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Paul praises Trump nominees, looks for routes to rein in tariffs

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pauses to speak to reporters outside the chamber as the Senate prepares a procedural vote on an emergency spending package that would provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenish U.S. weapons systems and provide food, water and other humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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AP
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., pauses to speak to reporters outside the chamber as the Senate prepares a procedural vote on an emergency spending package that would provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenish U.S. weapons systems and provide food, water and other humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, at the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Sen. Rand Paul is lining up behind President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks, saying they will "shake up" Washington.

Paul was in town to meet with the Oil and Gas Association ahead of Trump's anticipated moves to open up more domestic energy production. It's a move he's fully behind, even quoting Trump's "Drill, baby, drill" line.

Known for bucking his own party on occasion, Paul appears to be in relative lockstep behind Trump's controversial leadership picks, including embattled Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, whose misconduct allegations have put his nomination in jeopardy.

Paul told WUKY he likes Hegseth's hiring and firing policy.

"One of the things Pete Hegseth has talked a lot about is that hiring at the Pentagon should be based on your merit, not the color of your skin, not your religion. It should be based simply on whether you're a good soldier or good administrator, et cetera," Paul explains. "I think that's a good idea, I think we've politicized too many of our organizations. The same goes for the FBI. Kash Patel... I think he'll shake the organization up."

Patel's nomination as FBI director has also raised alarms with his 2023 statement that he would "come after people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections." Patel has since walked back that statement, implying he was only referring to people who broke the law.

Asked about Patel and possible retribution-style politics directed at Democrats, Paul said he sees the opposite.

"So I would never in my wildest dreams think of using anything in government to go after someone from the opposite political party," he said. "But realize what has been going on isn't Republicans seeking retribution. You have an attorney general in New York, Letitia James, who ran on the principal of going after an individual in the opposite political party."

Tackling Tariffs

A recent report by the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center found Kentucky is poised to be the hardest hit state if Trump carries through on his threats. It reported that, in total, tariff payments under the incoming president's plan would amount to nearly 5% of Kentucky's GDP, "far outpacing other states."

So it's no surprise that Paul and McConnell are not fans.

"International trade is good and I think people have been saying, 'Oh, we ought to stop this and do this. We're going to punish these countries.' The people who be punished are the American consumer, so I'm not for tariffs," Paul said.

But just how much can Congress do to affect a Trump tariff rollout?

The answer, according to Paul: Right now, not much. The senator said Congress has ceded a good deal of power to the executive, and he wants elected officials to be brought back into the loop.

"I don't understand how we could let one person, Republican or Democrat, have all the power to institute a tax on hundreds of industries. So I actually think there's a constitutional issue, but I will fight and I have a bill to remove some of that power and bring it back to Congress," he said.

If Paul and other tariff-wary members of Congress are unsuccessful, the Tax Policy Center says while Trump's proposal could raise 3.7 trillion in revenue over the next decade, Kentucky, along with other Midwestern and southern states, would "shoulder a disproportionate share of the economic impact."

Josh James fell in love with college radio at Western Kentucky University's student station, New Rock 92 (now Revolution 91.7). After working as a DJ and program director, he knew he wanted to come home to Lexington and try his hand in public radio.