Mediaboss Marketing

The Senator called the Republican-backed repeal of the Affordable Care Act "Obamacare Lite." Marty Pearl/Special to C-J

Senator Rand Paul spoke to a group gathered in the St. Matthews Community Center on Monday about the process of overhauling the Affordable Care Act. 3/20/17(Photo: Marty Pearl/Special to The C-J)Buy Photo

Senator Rand Paul vowed to vote "No" on a Republican-backed plan to repeal-and-replace the Affordable Care Act, adding that he doesn't currently think the GOP has enough votes to pass the legislation that he calls "Obamacare Lite."

Speaking to an invite-only crowd at the St. Matthews Chamber of Commerce's "Legislative Coffee" event, the Kentucky Republican said he feels the plan doesn't do enough to fix flaws in the current version of the federal health care law, which is also known as Obamacare.

"We've been talking about 'Let's Make America Great Again.' Let's determine how we got great in the first place. And why we are so wealthy as a country is freedom freedom of the marketplace, free to trade with your neighbor, and the government doesn't determine the price. That's what we need to do with health care," Paul said to the crowd of more than 100 local business owners and politicians.

During a news conference followingtheevent, Paul specifically detailed his concerns with the legislation championed by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, saying he feels it would increase insurance costs andcause continued losses for insurance companies. He added that he feels it doesn't do anything to get new people insured.

"I don't think they have the votes to pass it right now. If the conservatives stay solid, the bill will be at least temporarily defeated and then the real negotiations begin," Kentucky's junior senator said. "Conservatives will only have a seat at the table if they can stop the initial Ryan plan from going through."

Senator Rand Paul clarifies statements made during a stop at the St. Matthews Community Center on Monday. 3/20/17(Photo: Marty Pearl/Special to The C-J)

Paul said he wants health care to place more of an emphasis on competition and choice, and that his biggest concern is continued reliance on an individual insurance market. He said he envisions a network of associations such as the St. Matthews Chamber of Commerce which could provide health insurance, as well as the expanded use of health savings accounts.

Paul headed to Washington D.C. following the event, just hours before President Donald Trump plannedto speak at a campaign rally at Freedom Hall. Trump and Paul have disagreed in recent weeks over the Trump-backed repeal-and-replace effort.

Paul said that he was headingback to Washington D.C. because "I've got to work." He said that he welcomes the president to Kentucky a state where he got 62.5 percent of the vote during the 2016 Presidential Election.

"I've got to get to Washington so I can work on the coalition that is trying to defeat the bill," the senator said. "We're not exactly on the same page on this. I do think ultimately that we are on the same page in that we want repeal of Obamacare. I think that there's not unity onreplacement,though."

Reporter Justin Sayers can be reached atjsayers@gannett.com or 502-582-4252. Follow him on Twitter at @_JustinSayers.

You may like

Trump brings health care debate back to Kentucky

Trumps budget cuts looming over Louisville

5 takeaways from Mike Pence's Kentucky visit

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: http://cjky.it/2mHp7XN

See the rest here:
Sen. Rand Paul says he's a 'no' on GOP plan to replace Obamacare ... - The Courier-Journal

During a House hearing on Monday, FBI Director James Comey disputed President Trump's claim that his predecessor "wiretapped" him during the presidential campaign.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) joined Neil Cavuto this afternoon and argued that Trump's allegation is true, since there was surveillance on former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, which was subsequently leaked to the press.

"Everybody admits that somebody spied on Mike Flynn, and he was part of the Trump campaign," Paul said. "It sounds like what the president said has already been proven to be true."

He said that the media is confused, because they think that wiretapping means placing an "old-fashioned bug" on someone's telephone.

"If you haven't looked recently, most of our telephones don't have wires," Paul said. "'Wiretapping' is a broad term for surveillance."

Cavuto said that surveilling Flynn is one thing, but he pressed Paul if Trump himself was tapped.

"I think 'wiretapping' to Donald Trump probably meant spying. And I think 'Donald Trump' or the 'campaign' also probably meant Mike Flynn," Paul said. "So I think really we're arguing circles around something that most people are admitting."

"Somebody was spying on the Trump campaign and ... Mike Flynn lost his job because of an illegal felony in which somebody released the results of spying on the Trump campaign."

Watch more above.

'I've Got Friends in Safe Spaces': Country Duo Turns Hit Into Anti-Snowflake Anthem

Man Sues Bar for Refusing Service Over Trump Hat

White House Releases Border Wall Requirements

Judge Jeanine: The Intolerant Left is 'Changing the Rules' on Law and Ethics

Here is the original post:
Paul on Wiretapping Dispute: 'Somebody Was Spying on Trump Campaign' - Fox News Insider

During an appearance on ABCs This Week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) expressed deep concern about government surveillance and the intelligence community leaking information to the press.

With discussion among conservatives shifting more and more towards the deep state in recent weeks, Paul told host George Stephanopoulos that itsknown that the Obama administration spied on former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. He was referring to transcripts of pre-inauguration phone calls between Flynn and the Russian ambassadorbeing discussed with the press, as the envoy was being surveilled by the U.S. Those calls led to Flynns resignation.

It is very, very important that whoever released that go to jail, Paul said. Because you cannot have members of the intelligence community listening to the most private and highly classified information and then releasing that to The New York Times.

The Kentucky lawmaker also noted there areonly be a handful of people who could have done this. Therefore, he wants them all to come in and take lie detector tests to get the the bottom of this all.

Paul appears to be parroting much of what weve heard from the Trump administration and other top Republicans, like House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes,in terms of leaks to the media being the real issue at play. The presidenthas taken to Twitter and utilized press conferences to rail against leaks.

Watch the clip above, via ABC News.

[image via screengrab]

Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com

Read more:
Rand Paul: It is 'Very Important' That Whoever Released Flynn ... - Mediaite

Sen. Rand Paul talks healthcare in St. Matthews

Bethanni Williams, WHAS 6:03 PM. EDT March 20, 2017

LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) -- Senator Rand Paul and President Donald Trump missed each other in Louisville by just hours.

Senator Paul spoke to the St. Matthews Chamber of Commerce on the hotly debated topic of health care.

Paul highlighted the issues he sees with the President's repeal and replace proposal.

He says he thinks the most effective legislation would get rid of an individual marketplace which would foster competition ultimately lowering insurance rates and prices.

Senator Paul left immediately after the event to head back to Washington DC.

When asked why he wasn't sticking around for the President's visit he said he simply has to get back to work.

The House will vote on the proposed health care bill on Thursday.

Senator Paul said he hopes it does not pass and vows he'll continue to search for solutions with the consumer's best interest in mind.

2017 WHAS-TV

Continued here:
Sen Rand Paul talking about health care - WHAS11.com

Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol Feb. 5, 2015, in Washington, D.C.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Last Updated Mar 15, 2017 10:53 PM EDT

Updated with statement from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Sen. John McCain accused fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul of working for Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

The fireworks came as McCain spoke in support of a Senate unanimous consent request in support of Montenegros bid to join NATO. The libertarian-leaning Paul, who has often advocated for a less interventionist foreign policy, opposes the resolution.

You are achieving the objectives of Vladimir Putin...trying to dismember this small country which has already been the subject of an attempted coup, McCain said, in an apparent reference to Paul.

Play Video

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, says the House Republicans' healthcare bill will not pass through the Senate. "If we get what we got from Ryan - Obam...

McCain then asked that the resolution be passed unanimously, prompting an objection from Paul who then exited the room. McCain then reiterated his accusation.

I note the senator from Kentucky leaving the floor without justification or any rationale for the action he has just taken. That is really remarkable -- that a senator blocking a treaty that is supported by the overwhelming number, perhaps 98 at least of his colleagues, would come to the floor and object and walk awayThe only conclusion you can draw when he walks away is he has no argument to be made.

He has no justification for his objection to having a small nation be part of NATO that is under assault from the Russians. So, I repeat again, the senator from Kentucky is now working for Vladimir Putin.

Later Wednesday evening, in a statement to CBS News Alan He, Paul argued that U.S. resources are being stretched by multiple commitments.

Currently, the United States has troops in dozens of countries and is actively fighting in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen (with the occasional drone strike in Pakistan), Paul wrote. In addition, the United States is pledged to defend 28 countries in NATO. It is unwise to expand the monetary and military obligations of the United States given the burden of our $20 trillion debt.

McCain and Paul have battled over foreign policy issues in the past. In a February interview with ABC News, for example, Paul said that McCain has advocated for war everywhere and that the U.S. would be in perpetual war if McCain were in charge.

CBS News Alan He contributed reporting to this story.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

View original post here:
John McCain says Rand Paul is "working for Vladimir Putin ...