Senator Rand Paul is set to take over as chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee in January, a role he says he specifically chose to help Congress reclaim its critical oversight responsibilities.
In an exclusive interview with The Post, Paul, a Kentucky Republican, shared his commitment to transparency and accountability, particularly when it comes to uncovering the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For the health of our republic, Congress must reassert its constitutional role,” Paul stated, emphasizing the importance of the committee’s work in oversight and investigations. He believes we are at the “beginning of uncovering what happened with COVID,” and that his new leadership position will help drive this initiative forward.
Paul, who has spent years seeking answers about government research funding related to the virus’s origins, is optimistic about achieving greater transparency with the anticipated support of a more aligned administration come January.
A prominent goal on Paul’s agenda is to limit high-risk research, particularly gain-of-function studies that some experts believe may have played a role in creating COVID-19. He aims to push forward the Risky Research Review Act, a bill designed to slow down potentially dangerous scientific research.
Beyond COVID-related oversight, Paul has voiced concerns about censorship. Recalling his own experiences with social media restrictions — such as when he was censored on YouTube for questioning the effectiveness of cloth masks and when Twitter suppressed The Post‘s report on Hunter Biden’s laptop before the 2020 election — Paul called for greater freedom for Americans to discuss these topics without government or Big Tech intervention. “The idea that the government would preemptively be telling people not to publish things is horrendous,” he remarked.
Border security is also high on Paul’s list. He supports President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to deporting convicted criminals who are in the country illegally and is advocating for the reinstatement of the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait for case outcomes south of the border.
Questioning current policies, Paul asked, “Why, if you’re illegally coming across a river in a boat or walking, are you not just deposited back on the other side? You’re breaking the law.”
Looking ahead, Paul’s main objective is to promote transparency within the government, especially in areas that have historically resisted scrutiny.
“We’re just scratching the surface,” he noted, hinting at the potential insights that could emerge from accessing classified documents in the coming years. For Paul, the goal is to reveal what’s hidden, ensuring that Americans have access to the truth.