Dr. Rand Paul’s Op-Eds

A military parade in the nation's capital? The last military parade in Washington was in 1991, after our victory in the first Iraq War.Though the martial image of high-stepping soldiers is not one I tend to associate with our nation's Founders' distrust of a standing...

Last night, for a few hours, your government shut down. Most likely, you slept soundly while this happened. The sun rose, and the world went on. The Government is open again. But the reason for and message behind yesterday's debate and action in the Senate is still...

One of the fundamental problems in Washington is the attitude that the money that people make belongs to the government. That's why you hear arguments about how much a tax cut "costs," or big government advocates disingenuously and breathlessly complaining about the...

As we start the New Year, I wanted to look back on a big accomplishment of 2017 and cut through the media chatter and disinformation to tell you exactly what happened and how you will be helped.First, I worked on and voted for a tax cut that will put $1.5 trillion...

I ran into a couple of GOP senators the other day. They were talking about the fall of the Roman Empire (who knew senators might actually discuss history?). One senator made the point that Rome's fall corresponded with a loss of values, which of course has some merit....

It has been said that Ronald Reagan observed that "the person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally - not a 20% traitor." I try to take this approach as well, and though I have disagreements with GOP leaders in the White House and Congress, I try...

The federal government's greatest constitutional responsibility is keeping America safe and secure. One of many tools in its arsenal is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which was meant to strengthen our ability to monitor foreign threats. Since the...

There are those who insist Republicans must act as a team to repeal Obamacare. I agree - if the topic is repeal. Every Republican has run on repealing Obamacare for seven years, and all but one voted for clean repeal in 2015. Now we have a president who will sign it...

Usually, when people can't win an argument on the merits or ideas, they resort to arguments that only make sense to career politicians, the only question is when do they start making these nonsensical arguments.  Those desperate to SAY they did something about...

Republicans will live and learn to regret the day they decided to retain Obamacare. Conservatives across America will not and should not soon forget the day Republicans abandoned any pretense of Obamacare repeal. By agreeing to retain Obamacare, Republicans desert the...

I remember a lot of outrage about two things when I first ran for office: Obamacare and the bank bailouts. Unfortunately, the Senate healthcare bill combines the worst of those two - this time, we're bailing out the big insurance companies. Why? Partly because of the...

I miss the old days, when Republicans stood for repealing Obamacare. Republicans across the country and every member of my caucus campaigned on repeal - often declaring they would tear out Obamacare "root and branch!" What happened? Now too many Republicans are...

Sadly, it is common knowledge these days that elected officials tend to make empty promises. However, I want you to know that I am not one of those elected officials, and I never will be.On October 16, 2015, AK Steel announced the company would temporarily lay off...

Over the past five years as your senator, I have traveled to all farming areas of the Commonwealth and been honored to meet with Kentucky's agriculture industry leaders and local farmers.More often than not, one of the first issues farmers in Christian County bring up...

How did Kentucky end up with two great men both named Cassius Marcellus Clay?The first Cassius Clay, cousin of Henry, was an abolitionist who refused to compromise on the issue of slavery. I spoke of him in my inaugural Senate speech and do so often.The second Cassius...

As senators from Kentucky, we've been fortunate to meet the many farmers who help make our state work. Agriculture is a vital part of Kentucky's economy, and we've learned from Kentucky's farmers that one way to keep our state's agricultural sector growing is to...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul released the latest edition of 'The Waste Report,' an ongoing project cataloguing egregious examples of waste within the U.S. government.In this special, two-page edition, Dr. Paul examines federal employees doing union...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul appeared on CNN's "Wolf" with Wolf Blitzer to talk about his opposition to the consideration of former Ambassador John Bolton for Secretary of State. Sen. Paul explained why Bolton, a well-known supporter of the Iraq...

Rumors are that Donald Trump might pick John Bolton for Secretary of State. Heaven forbid. One of the things I occasionally liked about the President-elect was his opposition to the Iraq war and regime change. He not only grasped the mistake of that war early, but...

Donald Trump should pick someone to be his secretary of state who will advocate for Donald Trump's views on foreign policy. That sounds simple, but the mix of candidates bandied about by the media includes several who don't share the president-elect's worldview.Trump...