Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has decided to depart the conservative Senate Republican Steering Committee.
The conservative Republican told Semafor that his views on issues like tariffs, the party’s plan for the federal budget, and raising the debt ceiling are at odds with those of his colleagues on the committee.
“Let’s just say, like the tariffs, we put it on pause,” Paul said of his involvement with the panel.
The Kentucky senator said his decision to withdraw is part of a larger push to refocus his time and energy outside of the Beltway.
“I just need more time talking with the public, traveling to meet with the public,” he told the outlet. “The things that I’m for are maybe more popular outside of Washington than inside of Washington. So I think I’m going to direct my view outwards for the next couple years.”
Earlier this month, Paul spoke out against President Donald Trump’s decision to impose massive reciprocal tariffs on the United States’ global trading partners, calling them “a tax.”
“On tariffs, I think it’s just economically — it’s a fallacy to think that it’ll help the country,” Paul told The Hill’s “Rising” at the time. “Tariffs are a tax, and if you tax trade or if you tax anything, you’ll get less of it.
“We know by looking at the history of the last — at least 70 years or so in this country, that as international trade has increased, so has the prosperity of our country,” he added.
Paul was also part of a group of Republican senators that met with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Chair Elon Musk in March to put the tech mogul on notice that cuts to federal spending would have to go through them.
"To make it real, to make it go beyond the moment of the day, it needs to come back in the form of a rescission package," Paul said then, pointing to the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to reject the Trump administration's efforts to freeze billions in foreign aid.
"I love all the stuff they're doing, but we got to vote on it,” he said. “My message to Elon was, 'Let's get over the impoundment idea and let's send it back as a rescission package.' Then, what we have to do is get to 51 senators or 50 senators" to vote "to cut the spending. We talked a lot about, how do we make these things permanent? Rescission was a big part of the discussion."
Newsmax has reached out to Paul's office for comment,
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