Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul showed up to the Senate floor Friday with colorful props to call out wasteful tax spending on research at federal agencies like the National Science Foundation.
Paul spoke for 32 minutes against the Endless Frontier Act, a bipartisan bill that would expand funding for science and technology research, Fox News reported. Proponents of the bill say that it will help the U.S. compete with China, but Paul pointed to the $28 trillion national debt as a reason to cut down on what he called wasteful spending.
“I don’t think this bill makes us stronger,” Paul said. “In fact, I think the Chinese sit back … and laugh at America thinking we’re going to be stronger by borrowing more money from China.” (RELATED: REPORT: Biden To Propose $6 Trillion Budget That Would Break Debt Records)
“So I just don’t think it makes us any stronger at all,” he added. “I think it makes us weaker. It would be one thing if it weren’t being so horribly wasted.”
Paul’s props were poster boards highlighting expensive government-funded projects, like $357,000 used for studying “Cocaine and Risky Sex Habits of Quail” and $1.6 million for research covering “Lizards on a Treadmill,” Fox News reported. Another sign featured a picture of singer Dolly Parton and reminded lawmakers that the government spent $357,000 to send “kids in Pakistan to Space Camp and Dollywood.”
NIH Spent over $800,000 to study whether Japanese Quails are more Sexually promiscuous on cocaine. I think we could have simply polled the audience….and of course found they are… pic.twitter.com/lZYlRbyuun
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) May 25, 2021
Paul said that wasteful spending happens “because we never vote for less money. It’s always more.” (RELATED: Here’s How To Avoid A Debt Disaster In The Next Decade)
“Somebody’s got to point out that the waste and abuse of money goes on,” he added.
