Rand Paul: “Reserving the right to object, my oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation. And no matter…”

“Reserving the right to object, my oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation. And no matter how sympathetic the cause, my oath of office is to the national security of the United States of America. We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy. In March, inflation hit a 40-year high. Gasoline alone is up 48 percent, and energy prices are up 32 percent over the last year. Food prices have increased by nearly 9 percent. Used vehicle prices are up 35 percent for the year, and new vehicle prices have increased 12 percent or more. Yes, inflation doesn't just come out of nowhere; it comes from deficit spending. The United States spent nearly $5 trillion on COVID-19 bailouts, leading to one of the highest and most sustained levels of inflation in U.S. history. Americans are feeling the pain, and Congress seems intent only on adding to that pain by shoveling more money out the door as fast as they can. This bill under consideration would spend $40 billion. This is the second spending bill for Ukraine in 2 months, and this bill is three times larger than the first. Our military aid to Ukraine is nothing new, though. Since 2014, the United States has provided more than $6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine. In addition to the $14 billion Congress authorized just a month ago, if this bill passes, the United States will have authorized roughly $60 billion in total spending for Ukraine.…”