Republican Senator Rand Paul gave remarks on tariffs and Medicaid cuts during an event in Richmond Friday.
Paul says he’s in favor of cuts to Medicaid included in the Big, Beautiful bill recently passed by Congress. Paul voted against the spending bill as a whole because of concerns it would add to the national deficit.
He told community members at a Richmond Chamber of Commerce event he’s in favor of work requirements included in the bill that he says would motivate people to find jobs.
“I think that we have more people on Medicaid now than we can afford to have, and our goal should be to have less. It isn't that we want people not to have insurance,” Paul said. “I think we need to try to convert people from Medicaid to jobs that have insurance.”
Opponents say reporting work hours has shown to be confusing for Medicaid enrollees, and that they cause more people to lose coverage. Rural hospitals across Kentucky are also at risk of closing or cutting services because of the cuts.
Paul also said he disagrees with Trump’s stance on tariffs. He says it’s important to have open commerce with allies.
The administration has tried to raise taxes on imports from countries like China, Mexico and others, though many have since been delayed. Trump recently said he plans to raise taxes on goods from Canada to 35%.
“I think we're going the wrong direction, and it's a mistake,” Paul said. “And I talk about the benefits of trade because I think people need to know that trade is proportional to prosperity. We get richer when we trade because trade is an element of capitalism.”
He also declined to endorse a candidate in the Republican primary race for fellow Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell’s seat. McConnell will retire in 2026.
