Posted on 06/09/2025 5:34:41 AM PDT by RandFan
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) slammed Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) push for Russian sanctions, calling his bill “self-defeating economic warfare.”
Graham’s sanctions bill on Russia would impose a 500 percent tariff on imports from any country that buys Russian oil, gas, uranium and other products. The legislation has more than 80 co-sponsors in the Senate, potentially making it veto-proof.
But GOP senators are waiting on President Trump to move ahead with the legislation, and Trump said this week he hasn’t even looked at it. Trump has also said he doesn’t want to undermine the chances of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Paul, in a series of posts on X on Saturday, said the bill would be ineffective and backfire against efforts to achieve peace, as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues in its fourth year.
“The Graham bill would derail President Trump’s efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Self-defeating economic warfare is no way to achieve peace,” Paul said on X.
“This bill won’t force China or India to change behavior, but it will impose an effective embargo on ourselves that will hurt American families,” he said.
Paul also argued that the bill could hurt U.S. allies and raise gas prices.
“The Graham bill could raise tariffs on allies like Israel and Taiwan to 500 percent and potentially even higher. Why are we punishing our friends while pretending it’ll hold Russia accountable? This isn’t strategy—it’s economic self-sabotage,” he wrote.
“Cutting off Russian oil takes a major source of supply off the market, resulting in higher gas prices. Analysts warned that a U.S. ban on Russian oil could cause prices to hit $160–$200 a barrel. That’s $5+ gas at the pump,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Linda Graham caused this war. He is culpable…and should be treated as a war criminal
Sean Hannity STILL gives this war-mongering nut, Lindsey Graham, a forum.
Why?
HOORAY Rand!
I didn’t realize it’s veto proof
Jesus ... 80 SPONSORS
Uniparty in action. It’s frightening.
Here’s a question: Are we better off with both of them in the Senate or are we tired of them both? More MAGA replacements would lead to more one party rule and we can all acknowledge it’s bad-even for the right.
Think Ilan Omar. Disgusting but those people are out there for all to see-it’s healthy.
Rand’s much better off going after Graham than attacking MAGA tariffs and deportations!
80 economically illiterate Zeeper Senators ….led by our new Minister of War Linda Graham…
not what we thought we voted for
It’s likely to backfire big time.
Countries might retaliate against the US.
Look at what happened with Trump, China and retaliatory tariffs.
And what does Rand think will get Putin to end his war, capitulation and surrender by Ukraine?
We should be sanctioning the regimes and NGOs who have been fomenting coups in the former USSR republics bordering Russia.
Hope to see in my lifetime term limits for congress and the senate these lifers just keep dragging things around and get little done except gain wealth from deals.
I asked about this the other day. I specifically saw a quote, not transcribed, an actual snippet of video of President Trump saying that the legislation for sanctions was written as empowering himself.
The way he described it is the legislation empowers him to impose these sanctions. And he elaborated saying that that was the way it was written. That it provided him the power to impose the sanctions.
His phrasing suggested that the sanctions do not take place without his choice. Beyond the issue of veto and override.
That would be how you could get 80 co-sponsors. If it is written like that. And there is also the question of how many of those 80 disappear if Trump announces veto and thus labels anyone who tries to override it as betraying him.
You can get 80 pretty easily because of all the Democrats, but if it’s a question of overriding a veto you could easily lose 13 of those among the Republicans and that would be the end of Graham’s sanctions, not that they could be effective anyway simply because China and India have no other place to go to get oil in those magnitudes.
Look At Me.
The Rand Paul autobiography.
Genuine. Why is this word anathema to policians?
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