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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Tuesday on The Laura Ingraham Show that some members of the Republican Party have lost their way, as Sen. Jeff Flake said on Sunday, but that it has nothing to do with the populism, xenophobia or protectionism and nothing to do with Donald Trump.

Paul said the party has lost its way because it embraced establishment principles.

If youre going to say, Oh, the days were so much better when we had George Bush versus President Trump, Im not so sure I agree, hecontinued. I think the Cabinet that Trump has put in place is more conservative than even Reagans Cabinet. I think that Trump appointing Gorsuch to the Supreme Court is better than we could have ever hoped from either Bush.

We have given in to nativism and protectionism, Flake said on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday. And I think that, if were going to be a governing party in the future, and a majority party, we have got to go back to traditional conservatism, limited government, economic freedom, individual responsibility, respect for free trade. Those are the principles that made us who we are.

In response, Paul pointed to GOP senators' repeated betrayal of the Republican Party's campaign promises to repeal and replace Obamacare, as well as the GOP establishment's opposition to President Donald Trump's sweeping tax reform proposal.

"I think there are differing opinions on whether we've lost our way," hesaid. "I think some in our party have, who are less conservative. We promised to repeal Obamacare and then people voted against repealing. So I think there's objective evidence to that."

Paul went on to say that Trump's appointments have "exceeded" his expectations.

"As far as the party losing the way, yeah there a quite a few people who used to be for repealing Obamacare and then voted otherwise. And yeah that concerns me."

Paul noted that the GOP has failed repeatedly to live up to its campaign promises after the American people used the 2016 elections to vote Republicans into the White House and into majorities in both the House and the Senate, and that the GOP has shamelessly squandered the chance the voters gave them.

"My perspective is we need to be true to our conservative principles, and that that's the real danger," hesaid. "I spoke to the Young Americans for Freedom last night. We had about 500 kids. And I started out and I asked them, I said, 'Some people are saying if you like Obamacare you can keep it. These are Republicans saying this. How many of you want to keep Obamacare?' And of course, there's not one hand in the whole audience."

"And yet, some of their politicians up here are saying things like that. Republicans. 'If you like Obamacare, you can keep it,'" Paul continued. "And then there are some who are saying they're no longer for repeal. So yes there is a problem, a problem of people not being true to what they said. People ran entire campaigns saying they would repeal Obamacare, and then came up here and didn't vote to repeal."

When Ingraham asked himif he believed Trump and the GOP leadership members could push the president's tax reform proposal successfully through Congress, the Kentucky senator expressed his doubts that establishment Republicans would fall in line.

"This is once again where you've got conservative versus establishment. The president has put forward a tax cut $2 trillion tax cut that would rival Ronald Reagan's first tax cut. And I think we would unleash enormous growth in our country," Paul said. "It comes to the Hill, and the establishment on both sides says, 'Oh no. We want a tax-shifting bill where we shift the taxes from, you know, one side to the other, but really there's no tax cut.'"

"It's a revenue-neutral bill. And if I tell people that's what we're for, I might just go home because that's not what we ran on," heconcluded. "We ran on cutting taxes, making government smaller. And if government's going to remain the same size and take the same bite out of everybody's check, I just don't know if that's worth it."

(photo credit, homepage and article images: Gage Skidmore, Flickr)

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Rand Paul: 'Some in Our Party' Have Lost Way Because They've Caved - LifeZette

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Tuesday that Republicans will be pursuing the "repeal and delay" strategy on Obamacare once they vote Tuesday to debate a House-passed healthcare bill.

"This morning, @SenateMajLdr informed me that the plan for today is to take up the 2015 clean repeal bill as I've urged," he said on Twitter. "If that is the plan, I will vote to proceed to have this vote. I also now believe we will be able to defeat the new spending and bailouts."

GOP leadership is expected to call for a vote on a procedural motion that would start as much as 20 hours of debate on the House-passed healthcare bill, the American Health Care Act. If that motion gets the 50 votes it needs, assuming a tie-breaking vote by Vice President Mike Pence, the House bill would be stripped out and a new bill would be swapped in.

On Monday, several senators said they were uncertain which bill would be considered. Paul's tweet suggests that bill would be the "repeal and delay" strategy that Republicans sent to former President Barack Obama's desk in 2015, which he vetoed.

The bill, formally called the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act, would repeal Obamacare's taxes, mandates and spending but leave in place regulations on insurers and give lawmakers two years to come up with a new plan. Conservatives such as Paul favor that route.

Paul said if the bill did not pass, Republicans likely would look to repeal whatever they could, including the taxes and mandates in the law.

Read more:
Rand Paul says GOP will vote on Obamacare 'repeal and delay' - Washington Examiner

"I guess what disappoints me most about the Republicans who said they were for repeal, voted for it, and then no longer are, is that they've sort of forgotten," Paul said on the "Sean Hannity Show." "They think this is about actuarial tables and insurance, and all this stuff. No, this is about freedom. This is about whether we as Americans should be free to buy what kind of insurance we want. What's best for us and our families. And it's about whether the individual knows best or government knows best. Are we too stupid that President Obama has to tell us what kind of insurance? Does he think Americans are too dumb to make their own decisions?"

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated an additional 22 million people will become uninsured by 2026 under the proposed replacement for Obamacare which the Senate voted down this week (and which Paul voted against). The CBO estimated that 32 million would be uninsured under a bill to partially repeal Obamacare without an immediate replacement that Paul voted for but which also failed to pass the Senate this week.

"Are we gonna give up our freedom and say to the government you decide what kind of insurance I get and what it covers," continued Paul. "It's a freedom issue. It really isn't about actuarial tables. It isn't about all the ins and outs. We have always taken care of those who are sick in our country. We have never, ever turned anyone away. I'm a physician. I've operated in hospitals for 25 years. I have never, ever seen anyone turned away who needed care."

"But the people who are saying thousands of people are gonna die," said Paul. "That is such hyperbole and ignorance and over-the-top statements that I think they lose credibility by saying things like that. No one is going to die in America, we haven't let people die in America for hundreds of years because doctors take care of and hospitals take care of all comers."

He later added, "So it hasn't happened in generations and in fact even before Medicare and Medicaid people did not die in our country for lack of care."

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Sen. Rand Paul: Health care debate about 'freedom,' not 'actuarial tables and insurance' - CNN

Sen. Rand Paul (R KY) has blocked a motion by majority leader Mitch McConnell (R KY) to advance the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the massive military spending bill, saying that the bill should instead face debate and possible amendments. This sets the bill back for 6 weeks, at least.

In particular, Sen. Paul is seeking two amendments, one which ends NDAA authorization for indefinite detention of suspects,and another related to the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), something that was added to the House version but later quietly removed by the Speaker.

Pauls protest is expected to delay the NDAA vote through at least the August recess, meaning a vote is unlikely until September. While this gives plenty of time for amendments to be debated, its not clear the Senate leadership will allow that no matter how much time theyre given.

Indeed, Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. John McCain (R AZ) was critical of any delay on any grounds, insisting the bill and its huge spending increase are a solemn obligation for the Senate to pass without delay. Other Senators have repeatedly been angry with Sen. Paul for not getting their way on bills, but the military spending bill is such a large one its likely to be particularly unpopular to debate, as quietly slipping it through is the way these things usually go.

See the article here:
Rand Paul Blocks DOD Authorization Until September - Antiwar.com

All eyes were on Arizona Sen. John McCains key vote signaling the collapseof the Republicanhealth care bill early Friday morning, but the longtimeGOP senatoralso faced frustration over a delay in turning to the defense authorization bill.

Sen. Rand Paul blocked quick action on the measure, wanting to ensure debate on rolling back authorizations for the use of military force enacted early in the George W. Bush administration.

Paulobjectedto a consent request from his fellow Kentucky Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to begin defense authorization debate because of a desire to offer amendments to the defense policy bill, including an AUMF proposal.

Senator Rand Paul requested two bipartisan amendments, one on ending indefinite detention and one on AUMFs. He looks forward to working with leadership and the committee to get this done soon, a spokesman for Paul said Friday.

One of the Paul amendments would provide for a sunset of the 2001 and 2002 authorizations for use of force, according to a tweet from Pauls senior strategist Doug Stafford.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said at a Friday news conference thathe,McCain and Armed Services ranking member Jack Reed attempted to work the matter out with Paul on the floor overnight, but couldnt.

Schumer said it would now be up to McConnell to resolve the issue.

The defense authorization had been on a list of priority items for consideration before senators depart for recess. That list also includes a slew of nominations, an FDA user fee reauthorization and legislation to meet the ongoing funding needs of the choice program for veterans health care.

Sen. Dean Heller, a Nevada Republican, said he anticipated Senate action before recess on the veterans choice bill, which passed the House Friday.

As a senior member of [the Veterans Affairs] Committee, guaranteeing Nevadas veterans have access to the Choice Program for services the VA cannot provide like chemotherapy or lifesaving surgeries has always been a top priority of mine,he said. I expect the Senate to act next week to pass this legislation, and Ill work to make sure our countrys heroes continue to have access to the health care services that some of them desperately need.

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Rand Paul Wants AUMF Debate With Defense Authorization - Roll Call