Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Rand Paul today introduced a joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to nullify Internet regulations recently published by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Through the resolution, Sen. Paul will seek a vote in the U.S. Senate against the FCC’s unnecessary and overreaching power grab for control over the Internet. “This regulation by the FCC is a textbook example of Washington’s desire to regulate anything and everything and will do nothing more than wrap the Internet in red-tape. The Internet has successfully flourished...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Rand Paul today reintroduced a Constitutional amendment that would hold Congress to the same standard as the American people by requiring all laws to apply to Congress, just as they do to ordinary Americans. The legislation similarly contains two provisions that would apply this same principle of accountability to the Executive Branch and Judicial Branch of the federal government. “I oppose allowing Congress to exempt themselves from any legislation. To that end, today, I reintroduced a Constitutional amendment that would prohibit Congress from passing any law that...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C . – U.S. Senator Rand Paul and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today reintroduced the Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures (FOCUS) Act of 2015 . This legislation removes each and every reference to "foreign law" within the Lacey Act and substitutes the Lacey Act's criminal penalties with a reasonable civil penalty system. The Lacey Act, originally passed in 1900, is a conservation law that attempts to prohibit the trafficking of “illegal” wildlife, fish and plants. It has since expanded into an extremely broad and vague law with harsh criminal penalties...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced bipartisan legislation today to better target serious criminals and curb overzealous prosecutions for non-malicious computer and Internet offenses. The legislation, inspired by the late Internet innovator and activist Aaron Swartz, who faced up to 35 years in prison for an act of civil disobedience, would reform the quarter-century old Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to better reflect computer and internet activities in the digital age. Numerous and recent instances of heavy-handed...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Rand Paul yesterday reintroduced the Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2015 . This legislation will bring common sense back to federal water policy by redefining “navigable waters,” exclude ephemeral or intermittent streams from federal jurisdiction, and restrain the powers that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers hold over American landowners. “Every year, thousands of property owners across America fall victim to the EPA and Army Corps of Engineer’s bullying tactics. I firmly believe it is the landowners’ Constitutional...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Rand Paul yesterday took his conservative message of criminal justice reform to Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C. The panel discussion titled, “From Protest to Politics: A Bipartisan Approach to Criminal Justice Reform” was moderated by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). Panelists participating in the discussion included: Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Reps. Raul Labrador (R-ID), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-VI). “The War on Drugs has had a disproportional affect on minorities and our inner cities. Our current system is...Read more

Bill Would Encourage Companies to Bring Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Foreign Earnings Back to America; Proceeds Would Extend the Highway Trust Fund WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would extend the Highway Trust Fund and create jobs. The Invest in Transportation Act of 2015 , S. 981, incentivizes companies to bring some of the estimated $2 trillion in foreign earnings that are being held overseas back to the United States. "Our nation’s highways and bridges are in desperate need of repair and demand...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last week introduced the Fuel Choice and Deregulation Act of 2015. This legislation will remove Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) impediments to market competition and innovation in America's transportation fuel market. "The EPA's onerous regulation of fuels is artificially limiting options for consumers and producers and preventing the adoption of new fuel options that could benefit our environment, our economy, and our energy security. Through competition and consumer choice, my bill will free fuel producers...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C - Sen. Rand Paul today introduced Amendment 992 to S.Con.Res.11, the Budget Resolution. This amendment would pay for the $96 billion of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding in the budget. That funding is exempted from budget caps and slated to cover ongoing war costs and increased defense spending in the regular defense budget contrary to the 2011 Budget Control Act. "First and foremost, a strong national defense should always be the federal government's main responsibility. I believe Congress can and should pay for our top priorities and not use budgeting gimmicks to...Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation today to help rural communities harmed by Obama Administration policies that restrict access to rural lending opportunities. Sens. Dean Heller (R-NV), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Rand Paul (R-KY) are original cosponsors of the Helping Expand Lending Practices in (HELP) Rural Communities Act , which would provide rural communities with better access to credit opportunities that can help grow their local economies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) - created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street...Read more