US Senator Paul: Anti-Russia Bill Will Impoverish Americans

Republican Senator Rand Paul stated that the proposed bill targeting Russia will not resolve the Ukraine crisis, but instead increase tariffs, thereby impoverishing the American people and violating the US Constitution. In an article written for the Daily Caller, Paul emphasized that the bill will not bring peace to the conflicts in Ukraine, but rather impose additional financial burdens on American citizens.

This bill is written in a way that its authors seem to have no understanding of what it means. This bill will not bring peace to Ukraine; it will increase tariffs on imported products, deliberately making American families even poorer.

Senator Paul pointed out that the bill effectively targets the American people with a tax increase, rather than Russia, and that it openly contradicts the US Constitution.

There is also the 'small' matter of the Constitution. Can Congress delegate its power to impose taxes and duties, as granted in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, to the executive branch? The answer is clear and straightforward: No.

Paul argued that Congress's power to determine taxes cannot be delegated and that transferring this authority to the executive branch would undermine the constitutional order, thus opposing the bill. The US Senate passed the bill, which includes new sanctions and secondary tariffs against Russia, in its final vote before the summer recess.