Senator Paul talks Iranian peace deal, border security funding

As the citizenry waits anxiously to see if the peace deal reached between the United States and Iran will hold, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky says work continues in Washington D.C.

Speaking with WHOP News Tuesday morning, Senator Paul says he is encouraged by what he has seen of the memorandum of understanding between the two nations—calling it a good first step, he says there’s still work to be done.

He’s hopeful that with the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, it means gas prices will start to fall, but he warns that it could take some time before people really start to notice a difference at the pump.

While they wait to see how the peace deal shakes out, Senator Paul says they continue to work on getting legislation passed at the federal level, including recent passage of a bill that fully funds the Department of Homeland Security. That legislation had been hemmed up for some time, as both parties argued funding for Immigrant Customs and Enforcement and Border Patrol at the southern border.

Paul says that his bill to get those things funded passed with a lot of opposition, but by implementing budget reconciliation, they were able to get it passed.

Reconciliation is a fast-tracking congressional procedure that allows the Senate to pass legislation with a simple majority instead of the 60 votes typically required. As for a Farm Bill, the senator says he’s still waiting for one to make it to the Senate, as he intends to implement legislation that would protect the hemp industry in Kentucky, as it currently is in jeopardy of being ended due to federal regulations.

Many farmers are anxiously waiting to see what a Farm Bill will contain, as it contains many vital pieces of legislation, including crop insurance, H2A migrant worker programs, fertilizer measures and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, best known as SNAP benefits.