Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday released his annual Festivus report, highlighting $54 billion in what he characterized as “truly outlandish waste in government.”
Paul, who recently savaged his Republican colleagues for voting for the $2.3 trillion omnibus spending bill and coronavirus stimulus package, was interviewed on Fox News Wednesday about his opposition to the bill. He criticized both parties for bankrupting the United States with reckless spending and said that the only way the economy can recover from the coronavirus pandemic is if state governments permit businesses to open up and let people go back to work.
“The bottom line is the only way we recover this economy is we’ve got to open the economy up,” Paul said. “Unemployment is actually lower than it was during most of President Obama’s term, so we really can recover. But we’ve got to get these governors out of the way of our restaurants and our bars and our venues. We’ve got to get the economy opened up, it’s the only way we survive this.”
On Monday, Congress approved a $900 billion coronavirus relief package that provided $166 billion in direct $600 checks to every American making up to $75,000. The bill also includes $120 billion in extended weekly $300 unemployment benefits and $325 billion in new Paycheck Protection Program loans for businesses, in addition to billions more in spending on other coronavirus-related issues. But congressional leadership in both parties tied that stimulus package to a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill that has faced intense scrutiny from the public and from its opponents, like Paul, who question why Congress is spending money on things like Pakistani “gender programs” or climate monitoring in Tibet.- READ MORE
Listen to the insightful Thomas Paine Podcast Below --