Rand Paul: ‘I Have No Power To Stop Any Legislation’

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Speaking to students at Howard University in Washington, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) defended his obstruction to a bill that would have granted the District of Columbia local autonomy over its own budget without Congressional oversight.

“I have no power to stop any legislation,” Paul said, according to a rush transcript. “I’m in the minority and I put on amendments that they didn’t want to vote on. But my intention was to get some votes on some amendments.”

Paul, a proponent of small government, tacked on a series of amendments to the District of Columbia Budget Autonomy Act of 2012 that would have changed the city’s laws on guns, abortion and labor unions. Unable to reach a final deal with the junior senator from Kentucky, Democrats pulled the bill.

While Paul claimed he ultimately didn’t weild such power to stop legislation singlehandedly, he made news earlier this year when he filibustered the nomination of John Brennan as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Paul, who was later joined by Democrats and Republicans, ultimately blocked the nomination for nearly 13 continuous hours.

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