WASHINGTON (CBS DC) – Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is touting several foreign policy issues as he now says he is “very strongly” looking at a run for president in 2016.
Paul spoke with the “Howie Carr Show” on Wednesday about his prospective plan to run simultaneously for re-election to his U.S. Senate seat – a move he said he will make –while also seeking the office of the president in a 2016 campaign he is “very strongly” considering. The libertarian-leaning Kentucky Republican touted his “reasonable” stance on several foreign policy issues in the past week, many of which have drawn criticism from more interventionist GOP lawmakers.
Paul stated the importance of “having someone that occupies the position that is for a reasonable foreign policy, a strong national defense, but not an overreaching foreign policy that involves us everywhere, someone who believes in free trade and not an isolationist sort of policy towards trade. I think someone who believes in free markets and balanced budgets, I think all of that will occupy a unique space that’ll be different than others should we choose to do it.”
Paul reiterated several stances and criticisms he has regarding current U.S. foreign policy, specifically calling out wasted spending abroad and his opposition to President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration.
He said the Wednesday terrorist attacks in Paris illustrate that “civilized Islam has to stamp this barbarity,” and that Muslim countries in the Middle East should be sending more troops to fight ISIS and other terrorist groups instead of the U.S. Paul said the U.S. should “withhold money to these crazy countries if they’re going to not be supportive of us and if they’re going to be indiscriminately arming crazy radical Islam.”
Paul introduced legislation on Wednesday that aims to block U.S. funding to the Palestinian Authority unless its leaders withdraw their request to join the International Criminal Court. The “Defend Israel by Defunding Palestinian Foreign Aid Act of 2015” calls for an immediate stoppage to U.S. aid following Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ request to join the ICC on Dec. 31.
“Certainly groups that threaten Israel cannot be allies of the U.S. I will continue to do everything in my power to make sure this President and this Congress stop treating Israel’s enemies as American allies,” Paul said in a press release.
“It is up to the new Republican-led Congress to move on its own so that the President does not once again circumvent clear funding restrictions. We are currently sending roughly $400 million of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority.”
Paul addressed his ongoing debate with fellow Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., arguing that the benefits of “intertwining” economies far outweigh the evils of Communism that have only been cemented by decades of trade embargo.
