Text: Senator Rand Paul on “Confronting the Nation with Margaret Brennan”, September 28, 2025

Below is a copy of the interview with Senator Rand Paul, the Republican in Kentucky, which was broadcast on “Facing the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on September 28, 2025.

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Margaret Brennan: We want to go to the Chairman of the Internal Security Committee, Senator Rand Ball, who joins us from Bolling Green, Kentucky. Good morning to you, Senator.

Sen. Rand Paul: Good morning. Thanks for hosting me.

Margaret Brennan: Well, I want to start with this news that I just heard, that the president is mainly expected to close and possibly implement these collective workers. Do you think all this is just a threat to make Democrats a good?

Sen. Paul: Well, I think both sides should look at the spending proposals and decide, as you know, what is the best way to move forward in the country. The Republican proposal adds about $ 2 trillion of debt next year, so it will be 2 trillion dollars. So I oppose the Republican plan because it adds debts. The democratic plan will add $ 3 trillion of debt. In fact, both plans are loaded with deficit spending, and I think this is the biggest problem that our country faces. So I have already suggested an alternative. I have proposed a bases plan, which would reduce a little in all fields, and my plan is balanced for about five years, and we got a mine vote last week, supported by 36 Republicans, 16 did not do and there is no democratic. So my plan did not pass either, but the plan I would like to support will be a plan that reduces spending and reduces spending on deficit.

Margaret Brennan: Well, we have this direct deadline, despite this week, and we know that the leaders will go to the White House. If we end up in this closure. Do you think it is appropriate and illegal to the executive authority to carry out a kind of group shooting that the budget manager put in that memo last week?

Sen. Paul: As you know, there were several cases that were now decided throughout the way to the Supreme Court, and it seems that the president has won each of them for his ability to employ and release within the executive branch. And I think this is understandable, because in the executive branch if the president cannot shoot it, then who can? Thus I think the president has wonderful

Margaret Brennan: -Without consultant Congress?

Sen. Paul: The executive branch staff- to employ and shoot in the executive authority? I think it has a great amount of space. The court has supported this matter over and over, so I think they will do, even when Congress knows, Democrats are trying to protect this agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Council, and they say, well, funding will come from the Federal Reserve. You will not get a vote on funding, and the appointed person can not be expelled. Well, he shot this person in 2020, and the courts supported that in 2021, in the Supreme Court, since then, every case he won. As you know, I criticize the parts on the footsteps of the Republicans and Democrats. Trump has criticized things, but the only thing is employment and release. I think he will win every case.

Margaret Brennan: I want to ask you about your role in internal security. You are the head of this supervisory committee. The president announced yesterday, and I am sure that you saw his post on social media, and that he would send forces to Portland, Oregon. It was called the city of “wiping”. He said he would also send forces to any immigration facilities throughout the country, which, in the words of, “under the siege of the attack by Antifa, and other local terrorists.” End Quote. He said it allows full power if necessary. Do you know what the full power means here? Do you know what is in the store?

Sen. Paul: I think he has the legal authority to send forces to protect federal buildings and federal procedures such as the courts, which have been present since the era of civil rights. We have decided that the federal government will sometimes come despite what the states say. I think it is better for countries to agree to that. For example, I mean, in Chicago Chicago is a nightmare. It is literally a war zone, people who suffer from harm, and the worst are the poor and live in these societies. I went to the most dangerous area in Chicago, which is just despair and sadness and these young young people grow up without families –

(The mutual conversation begins)

Margaret Brennan: But you have not been briefed on Oregon’s plans?

Sen. Paul: There are no restaurants, no drugs- excuse?

Margaret Brennan: But you have not been briefed on plans to send forces to Oregon?

Sen. Paul: Not for Portland, no.

(The mutual ends)

Margaret Brennan: Well, because we have not yet seen forces in Chicago, although you indicate the former president’s threats to do so. In the state of Oregon, the ruler said there is no need, and they do not want these forces, but the mayor said the mayor of Portland, the arrival of the federal agents alongside some armored vehicles. Are you comfortable to push the borders of some of these uses either for potential forces or federal agents?

Sen. Paul: I think that both people in Portland and through America should decide this. As you know, we had a chaos in Portland for six months or a year. The city has not even controlled large areas of the city. These federal buildings were on them, so I think there is a role for the federal government. Am I excited about that? No, I prefer not to have forces in our cities, or prefer only to come, as you know, with the acceptance of local authorities. But I think there is a role if the states do not go up. Portland did not ascend, and they allowed their city to leave, as you know, they allowed it to combustion for good, and then allowed the entire area to become the city, as you know, these blocs of chaos as there was a kind of local thugs- was happening. So I don’t know, I think in the end what will happen. I think some of this is the president who shows the policies of Republicans versus Democrats in the end, cities such as Chicago and Portland will abandon the Democrats because their people die. It is their people in their society. People were supporting the Democratic Party for a decade. They die. People in the rich neighborhoods are the Republicans of the rural club, the poor in every city die. Well, you know that cities should go up to this.

Margaret Brennan: Well, I ask about your supervision role, because it seemed to be the president’s statement yesterday, it took it. It was not how he talked about Chicago. In fact, when he was talking about a social media publication about Portland, he used the language here about local terrorists. We know just a few days ago, the president issued this executive, saying that he wants to announce that this anti -fascist group, Antifa, is a local terrorist organization. Have you seen evidence that these activists in the left wing have now become a more organized group of national leadership, which was said by the FBI in the past, that they are really more than ideology?

Sen. Paul: I think you are losing the description as activists as soon as you start using weapons, and appear with helmets while breaking the windows. This was apparently happening in Portland, in the ice building. However, I think it is important when people begin to talk about describing people, to realize everyone, the worst between us, and even those accused of heinous crimes, they will get due legal procedures. Therefore, we cannot single a group and say, oh, they will not obtain legal procedures because we invite them to the terrorists. So I will be careful of stickers, but I am absolutely to pursue people who use clubs, sticks, fighting with the police and try to enter federal buildings. They must be punished, and they will be.

Margaret Brennan: Do you have concerns about setting groups with these anti -government feelings as local terrorist groups? I mean, do you start worrying about violations of the fourth amendment?

Sen. Paul: I do not know that it is useful to reach groups, especially since Antifa, there are some real people in Antifa, they are real violent people, but it is an uncomfortable group, meaning that I do not think they have a president, they do not have a local separation. It is more ideology. It was useful, perhaps all over the world, to name terrorism. But there are different rules of engagement. When we have to pursue a terrorist in the Middle East, we send- we send a hell or drone, often. In the United States, it is difficult to be a police. I have a lot of respect for our police because you are right. They have to respect the fourth amendment and the first amendment, so we have to be careful in stickers, but this does not mean that we must rise in Antifa and these people who commit violence.

Margaret Brennan: Well, Senator Rand Paul, thank you for your time this morning, will return to “confront the nation” in one minute. Stay with us.