Dear
Friend,
Before
we
get
into
this
week's
events,
Kelley
and
I
want
to
wish
you
and
yours
a
Merry
Christmas!
We recorded
a
special
Christmas
message
for
you
that
you
can
watch
HERE.
May
your
holiday
season
be
filled
with
joy
and
peace
as
we
close
the
book
on
2017
and
welcome
in
a
new
year.
You
can
find
my
latest
update
from
a
busy
week
in
Washington
below!
Dr.
Rand
Paul
Applauds
Passage
of
Tax
Reform
On
Wednesday,
the
Senate
delivered
on
its
promise
of
allowing
Americans
to
keep
more
of
their
hard-earned
money
by
passing
tax
reform,
a
commitment
I
worked
to
hold
it
to
by
fighting
to
make
sure
the
bill
became
a
bigger
and
better
tax
cut
and
included
repeal
of
the
Obamacare
individual
mandate.
I
applaud
this
reform,
which
will
lead
to
economic
growth,
greater
business
investment,
and
new
opportunities
for
the
American
people.
This
legislation
repeals
the
burdensome
Obamacare
individual
mandate
that
punishes
Americans
who
do
not
purchase
health
insurance,
and
it
nearly
doubles
the
standard
deduction
for
individuals
and
married
couples, while
also
leveling
the
playing
field
for
our
job
creators.
Already,
we
are
seeing
this
legislation
make
a
difference,
as
major
companies
have
announced
changes
following
its
passage,
including
raising
workers'
salaries,
providing
$1,000
bonuses,
increasing
giving
to
charity,
and
investing
more
funds
here
at
home.
Before
the
vote,
I
stated
in
my
video
message
from
Washington
this
week
(which
you
can
watch
HERE)
that
the
bill
is
a
good
start
to
bringing
tax
relief
to
every
Kentuckian,
and
I
urged
Congress
to
support
it
so
we
could
go
into
the
holidays
knowing
we
honored
our
promise.
As
we
approach
a
new
year,
I
look
forward
to
continuing
the
fight
for
limited
government,
lower
taxes,
and
individual
liberty
for
all.
Dr.
Rand
Paul
Offers
Congress
a
Chance
to
Stick
to
Budget
Caps
Shortly
before
the
Senate
voted
last
night
to
fund
the
government
through
January
19,
I
forced
it
to
also
hold
a
vote
on
abiding
by
Congress'
own
PAYGO
(“Pay
As
You
Go”)
budget
requirements
instead
of
once
again
ignoring
them.
“We
have
a
real
problem
in
our
country,
and
we
must
do
something
about
it.
Ultimately,
there
will
be
a
day
of
reckoning.
You
cannot
continue
to
borrow
so
much
money,”
I
said
on
the
Senate
floor.
“Who’s
willing
to
say,
‘You
know
what?
I’m
for
tax
cuts,
but
I’m
also
for
saying,
across
the
board,
we
need
to
have
spending
restraint,'”
I
asked
my
fellow
senators.
Though
the
Senate
opposed
my
attempt
to
rein
in
its
spending,
I
will
continue
speaking
out
as
debate
resumes
in
January.
You
can
find
my
speech
from
Thursday
night HERE.
![](https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/Customers/SenPaul/SRP_Offers_Budget_Point_of_Order_-_12.21.17.png) |
(Dr.
Paul
Challenges
the
Senate
to
Stop
Running
Up
the
Debt
-
December
21,
2017)
|
Dr.
Rand
Paul
and
Sen.
Ron
Wyden
Lead
Bipartisan
Press
Conference
to
Call
for
Reform
of
Government's
Surveillance
Tools
On
Tuesday
morning,
U.S.
Senators
Mike
Lee
(Utah),
Patrick
Leahy
(Vermont),
and
Steve
Daines
(Montana)
joined
Senator
Ron
Wyden
(Oregon)
and
me
for
a
bipartisan
press
conference
to
discuss
Section
702
of
the
Foreign
Intelligence
Surveillance
Act
(FISA),
which
was
scheduled
to
expire
at
the
end
of
December,
and
the
need
to
protect
Americans’
civil
liberties
through
FISA
reform.
During
the
event,
I
called
for
“a
full-throated
debate
on
reforming,
controlling,
and
overseeing
this
enormous
power
we
allow
our
intelligence
community
to
have.”
Demonstrating
how
support
for
surveillance
reform
crosses
political
lines
and
unites
Americans,
we
were
also
joined
at
the
event
by
representatives
from
both
the
conservative
grassroots
organization
FreedomWorks
and
the
ACLU.
As
I
have
previously
mentioned,
Senator
Wyden
and
I
introduced
the
USA
Rights
Act
(S.
1997)
in
October
to
reform
Section
702
of
FISA
and
end
warrantless
backdoor
searches
of
Americans'
calls,
emails,
texts,
and
other
communications
that
are
routinely
swept
up
under
a
program
designed
to
spy
on
foreign
targets.
When
Congress
voted
to
fund
the
government
for
a
few
more
weeks
last
night,
the
resolution
also
temporarily
extended
Section
702.
At
our
Tuesday
press
conference
and
throughout
the
week,
I
made
it
clear
I
will
oppose
any
long-term
reauthorization
of
warrantless
searches
of
American
citizens,
and
this
includes
filibustering
such
an
attempt,
if
necessary.
We
must
have
a
serious,
meaningful
debate,
and
we
must
have
reform.
You
can
watch
video
of
my
and
Senator
Wyden’s
opening
remarks
at
our
press
conference HERE.
Dr.
Rand
Paul
Meets
with
the
Caudill
Seed
Company
On
Thursday,
I
had
an
opportunity
to
meet
with
Dan
and
Corey
Caudill
from
the Caudill
Seed
Company,
which
is
based
in
Louisville.
We
talked about
Caudill
Seed's
background
and
operations,
and
we
also
discussed
topics
including
the
state
of
their
industry
and
reducing
bureaucratic
overreach.
![](https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/Customers/SenPaul/SRP_with_Caudill_Seed,_12.21.17.JPG) |
(Dr.
Paul
with
the
Caudill
Seed
Company
-
December
21,
2017) |
Dr.
Rand
Paul
Releases
Special
"Festivus"
Edition
of
The
Waste
Report
Today,
I
released
a
special
“Festivus:
Airing
of
Grievances
for
2017”
edition
of
The
Waste
Report,
which
again
shines
a
spotlight
on
wasteful
spending
and
misplaced
priorities
that
put
taxpayers
on
the
hook
for
the
federal
government’s
bad
management.
In
its
three
years,
my
Waste
Report series
has
documented
approximately
$6
billion
in
wasteful
spending.
This
year's
collection
also
includes
excerpts
from
“Worldwide
Waste:
How
the
Government
is
Using
and
Losing
Your
Money
Abroad,”
a
2017
Waste
Report
series
that
documented
more
than
$3
billion
of
wasteful,
taxpayer-funded
endeavors
overseas.
Highlights
from
the
Festivus
Waste
Report
include
the
IRS
failing
to
recover
over
$76
million
in
“unallowable
expenses”
to
government
contractors,
and
the
Department
of
Transportation
spending
$1.5
million
on
a
park
bathroom
in
Queens,
NY.
You
can
find
my
“Festivus:
Airing
of
Grievances
for
2017”
edition
of
The
Waste
Report,
which
totals
up
over
$560
million
in
waste,
HERE.
Media
Wrap-Up
This
week,
I
was
interviewed
on
shows
including
Fox
News'
America's
Newsroom and
spoke
on
the
radio
with
Leland
Conway
and
Tom
Roten.
I
also
had
a
chance
to
discuss
FISA
reform
with
Circa,
and
you
can
read
their
report HERE.
Have
an
Issue
or
Concern?
If
you
are
a
Kentucky
resident
and
need
assistance
with
a
federal
agency,
please
feel
free
to
contact
my
Bowling
Green
office
at
270-782-8303.
One
of
my
staff
members
will
be
more
than
happy
to
assist
you.
Stay
in
Touch
with
Dr.
Paul
on
Social
Media
You
can
stay
up
to
date
on
my
latest
news
and
activities
by
visiting
my
Senate
website,
www.paul.senate.gov,
or
my
official
Facebook
and
Twitter
pages.
You
can
watch
my
Senate
floor
speeches
and
press
interviews
at
my
YouTube
channel
HERE.
Warm
Regards,
![](https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/Customers/SenPaul/Paul_sig.png) |