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U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., once called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a "petty tyrant" but a "traitor"? A recent Facebook post sharing a 16-minute video featuring Paul suggests that he calls the California Democrat just that.

"Shes a traitor! Rand Paul uncovers Nancy Pelosis dark secrets in public," a description of the video in the Oct. 3 post says.

This post was flagged as part of Facebooks efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook.)

The video in the post shows Paul speaking on the U.S. Senate floor in May about a bill to provide $40 billion in aid to Ukraine to help the country fight Russias invasion. But Paul doesnt mention Pelosi, or even utter the word "traitor." Rather, he explains his objections to the legislation, such as using taxpayer money for a foreign war.

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, appears in the videoslast two minutes, giving a speech on the House floor. But he also doesnt call Pelosi a traitor.

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Searching online for evidence that Paul elsewhere called Pelosi a traitor, we found none. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., once called Pelosi a traitor, drawing news coverage of her remarks, but we found no similar media reports about Paul.

We rate this post False.

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Rand Paul didnt tell Nancy Pelosi shes a traitor in this video - PolitiFact

Correction:A previous version of this article misstated some of the penalties for companies for missing benchmarks under the new legislation. The story has been edited to clarify the penalties.

This story was updated on Sept. 21, 2022 at 10:14 AM after the Senate passed the bill.

WASHINGTON Congress could pass legislation as soon as this week to reauthorize a small business innovation grant program favored by the Pentagon after reforms addressing concerns over the abuse of the rewards process persuaded Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to drop his opposition to the program.

Paul told Defense News on Tuesday that he will not block a unanimous consent request for the Senate to pass the bill reauthorizing the Small Business Administrations Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer awards for three years.

Those programs are set to expire by the end of the month.

We were happy to get some reforms in it, the Kentucky Republican said.

Paul had used his clout as the top Republican on the Small Business Committee to block reauthorization of the program. The 43-page compromise legislation, first seen by Defense News, is the product of months of negotiations meant to assuage Pauls concerns.

The reauthorization bill includes new provisions to address ties between some program awardees and China, while adding additional performance benchmarks aimed at commercializing projects to attract more private capital investment.

Senate Small Business Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., told Defense News that he filed the reauthorization bill Tuesday, and the Senate passed it by unanimous consent shortly thereafter. The House is expected to easily pass the bill as soon as this week under expedited procedures.

The Defense Department accounts for the majority of the SBIR and STTR awards, which ballooned to nearly $3.3 billion in 2011. The program is awarded jointly by 11 federal agencies, and individual awards range from tens of thousands of dollars to more than $1 million for a two-year grant.

The programs incentivize small businesses to engage in early-stage research and development for technologies and products that companies might otherwise shy away from given uncertain returns on investments.

SBIR grants that were awarded by the Air Force to AeroVironment led to the development of the small, kamikaze Switchblade drones, which the United States has sent to Ukraine as it fends off Russias invasion. The Pentagon also relies on SBIR and STTR grants to spur technologies in fields such as artificial intelligence, data processing and munitions development.

Still, Paul had argued that the two programs lacked protections against China gaining access to U.S. technology and that some companies rely entirely on the grants to sustain themselves without spinning off new businesses or products.

Chinese state-sponsored companies have targeted U.S. firms that receive the grants, hoping to benefit from the investments. A 2021 Pentagon report on a small sample of SBIR awardees found China was the ultimate beneficiary of the grants, not the United States.

Under the reauthorization bills new guidelines, SBIR or STTR applicants must now disclose whether the company has ties to any foreign country of concern, including the Peoples Republic of China. The Defense Department and other agencies must deny awards to applicants that have ties to Chinese companies or have high-level employees that are part of a malign foreign talent recruitment program.

The bill requires each federal agency that awards the grants to coordinate with the Small Business Administration in the creation of a due diligence program to assess security risks presented by small business concerns seeking a federally funded award.

The Small Business Administration and the White Houses Office of Science and Technology must also consult with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to establish best practices to guide these due diligence programs.

Additionally, the enhanced performance benchmarks differentiate between Phase I and Phase II SBIR and STRR grants. Under the program, Phase I awards range from $50,000 to $250,000 for six to 12 months. Phase II awards range from $750,000 to nearly $2 million for two years. There are also direct to Phase II awards, which allow companies to receive Phase II grants without first competing Phase I research.

The new legislation doubles the minimum performance standards for each small business that receives more than 50 Phase I grants within five years.

Additionally, a small business that has received more than 50 Phase II awards within the past 12 years must garner an average of $250,000 of aggregate sales and investments for each of those awards. And a company with more than 100 Phase II awards within the past 12 years must earn an average of $450,000 in aggregate sales and investments.

If a company does not meet these standards, then it may not receive more than 20 total SBIR and STTR Phase I and direct to Phase II awards for one year per agency. They may still receive unlimited Phase II awards.

Bryant Harris is the Congress reporter for Defense News. He has covered U.S. foreign policy, national security, international affairs and politics in Washington since 2014. He has also written for Foreign Policy, Al-Monitor, Al Jazeera English and IPS News.

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Congress to reauthorize reformed Pentagon innovation grants after Paul drops opposition - DefenseNews.com

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After President Biden's proclamation that the coronavirus "pandemic is over" led to Democrats and his own White House appearing to contradict or nuance his statement, Sen. Rand Paul said it shows he is not in charge of much of anything anymore.

In the wake of Biden's interview with CBS News, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, along with Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, among others, offered varied translations of what Biden told reporter Scott Pelley.

"The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over," Biden said.

On "Jesse Watters Primetime," Paul, who is a medical doctor, said the entire episode reveals the truth about the administration.

BILL MAHER ROASTS WOKE PRESENTISM: 'A MAGIC MORAL TIME MACHINE WHERE YOU ALWAYS WIN'

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a rally hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at Richard Montgomery High School (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

"This may come as a surprise to you, but I am not sure that Joe Biden is fully in charge of the government or fully in charge of his wits, for that matter," Paul said Tuesday.

"The thing is, the response to this [from those in power] has always been about submission and control of the individual. These are the people who truly believe in the nanny state."

Paul pointed to how several Democratic state governorships, like New York, Pennsylvania, California, New Jersey, Rhode Island and others, sought to impose socioeconomic restrictions by executive fiat on their constituents.

"Whether it's your business they want to be in charge of, or your health care they can't give it up," he said, adding that in states like Florida, there effectively "hasn't been [a pandemic] on the ground for a long time."

BIDEN, DEMOCRATS FALSELY FRAME GREEN MOVEMENT AS ECONOMIC: CHARLES PAYNE

Lower Saxony, Hildesheim: A member of staff crazes a figure of a plague doctor wearing a beak mask at the Roemer- und Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim (RPM) in the special exhibition "Seuchen. Curse of the past - threat of the future". (Julian Stratenschulte/picture alliance via Getty Images)

"The pandemic was over two years ago in Florida. It's still going on in the minds of Democrats, but it hasn't been on the ground on for a long time."

One relevant response to Biden's proclamation came from NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci, who clashed with Paul on occasion in Senate hearings.

"We are not where we need to be if we're going to be able to, quote, Live with the virus,' because we know we're not going to eradicate it," he said in a recent interview.

In response, Paul said Fauci and other establishment experts are comparable to those during the 17th century European plague that instituted the wearing of bird-beak-like "plague masks" wherein the long arched nasal brim was stuffed with camphor or lavender as a purported prophylactic against viral transmission.

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"Dr. Fauci's science is not far removed from that," Paul said, noting a moment in a recent hearing where the Kentuckian presented the immunologist with his own words from a 2004 C-SPAN appearance wherein Fauci praised natural immunity as an effective deterrent.

"He used to believe that, and now he only wants us to submit. He wants to be in charge if he can get one more hit on television," he said, in terms of how the Brooklyn-born doctor represents the establishment view in that way.

"The [N95] masks did not change the trajectory of the disease at all. The stickers on the floor only made the people who made the stickers richer."

Charles Creitz is a reporter forFox News Digital.

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Rand Paul rips DC establishment countering Biden on COVID: 'Not in charge of his wits' or White House - Fox News

WASHINGTON Members of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce's D.C. Fly-In group met face-to-face with several lawmakers today in our nation's capital.

It is part of a two day trip to rally federal support and money for local projects and initiatives.

The group met with several lawmakers, and two who stood out are U.S. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky District 1 and Sen. Rand Paul.

Lawmakers met the group at the Capitol Visitor Center, which is connected to the U.S. Capitol building.

It's an opportunity for lawmakers to share their perspectives on everything from the legislative session to timely topics.

Comer talked about issues he believes are negatively impacting businesses.

"I believe there are a lot of obstacles to the private sector. I believe that if you talk to any employer in Kentucky in Paducah, Pikeville, whateverand say, 'What are your biggest challenges?' well, obviously, number one is going to be I can't find workers, right? Number two, from a federal government standpoint, is going to be their frustration with dealing with bureaucracies," Comer said.

Paul talked about inflation and what he thinks led to it.

"We're still suffering from the lockdown. We locked it down. We said you don't have to work, but we don't want you to suffer, so here's a bunch of money. We passed it out in $1,400 checks and PPP this and PPP that. But it wasn't money. It wasn't savings. We didn't have a rainy day account," Paul said.

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Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce D.C. Fly-In group hears from Paul, Comer on issues affecting businesses - WPSD Local 6

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who is retiring later this year, admitted "certain aspects" of the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic were "botched," including the flip-flop on masking recommendations and the slow rollout of rapid testing nationwide.

"They did not get the commercial involvement in the tests quickly. They stuck to their own tests," Fauci said in an interview that aired Thursday at the Texas Tribune Festival. "We didn't know masks worked outside of the hospital setting.

"There was supposedly a shortage of good masks for the people who were taking care of individuals."

While public health officials have reversed course on some policies, Fauci said that closing down schools at the beginning of the pandemic may have been worth it despite the ensuing learning loss for children.

EDUCATION SECRETARY CARDONA OPENS UP ON SCHOOLS' SPENDING OF COVID-19 RELIEF MONEY, HEAT-RELATED CLOSURES

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a daily briefing at the White House in Washington on Dec. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"There is a misunderstanding that because children do not get as severe disease as a cohort, in general, as the elderly individuals and those with underlying conditions we still lost 1,400 children," Fauci said. "So, although you have to be aware and not deny that there are deleterious consequences for prolonged periods of time for keeping children out of school, remember, the safety of children is also important."

A Department of Education study published last month found that reading scores in children saw their largest decrease in three decades during the pandemic, while math scores saw their first decrease ever.

Other health officials have also called out the response by governments to the pandemic around the world.

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission, a panel of international experts, wrote in a report last week that governments "showed themselves to be untrustworthy and ineffective" during the pandemic by failing to "adhere to basic norms of institutional rationality and transparency."

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky ordered a reorganization of the public health agency last month, saying that the agency's response to COVID-19 "did not reliably meet expectations" after 75 years of preparation.

Dr. Anthony Fauci was questioned by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., during a Senate committee hearing on June 16, 2022. (Senate Video Pool)

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pledged to investigate Fauci if the GOP takes back the House of Representatives or the Senate in the midterm elections.

US SURGEON GENERAL SAYS BIDEN WAS TOUTING TREMENDOUS PROGRESS AGAINST COVID WITH PANDEMIC IS OVER CLAIM

Fauci said he has become a "boogeyman" for conservatives but would cooperate with any congressional investigations after he retires.

"I did not like the idea that, in order to maintain my personal and scientific integrity, and in order to fulfill my obligation to the country, as a public health official and as a scientist, I had to publicly disagree with several of the things that [former President Donald Trump], who they follow to the last word, was saying," Fauci said.

Lurie Children's Hospital registered nurse Carolyn Ruyle prepares a dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Nov. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

President Biden declared victory over coronavirus during an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday.

"The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with COVID. We're still doing a lot of work on it. It's but the pandemic is over," he said.

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When asked by Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith why more Americans died from COVID-19 during the first year of the Biden administration than during all of 2020 despite the advent of vaccines, Fauci pointed the blame to roughly one-third of Americans who are still unvaccinated.

"If the country doesn't want to get vaccinated, the country doesn't want to wear a mask in an indoor setting, there's not much the president can do about that," Fauci said.

Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Paul.best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.

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Fauci admits 'certain aspects' of the government's COVID-19 response were 'botched' - Fox News