On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Rand Paul traveled to Middlesboro, Kentucky, to meet with Kentuckians hear about the issues most important to them, and discuss his efforts in the Senate as he continues his work of putting Kentucky first. This event took place at the Southeast Community and Technical College in Middlesboro.

Dr. Paul spoke on vaccine mandates, unconstitutionally and unlawfully imposed by the Biden Administration on businesses and first responders.

“In a free country, people have the right to make their own healthcare decisions. President Biden’s command that working Americans, private businesses, and first responders submit to his mandate upon penalty of loss of livelihood is unconstitutional and a flagrant abuse of power,” said Dr. Paul. “This is a disservice to our first responders who were on the front lines early on in this pandemic, who had to show up to work when there was no vaccine, and have likely developed natural immunity. It’s the opposite of respect that we should be giving to those who are our first responders, and no president, regardless of political party should be allowed to implement such a brazen power grab.”

Dr. Paul also discussed the threat of the Democrats’ socialist agenda and the repercussions excessive spending has on Kentuckians.

“Don’t let the Democrats fool you, nothing is free, and ultimately you will pay the price of their agenda through taxation and inflation,” said Dr. Paul. “Just this year, we spent $3.1 trillion, and now congressional Democrats want to spend anywhere from $1.5 trillion to $5 trillion on free handouts, and yet another massive spending bill that will kill jobs, inflate prices, and raise taxes. Someone has to pay for each of these spending sprees, and rather than following the lead of most local governments who must maintain a balanced budget, the federal government continues to spend more money than it has. As your Senator, I will continue to propose commonsense, fiscally responsible solutions and oppose any and all spending that furthers our supply chain crisis, encourages inflation, and aims to hurt American taxpayers.”

Dr. Paul then answered questions on his recently introduced Tax-Free Education Act, which would provide a 100 percent tax deduction to anyone who pays for college or K-12 tuition and associated expenses.

“Financing education is already hard enough, and Uncle Sam doesn’t need a cut,” said Dr. Paul. “My plan allows people to pay for college with pre-tax dollars and would be available to anyone who is helping pay for college – grandparents, aunts and uncles, and family friends. This will empower people to pay off school debt and realize the dreams they studied hard to achieve.”

Over the past three days, Dr. Paul has traveled to over 12 eastern Kentucky towns, meeting with Kentuckians, Veterans, and law enforcement officials.