Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul is calling on supporters to resist COVID-19 regulations as he threatens to hold up Senate business in response to potential government or school shutdowns.
In a prepared statement delivered via Twitter on Sunday, the Bowling Green Republican heightened his rhetoric against lockdowns, masks, and other policies endorsed by the nation’s top health agencies.
"We are at a moment of truth and a crossroads," the libertarian-leaning lawmaker warned.
In the 3:37 video, Paul – who famously contracted COVID-19 early in the pandemic and has since declined to get vaccinated, citing natural immunity – says it’s “time to resist.”
We are at a moment of truth and a crossroads. Will we allow these people to use fear and propaganda to do further harm to our society, economy, and children?
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) August 8, 2021
Or will we stand together and say, absolutely not. Not this time. I choose freedom. pic.twitter.com/XrI2tjdAHW
"We don't have to accept the mandates, lockdowns, and harmful policies of the petty tyrants and bureaucrats. We can simply say no, not again," the senator advises.
Paul goes on to make a number of claims likely to draw fire from health authorities – including a statement that children are at no more risk from COVID than the seasonal flu. Data presented at a Johns Hopkins and University of Washington symposium reportedly showed that, while more children are typically hospitalized for the flu, COVID has been responsible for a higher number of deaths.
Paul’s video represents the senator’s latest salvo in a long-running feud with agencies and experts he maintains are not following the science. Paul and White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci have frequently sparred in heated exchanges recolving around the origins of the virus and how individuals develop and maintain immunity.
