Politics

What Rand Paul plans to say in his State of the Union rebuttal

Alex Pappas Political Reporter
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Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will make the case for limited government in his rebuttal to President Obama’s State of the Union on Tuesday evening.

In excerpts from his prepared speech provided first to The Daily Caller, the libertarian-leaning Republican is expected to say, “Government spending doesn’t work. It doesn’t create jobs. Only the democracy of the marketplace can find those capable of creating jobs.”

“The ticket to the middle class is not higher taxes on the very businesses that must create the jobs,” Paul will say.

Paul is also expected to say: “I believe in an America with a strong safety net, but one that doesn’t suffocate our resolve to better ourselves and our country.”

Conservatives will have several people delivering responses to President Obama’s annual address. Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is delivering the official Republican response, while Utah Sen. Mike Lee is delivering one on behalf of the tea party.

Paul — a potential candidate for president in 2016 who delivered the tea party response in 2013 — has decided to give his own speech.

He has been working on his remarks over the last week, sources told TheDC. Paul’s speech is expected to last about 10 minutes. The Kentucky senator is filming the response Tuesday evening. His office plans to upload the video of the response after President Obama delivers his address.

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