blast-during-heated-senate-showdown/">toe to toe</a> with Fauci on a <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/a-catastrophic-epidemic-for-your-political-gain-fauci-comes-to-covid-hearing-with-opposition-research-on-rand-paul/">number of occasions</a>, challenging his initial resistance to any theories suggesting that the novel coronavirus originated in a Wuhan laboratory — and his apparent attempts to actively discredit anyone who subscribed to such theories or promoted a different pandemic response than the one he believed was best.
&#8220;Dr. Fauci, the idea that a government official like yourself would claim unilaterally to represent science and that any criticism of you would be considered a criticism of science itself is quite dangerous,&#8221; Paul said during a January hearing, going on to suggest that Fauci — along with former National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins — had conspired to publicly discredit scientists who were suggesting a <a href="https://gbdeclaration.org">different approach</a> to managing the pandemic — namely quarantining the sick and allowing those whose risk was lower to go about their business.
&#8220;In an email exchange with Dr. Collins, you conspire, and I quote here directly from the email, to ‘create a quick and devastating published takedown’ of three prominent epidemiologists from Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford.&#8221;

US-POLITICS-HEALTH-VIRUS-HEARING

‘Go Ahead’: Fauci Dares Rand Paul To Make Good On Threats To Investigate Him

Anthony Fauci Effectively Dares Rand Paul To Make Good On Threats To Investigate Him

COVID

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) admitted this week that he killed the nomination of a pro-life conservative federal judge because Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) failed to consult him, even though he supported the judge.
Paul said in a statement that he &#8220;supported&#8221; Chad Meredith&#8217;s nomination to the U.S. District Court vacancy in Kentucky&#8217;s Eastern District. Meredith, whose nomination was part of a deal that Republicans made with President Joe Biden, is a member of the Federalist Society, a group that studies and advocates for an originalist interpretation of the Constitution.
&#8220;I think he would make a good judge,&#8221; Paul told USA Today. &#8220;Unfortunately, instead of communicating and lining up support for him, Senator McConnell chose to cut a secret deal with the White House that fell apart.&#8221;
Paul told Politico that McConnell was &#8220;to blame for tanking this because he tried to do [it] secretly.&#8221;
&#8220;We have no reason to be opposed to Chad Meredith, other than we want at least the courtesy of the &#8230; minority leader, thinking that he&#8217;s not so important that he doesn&#8217;t have to talk to his fellow state senator, that&#8217;s all we wanted,&#8221; Paul continued. &#8220;This was a secret deal by McConnell.&#8221;
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&quot;We have no reason to be opposed to Chad Meredith, other than we want at least the courtesy of the &#8230; minority leader, thinking that he&#39;s not so important that he doesn&#39;t have to talk to his fellow state senator, that&#39;s all we wanted.&quot;
&quot;This was a secret deal by McConnell&quot;
&mdash; Burgess Everett (@burgessev) <a href="https://twitter.com/burgessev/status/1549152321053007879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Last week, McConnell <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/us/politics/biden-mcconnell-judge-abortion.html">told</a> the New York Times that Paul&#8217;s opposition to the nomination was &#8220;utterly pointless.&#8221;
&#8220;The net result of this is it has prevented me from getting my kind of judge out of a liberal Democratic president,&#8221; he said.
An adviser for the minority leader commented that Paul was doing Democrats and the White House &#8220;a huge favor&#8221; by tanking Meredith&#8217;s nomination. &#8220;I suspect the White House is relieved; I suspect Dick Durbin is relieved; and I suspect that the political people in the Biden team are relieved that Rand Paul blew this up,&#8221; the McConnell adviser said, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/07/18/rand-paul-blames-mcconnell-tanking-biden-deal-judge/10086380002/">according</a> to USA Today. &#8220;He did them a huge favor.&#8221;
Between 2015 and 2019, Meredith was the chief deputy counsel for Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin. He has been described as strongly pro-life.

Secretary Of State Blinken Testifies Before Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Rand Paul Reveals Why He Killed Nomination Of Conservative Federal Judge

Joe Biden

Kentucky

Mitch McConnell

Washington D.C.

Democrat President Joe Biden announced a new $1.2 billion package of security and humanitarian aid for Ukraine in its ongoing effort to fight off Russia&#8217;s invasion.
Biden announced the new round of support after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
&#8220;This morning, I spoke with President Zelenskyy to discuss Russia’s brutal and ongoing war against Ukraine. I reaffirmed my commitment that the United States will stand by Ukraine as it defends its democracy and support its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of unprovoked Russian aggression,&#8221; Biden said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/06/15/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-support-for-ukraine-and-call-with-president-zelenskyy-of-ukraine/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the White House.
&#8220;I informed President Zelenskyy that the United States is providing another $1 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, including additional artillery and coastal defense weapons, as well as ammunition for the artillery and advanced rocket systems that the Ukrainians need to support their defensive operations in the Donbas,&#8221; he added.
In addition to security assistance, the package includes $225 million in humanitarian help to those inside Ukraine.
&#8220;Today, I am also announcing an additional $225 million in humanitarian assistance to help people inside Ukraine, including by supplying safe drinking water, critical medical supplies and health care, food, shelter, and cash for families to purchase essential items,&#8221; Biden noted.
The announcement comes after leaders from nearly 50 nations, mostly NATO and European Union representatives, met at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday regarding efforts to support Ukraine.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin led the event, <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3060541/secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-conducts-press-briefing-bangkok-thailand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling it</a> &#8220;an important opportunity to gather our growing group of partners from around the world to ensure that we&#8217;re providing Ukraine what Ukraine needs right now.&#8221;
The new package also comes after Congress passed a $40 billion Ukraine aid package in May that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/19/politics/senate-vote-ukraine-aid-package/index.html">saw</a> 11 Republican senators oppose, noting the need to focus on issues at home.
“Spending $40 billion on Ukraine aid – more than three times what all of Europe has spent combined – is not in America’s interests. It neglects priorities at home (the border), allows Europe to freeload, short changes critical interests abroad and comes w/ no meaningful oversight,” Missouri  Republican Sen. Josh Hawley <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1526323885515448321">tweeted</a> at the time. “That’s not isolationism. That’s nationalism. It’s about prioritizing American security and American interests.”
Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty also slammed Biden during an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-senator-slams-biden-for-waging-war-on-the-economy-not-putting-americans-first" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> over the previous package.
“The best thing Biden administration could do is stop the war that he’s waged on American industry. That would lower prices overall. That would take the funding away from Putin’s war machine against Ukraine and make our economy better here. Biden will not do that, and he’s taken us in a bad direction,” he said.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul took to Twitter to express his concerns regarding support for Ukraine.
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My oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation. Congress is trying yet again to ram through a spending bill – one that I doubt anyone has actually read – and there’s no oversight included into how the money is being spent.
&mdash; Rand Paul (@RandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1524913117137870849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“My oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation. Congress is trying yet again to ram through a spending bill – one that I doubt anyone has actually read – and there’s no oversight included into how the money is being spent,” Paul wrote.

Biden Announces Another Massive Aid Package To Ukraine

Biden Administration

Josh Hawley

Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelensky

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rand-paul">Rand Paul</a> (R-KY) released a new plan on Monday to balance the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/national-debt">federal budget</a> within five years.
The national debt has surpassed $30 trillion — exceeding economic output by 143% and equating to nearly $243,000 in obligations per taxpayer, according to the <a href="https://www.usdebtclock.org/">U.S. Debt Clock</a>. In response, Paul released his “Six Penny Plan” — a five-year course that relies upon cutting six cents for every dollar of federal spending.
“We are now in a situation that a simple penny, two, three, or even a five pennies per-dollar reduction is insufficient to balance our budget. It requires six,” Paul said in a <a href="https://www.paul.senate.gov/news/dr-rand-paul-introduces-six-penny-plan-balance-federal-budget-five-years">press release</a>. “We cannot keep ignoring this problem at the expense of taxpayers, and my budget will put our nation on track to solve this crisis that Congress created.”
The legislation would produce a $65.8 billion budget surplus by fiscal year 2027, according to <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/rand-paul-unveils-plan-slash-federal-spending-balance-budget">Fox Business</a>, which first obtained a copy of the report. The plan calls for cuts across all spending categories except for Social Security; although it does not lay out specifics, it would require members of Congress to deliberate within the framework. Rather than increasing taxes, the framework for federal spending would drop annually after the $5.9 trillion allotted for fiscal year 2023.
Largely because of federal stimulus packages responding to COVID-19 and the lockdown-induced recession, the budget deficit reached $3.1 trillion in 2020 and $2.8 trillion in 2021, <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/FYFSD">U.S. Office of Management and Budget</a> data reveal.
The press release from Paul’s office noted that if Congress had adopted the five-year spending freeze Paul proposed in 2011, the federal budget would be balanced this year. Despite repeatedly offering similar spending freeze and reduction plans, the debt has continued to grow.
“Congress’s refusal to accept the responsibility to act as good stewards of American taxpayer dollars has caused our bleak financial position,” the release said. “Americans everywhere are feeling the effects of historical high inflation and sustaining labor and supply chain issues. Short-term political gains of the past, are in fact causing us harm now. Not to our children and grandchildren off in the future, but to us here today.”
Paul — who carries a reputation as a budget hawk in Congress — annually releases a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rand-pauls-2021-festivus-report-uncovers-52-billion-of-government-waste">Festivus Report</a>” that provides taxpayers with examples of wasteful government spending. The most recent edition includes $11.3 million to tell the people of Vietnam “to stop burning their trash” and more than $465,000 for Reed College to “create a token-based economy where pigeons are taught to gamble with slot machines.”
Much of the spending emerged from COVID-19 stimulus and foreign expenditures. Beyond $36 billion in wasted unemployment payments and $4.3 billion in bad loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, Congress spent $250 million to “build border walls in the Middle East and North Africa” and $179 million for the State Department to “fund green energy programs in Africa.”
More recently, Paul attempted to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-cannot-save-ukraine-by-dooming-the-u-s-economy-rand-paul-blocks-immediate-vote-on-billion-dollar-ukraine-package">block</a> the $40 billion Ukraine spending package.
“Reserving the right to object, my oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation,” Paul said. “And no matter how sympathetic the cause, my oath of office is to the national security of the United States of America.”

Dr. Fauci Testifies Before Senate Committee On Federal Response To COVID-19

Inside Rand Paul’s Plan To Balance The Federal Budget In 5 Years

Rand Paul Unveils New Plan To Balance The Budget

Budget

National Debt

Kentucky Senate hopeful Charles Booker (D-KY) put a noose around his own neck in an attack on sitting Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that was so blatantly dishonest it triggered a fact-check style article from USA Today.
Booker&#8217;s ad, which was deemed graphic enough that it needed a &#8220;content warning,&#8221; showed the Democrat candidate with a noose around his own neck while he claimed that Paul had &#8220;single-handedly blocked an anti-lynching act&#8221; at the federal level.
&#8220;Lynching is a tool of terror. It was used to kill hopes for freedom. In Kentucky, it was used to kill three of my uncles,&#8221; Booker tweeted along with the video ad. &#8220;In this historic election, the choice is clear. Rand Paul may want to divide us, but hate won&#8217;t win this time. It&#8217;s time to move forward, together.&#8221;
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Lynching is a tool of terror. It was used to kill hopes for freedom. In Kentucky, it was used to kill three of my uncles.
In this historic election, the choice is clear. Rand Paul may want to divide us, but hate won’t win this time.
It’s time to move forward, together. <a href="https://t.co/oYxuqKFdWR">pic.twitter.com/oYxuqKFdWR</a>
&mdash; Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) <a href="https://twitter.com/Booker4KY/status/1531958148352905219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;In Kentucky, like many states throughout the south, lynching was a tool of terror. Now, in a historic victory for our commonwealth, I have become the first Black Kentuckian to receive the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate,&#8221; Booker said in the ad. &#8220;My opponent? The very person who compared expanded health care to slavery. The person who said he would have opposed the Civil Rights Act. The person who single-handedly blocked an anti-lynching act from being federal law. The choice couldn&#8217;t be clearer: do we move forward together? Or do we let politicians like Rand Paul forever hold us back and drive us apart?&#8221;
Taking off the noose, Booker says, &#8220;In November, we will choose healing. We will choose Kentucky.&#8221;
But as USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/01/rand-paul-charles-booker-noose-campaign-ad/7466312001/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot">pointed out</a>, Booker left out the fact that Paul had opposed the initial bill because he argued that Congress needed more time to get it right — and had later co-sponsored a bipartisan anti-lynching bill that passed in March. &#8220;The Senate <a class="gnt_ar_b_a" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/03/08/emmett-till-antilynching-act-passes-senate/9427711002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}">unanimously voted</a> this March to pass the updated Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which <a class="gnt_ar_b_a" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/03/29/who-is-emmett-till-civil-rights/7203642001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-t-l=":b|e|inline click|${u}">is now law</a>,&#8221; the outlet reported.
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The ad blasts Sen. Rand Paul for his 2020 stance on an antilynching bill. It doesn&#39;t mention Paul co-sponsored a new version of that legislation.
       <a href="https://t.co/zdsSpSp1zb">https://t.co/zdsSpSp1zb</a>
&mdash; USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/usatodayDC/status/1531969324893851650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Paul&#8217;s team <a href="https://www.wtvq.com/charles-booker-talks-history-of-lynching-in-campaign-ad-wears-noose-around-neck/">responded</a> to the attack as well, saying in a statement, &#8220;Dr. Paul worked diligently to strengthen the language of this legislation and is a cosponsor of the bill that now ensures that federal law will define lynching as the absolutely heinous crime that it is. Any attempt to state otherwise is a desperate misrepresentation of the facts.&#8221;
Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) also co-sponsored the bi-partisan legislation – and Sen. Booker released a statement at the time, saying, &#8220;The effort to pass anti-lynching legislation has spanned more than a century. After 200 failed attempts, Congress is now finally prepared to reckon with America’s history of racialized violence. I am proud to announce Senators Paul and Warnock as cosponsors of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. Their support underscores the bipartisan backing that we have to finally meet this moment and help our nation move forward from some of its darkest chapters.&#8221;

The Eighth Annual Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards

Black Democrat Puts A Noose Around His Own Neck In Dishonest Attack On Rand Paul

Charles Booker Puts A Noose Around His Own Neck In Dishonest Attack On Rand Paul

Racism

U.S. Senate

The Senate advanced a $40 billion Ukraine aid package on Monday with wide support from both Democrats and Republicans to move the package forward. 
The final vote will be held Wednesday or Thursday, and is widely expected to pass as the massive spending bill has support from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Monday’s vote, a procedural step to move debate on the bill forward passed easily with a vote of 81-11. 
The bill’s advancement comes after Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rand-paul">Rand Paul </a>(R-KY) blocked the bill from passing via unanimous consent last week, arguing that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/national-debt">government spending</a> was out of control and that it would have harmful consequences for the American economy. 
“His obstruction will not prevent Ukraine aid from ultimately passing the Senate,” Schumer <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-16/senate-advances-40-billion-ukraine-aid-bill-with-wide-support">said</a> Monday, according to Bloomberg. “One way or another we are going to get this done and send a clear message to Ukraine and the world that America stands on the side of democracy and against Putin’s deeply immoral campaign of violence.”
Just 10 Republicans <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00177.htm">joined</a> Paul in voting against advancing the package, including Sen. Marsha Blackburn (TN), Sen. John Boozman (AR), Sen. Mike Braun (IN), Sen. Mike Crapo (ID), Sen. Bill Hagerty (TN), Sen. Josh Hawley (MO), Sen. Mike Lee (UT), Sen. Cynthia Lummis (WY), Sen. Roger Marshall (KS), and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (AL).
Eight senators, including Republicans Richard Burr (NC) and Pat Toomey (PA), did not vote. Thirty-seven Republicans voted to advance the bill. 
McConnell, following a visit to Ukraine over the weekend, seemed to suggest that Paul and others who opposed the bill were isolationists. 
“There have always been isolationist voices in the Republican Party,” he said. “I think one of the lessons we learned in World War II is not standing up to aggression early is a huge mistake.”
On Monday, Hawley said he opposed the bill because it was not in America’s best interest.
“Spending $40 billion on Ukraine aid &#8211; more than three times what all of Europe has spent combined &#8211; is not in America’s interests. It neglects priorities at home (the border), allows Europe to freeload, short changes critical interests abroad and comes w/ no meaningful oversight,” he <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1526323885515448321">tweeted</a>. “That’s not isolationism. That’s nationalism. It’s about prioritizing American security and American interests” 
In an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gop-senator-slams-biden-for-waging-war-on-the-economy-not-putting-americans-first">interview</a> on Fox News, Hagerty seemed to agree with Hawley saying that it was time for Washington to focus on domestic issues.
“We’re not taking care of our own country,” he said on Sunday. “The best thing [the] Biden administration could do is stop the war that he’s waged on American industry. That would lower prices overall. That would take the funding away from Putin’s war machine against Ukraine and make our economy better here.”
The bill includes $6 billion in direct security funding, $4 billion in foreign military aid, and another $4.35 billion in humanitarian aid, according to Bloomberg. 
Congress approved $13 billion in Ukraine aid last month.

Congressional Leadership Presents Congressional Gold Medal To Filipino Veterans Of WWII

Senate Advances Massive $40 Billion Ukraine Spending Package, 11 Republicans Oppose

Ukraine-Russia War

Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty slammed President Joe Biden on Sunday for waging war on the economy and not putting Americans first.
Hagerty shared the blistering remarks during an <a href="https://video.foxnews.com/v/6306196376112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures&#8221; with Maria Bartiromo.
&#8220;I&#8217;ll be a no on the package, Maria,&#8221; Hagerty said about an additional $40 billion aid package under consideration for Ukraine.
“We&#8217;ve got to look at our own national security first,” he added. “We&#8217;re not taking care of our own country.”
Hagerty instead focused on Biden&#8217;s own war against American industry.
“The best thing Biden administration could do is stop the war that he&#8217;s waged on American industry. That would lower prices overall. That would take the funding away from Putin&#8217;s war machine against Ukraine and make our economy better here. Biden will not do that, and he&#8217;s taken us in a bad direction,&#8221; he said.
Hagerty sympathized with Ukraine&#8217;s situation despite his plan to vote against the latest effort, noting that many senators will vote in favor of the new package.
“We&#8217;ve already committed a great deal of money, and I know people are concerned that money is being well spent, and we should certainly take effort to oversee that carefully,” he said. “At the same time, we&#8217;ve got to take care of things at home first.”
Hagerty later concluded that Biden&#8217;s lack of leadership in office has led to a number of failures.
“And Biden has one failure after the other to point to. The failure of Afghanistan has precipitated global concern about America&#8217;s posture. Our adversaries obviously emboldened. That stepped up Putin&#8217;s activities in Ukraine, North Korea&#8217;s back at it again. The world is in a more dangerous place thanks to Joe Biden, and what does he do? Blame Americans,&#8221; he noted.
The Tennessee senator also criticized the Biden administration during an interview on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;The Ingraham Angle&#8221; this week.
&#8220;The Biden Administration is completely out of touch with Americans. They&#8217;d rather wage war on Americans &amp; ignore our plight in our own country, yet rush to a cause that perhaps Joe Biden gets better ratings for,&#8221; Hagerty tweeted alongside a link to the interview.
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The Biden Administration is completely out of touch with Americans. They&#39;d rather wage war on Americans &amp; ignore our plight in our own country, yet rush to a cause that perhaps Joe Biden gets better ratings for. <a href="https://t.co/TVfHFAxrxW">pic.twitter.com/TVfHFAxrxW</a>
&mdash; Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorHagerty/status/1525556552853295104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Hagerty is not the only GOP senator to oppose the latest round of proposed aid to Ukraine.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul took to Twitter to express his concerns regarding support for Ukraine.
“My oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation. Congress is trying yet again to ram through a spending bill – one that I doubt anyone has actually read – and there’s no oversight included into how the money is being spent,” Paul wrote.
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My oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation. Congress is trying yet again to ram through a spending bill – one that I doubt anyone has actually read – and there’s no oversight included into how the money is being spent.
&mdash; Rand Paul (@RandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1524913117137870849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“While I sympathize with the people of Ukraine, and commend their fight against Putin, we cannot continue to spend money we don’t have. Passing this bill brings the total we’ve sent to Ukraine to nearly $54 billion over the course of two months,” he added in a later post.
Despite pushback from some Senate Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell believes the majority of his party&#8217;s lawmakers will support the new Ukraine aid package.
After a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, McConnell told reporters, “What I assured him — as this is an all-Republican delegation — is that support for Ukraine and this war against the Russians is bipartisan,” McConnell <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-15/mcconnell-sees-swift-ukraine-aid-passage-backs-nato-expansion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, adding that the support includes “an overwhelming majority of Republicans.”

Bill Hagerty

GOP Senator Slams Biden For ‘Waging War’ On The Economy, Not Putting Americans First

Sen. Bill Hagerty Slams Biden For ‘Waging War’ On The Economy, Not Putting Americans First

2022 Election

Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked the fast-tracking of a massive $40 billion Ukraine aid package through the Senate on Thursday.
Paul objected to the move by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), with the consent of Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), to pass the bill via unanimous consent. After Paul&#8217;s objection, the bill now needs to go through a number of procedural moves, but is still expected to pass sometime next week. 
“Reserving the right to object, my oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation,” Paul <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tv/watch-rand-paul-single-handedly-stall-passage-of-ukraine-aid-my-oath-of-office-is-to-the-constitution/">said</a> when the Senate chair asked if there were any objectors. “And no matter how sympathetic the cause, my oath of office is to the national security of the United States of America.” 
“We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy,” the Republican senator added, referencing the steep increases in gas, food, and used vehicles faced by Americans. “Inflation doesn’t just come out of nowhere, it comes from deficit spending.”
Paul said that it seemed like Congress was &#8220;intent&#8221; on &#8220;adding&#8221; to the pain Americans were experiencing economically “by shoveling more money out the door as fast as they can.”
“If this gift to Ukraine passes, our total aid to Ukraine will almost equal the entire military budget of Russia. And it’s not as if we have that money lying around, we will have to borrow that money from China to send it to Ukraine,” Paul stated. 
He also claimed that the money being authorized to Ukraine was more than that spent in the first year of the Afghanistan war, collected yearly by the government in gas taxes, spent on cancer research, and the budgets for the Department of Homeland Security. 
Paul also said that other European countries had stepped up to help Ukraine and that the U.S. didn’t “always have to be the Uncle Sam, the policeman that saves the world, particularly when it&#8217;s on borrowed money.” 
He said that a “day of reckoning” awaited if the United States did not stop its “fiscal insanity” before advocating for a special inspector general to look at the bill’s allocation of money. 
Schumer responded to Paul’s objection by saying that it was “clear that [Paul] doesn’t want to aid Ukraine,” and that the objection will only “delay the aid” and not stop it. The Democrat added that the aid was “desperately needed by a valiant people fighting against authoritarianism and defending democracy.” 
On Tuesday night, the military and humanitarian package passed the House by a vote of 368-57. All those opposed were Republicans. 
The bill is likely to pass the Senate next week as it has both Schumer and McConnell’s backing, though several Republicans have said they would vote against the bill. According to Fox News <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhDfMfV7Zf0">host</a> Tucker Carlson, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Bill Haggerty (R-TN), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN), and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) said they would not vote for the bill.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Holds Hearing On Threats To Homeland

‘We Cannot Save Ukraine By Dooming The U.S. Economy’: Rand Paul Blocks Immediate Vote On Billion-Dollar Ukraine Package

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul Blocks Massive $40 Billion Ukrainian Aid Bill 

Chuck Schumer

On Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) questioned Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Russia&#8217;s potential rationale for invading Ukraine.
 During the exchange, Blinken “firmly disagree[d]” with the “proposition” that Russia&#8217;s invasions of other countries were justified if they were part of the former Soviet Union, with Paul asking whether the U.S. &#8220;agitating&#8221; for Ukraine to join NATO in 2021 played a role.
Paul was quickly criticized by those who interpreted his argument as a justification for the invasion of Ukraine.
His communications director, Kelsey Cooper, further explained Paul&#8217;s position to The Daily Wire, saying, “[w]hile there is no justification for Putin’s war on Ukraine, there is an explanation for the invasion, which was the point Dr. Paul was making.”
“Any other interpretation of the exchange is a blatant attempt to misinform,” Cooper claimed. “As Dr. Paul has expressed publicly many times before, he has a great deal of sympathy for Ukraine, and <a href="https://rumble.com/v12ic2f-dr.-rand-paul-grills-secretary-of-state-anthony-blinken-april-26-2022.html">clearly stated</a> his support for them in his exchange today, saying: ‘I’m proud of how well the Ukrainians have fought, I’m supportive of their cause.’”
In a short clip taken from the exchange that was widely circulated on social media, Paul stated, “you could also argue that the countries [Russia has] attacked were part of Russia,” before correcting himself to say “part of the Soviet Union.”
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Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY): “The countries that have been attacked, Georgia and Ukraine, were part of the Soviet Union &#8230; since the 1920s.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “That does not give Russia the right to attack them.” <a href="https://t.co/jnlRP6wAsN">pic.twitter.com/jnlRP6wAsN</a>
&mdash; The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1518979804011372546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“I firmly disagree with that proposition,” Secretary Blinken replied. “It is the fundamental right of these countries to decide their own future and their own destiny.”
“But I’m saying that the countries that have been attacked, Georgia and Ukraine, were part of the Soviet Union … since the 1920s,” Paul responded, to which Secretary Blinken said, “but that does not give Russia the right to attack them.”
“No one’s saying it does,” Paul interjected.
While the complete exchange lasted almost seven minutes, the 39-second clip was quickly condemned by critics online. Charles Booker, a Democrat running against Paul, <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1519068905519697924">accused</a> the incumbent senator of being a “puppet, essentially, for Vladimir Putin,” and “trying to protect an invasion that has destroyed maternity wards.”
Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1519036336245776387">implied</a> that Paul was arguing that Russia has a right to former members of the Soviet Union. 
On social media, a 2017 clip of the late Senator John McCain was also shared, during which he <a href="https://twitter.com/votevets/status/1519008389208100864">accused</a> Paul, his then-colleague, of “working for Vladimir Putin,&#8221; following Paul&#8217;s objection to a resolution that would permit Montenegro to join Nato.
McCain <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/16/politics/john-mccain-rand-paul-rule-19-vladimir-putin/index.html">said</a> that the &#8220;gentleman from Kentucky&#8221; and others who may object would be &#8220;carrying out the desires and ambitions of Vladimir Putin.&#8221;
Ian Haworth is a writer for The Daily Wire and contributor to Morning Wire. Follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ighaworth">Facebook</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/IanGHaworth">YouTube</a>.

‘Blatant Attempt To Misinform’: Rand Paul Fires Back At Critics After Tense Exchange With Antony Blinken

Antony Blinken

Soviet Union

WASHINGTON — Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul questioned Thursday whether sanctions the United States has placed on Russia and China have had any serious effect, warning that sanctions are mostly useful as threats.
Paul spoke Thursday afternoon at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. at Up From Chaos, an event on conserving American security hosted by The American Conservative and American Moment.
The Kentucky senator emphasized the usefulness of &#8220;the threat&#8221; of sanctions.
&#8220;We have lots of sanctions on Russia,&#8221; Paul told attendees. &#8220;I think sanctions can have leverage as a threat. But once they&#8217;re placed on, particularly if they are placed on without any sort of explanation of how they are going to come off&#8230;I think the sanctions have no effect and are probably deleterious.&#8221;
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&quot;I don’t think the sanctions we’ve put on Russia have done anything. I don’t think the sanctions we’ve put on China have done anything. Can you tell me one behavior Russia has changed because of a sanction?”
Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RandPaul</a> on sanctions at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UpFromChaos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UpFromChaos</a> this afternoon <a href="https://t.co/8r4IL1bv14">pic.twitter.com/8r4IL1bv14</a>
&mdash; American Moment (@AmMomentOrg) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmMomentOrg/status/1509589799157522432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I don&#8217;t think any of the sanctions we have put on Russia, and we have hundreds, have done anything,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think any of the sanctions we have put on China have done anything. In fact, when representatives from the state department come before my committee, I usually ask them &#8230; can you tell me one behavior that Russia has changed because of sanctions? They say &#8216;Well, um, no.'&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve never had a clear answer from one person in the state department on one behavior that has changed,&#8221; added Paul.
His comments come as President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration has blacklisted 10 individuals and 17 entities who are reportedly seeking to evade the international sanctions on Russia.
“These designations will further impede Russia’s access to western technology and the international financial system,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/3078728-us-blacklists-russian-entities-for-evasion-of-international-sanctions/">said in a statement</a>. “We will continue to target [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin’s war machine with sanctions from every angle, until this senseless war of choice is over.”
Fellow speakers at the &#8220;Up from Chaos&#8221; event included &#8220;Hillbilly Elegy&#8221; author and Ohio GOP senatorial candidate J.D. Vance, Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massive, and Washington state congressional candidate Joe Kent.
Paul criticized the &#8220;intemperate&#8221; and &#8220;bellicose&#8221; remarks of Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lindsey-graham-doubles-down-on-calls-for-putins-assassination">has suggested</a> that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be assassinated.
The Kentucky Republican emphasized &#8220;important precepts&#8221; of &#8220;constitutional foreign policy,&#8221; saying that &#8220;war should be a last resort, not a first result, that the decision to go to war should be difficult, and that war should never be exercised or begun in our country from the sole decision of one person.&#8221;
&#8220;I think if we stick by those, there&#8217;s a lot of good things that come from that,&#8221; he said.
Paul also mentioned a &#8220;growing movement&#8221; of lawmakers within Congress that he is part of &#8220;that truly does believe in the constitutional role of congress in war.&#8221;
&#8220;I think we are having some successes in making them think twice about intervention,&#8221; the senator added.

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Rand Paul Warns Sanctions On Russia, China Haven’t Done Anything

Communist China

Russia

Sanctions

On Thursday, staunchly anti-woke Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) turned himself into Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro as he responded to the new campaign from The Daily Wire selling Jeremy’s Razors. Paul posted a photo of himself as the “before” picture and one beside it with Shapiro as the “after” as the photo showed Shapiro suddenly with a head of hair that was exactly like Paul’s.
Paul tweeted, “It’s time to #BoycottTheWoke with @JeremysRazors!”
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It’s time to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoycottTheWoke?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BoycottTheWoke</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremysRazors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JeremysRazors</a>! <a href="https://t.co/NvIWZG8dkA">https://t.co/NvIWZG8dkA</a> <a href="https://t.co/DTLZdhiPsO">pic.twitter.com/DTLZdhiPsO</a>
&mdash; Rand Paul (@RandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1507018758719787008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Paul has never been shy about opposing woke policies; last April, after Major League Baseball (MLB) decided to relocate its All-Star Game out of Georgia because of a voting bill passed by the state, he called for the public to <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/watch-they-want-to-boycott-us-why-dont-we-boycott-them-rand-paul-slams-mlb-over-boycott-of-georgia/">boycott MLB</a>.
Paul told Fox News’ Martha MacCallum, “They started it. Major League Baseball wants to boycott the whole state of Georgia, including Atlanta. They’ve already gotten rid of the All-Star Game and the draft, and they’re doing it because they don’t like a Republican law — a law that actually expands voting; it doesn’t contract voting. Georgia now has more early voting than New York has. It’s kind of ridiculous; even the facts don’t meet what they’re trying to do.”
“But my point is, yeah, they want to boycott us, why don’t we boycott them,” Paul continued, segueing to companies with headquarters in Atlanta and <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/01/983450176/based-on-a-lie-georgia-voting-law-faces-wave-of-corporate-backlash">slammed the voting bill</a>.  &#8220;This is the only thing that will teach them a lesson. If Coca-Cola wants to only operate in Democrat states and wants only Democrats to drink Coca-Cola, God love ’em. We’ll see how well they do when half of the country is drinking Coca-Cola, when half of the country quits using Delta. So the thing is, they’re all woke but they’re really doing something against the financial interest of every business. Publicly-traded businesses usually don’t get involved with politics because it hurts their bottom line to make half the country unhappy.”
MacCallum quoted NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley accusing politicians from both parties of using racial politics to “divide and conquer” the American populace so they could retain power. Paul responded, “It really isn’t the Right or Republicans using race; it’s the Left using race and saying everything is about racism. So any kind of grievance they have — they say the filibuster is racist now, even though most minorities and people in the minority always supported the filibuster because it defended, specifically, minority rights.”
Turning back to MLB, Paul continued, “But the whole thing about this, I can’t imagine, they’re boycotting the Georgia state law and yet they do business with China. China’s never seen a free election. China’s now putting people in jail for over a year at a time, for speech violations. And yet they do business with China, but Georgia expanded their voting, they added early voting, more early voting than Delaware or New York, and yet they’re punishing Georgia because they think it’s somehow some sort of Jim Crow. These people holding up Jim Crow signs need to remember it was the Democrats who instituted Jim Crow across the South; it’s the legacy of the Democrat Party, and what Republicans have done in Georgia is expand voting access, if you read the bill.”
Paul tweeted, “Your sports league might be a little too woke if it will freely do business with Communists in China and Cuba, but boycotts a US state that wants people to show an ID to vote.”
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Your sports league might be a little too woke if it will freely do business with Communists in China and Cuba, but boycotts a US state that wants people to show an ID to vote. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBAllStarGame?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLBAllStarGame</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mlb?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mlb</a>
&mdash; Rand Paul (@RandPaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1378459332656967680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Shapiro/Paul

Rand Paul Morphs Into Ben Shapiro, Endorses Jeremy’s Razors

Ben Shapiro

Jeremy's Razors

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