Courtesy of Bryce Sauvie

Senator Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky known for his libertarian politics and opposition to federal overreach, addressed the Yale Political Union on Monday evening, arguing in favor of “Resolved: Cut It to the Bone,” while criticizing tariffs, federal spending and the expansion of executive emergency powers.

Paul, who chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, used much of his speech to trace the historical evolution of trade and taxation in America. He argued that tariffs are economically harmful and politically costly, citing the 1890 McKinley Tariff.

 “You know what happened in 1892? McKinley and a hundred Republicans lost their seats.” Paul said. “Tariffs are bad economically, but they’re also bad politically. I will continue to oppose tariffs because they have the potential of destroying the American economy.”

The packed event, attended by over 450 current and prospective students, served as the YPU’s final debate of the semester and the last under current YPU President Leo Greenberg ’26.

“Senator Paul has made headlines in recent weeks for efforts to codify cuts made by President Trump’s DOGE into law and for being the loudest and proudest Republican voice against President Trump’s tariff measures,” Greenberg said in his opening address.

Paul opened the debate with a wide-ranging speech focused on history and economic theory. Recalling the 19th-century feud between Henry Clay and John Randolph of Roanoke, Paul used the story to illustrate that political conflict is “nothing new,” nor is the debate over taxes. To prove his point, Paul recalled how “Randolph beat a man senseless with his cane” and emphasized how contentious politics have always been.

He also pushed back against contemporary arguments about the U.S. trade deficit with China, calling them “completely meaningless.” Paul argued that Americans voluntarily engage in global trade, which he described as “mutually beneficial.”

“Let’s say a million of you buy an iPhone for $1,500. Do any of you feel ripped off? You voluntarily chose to give money to Apple for a phone over some other product,” he said.

Shifting to constitutional concerns, Paul reiterated his long-standing opposition to presidents’ emergency declarations across Democratic and Republican administrations. 

“Montesquieu wrote that when the executive and the legislative are united in one person, when the powers are united in one person, there can be no liberty,” Paul preached. “This is about being consistent, whether the President is a Republican or a Democrat.”

Paul concluded his remarks by encouraging students to challenge consensus thinking and remain engaged.

After the talk, opposing Rand’s speech, Brock McNeel ’28 argued that slashing federal government functions would dismantle the safety nets essential to American life.

“FDR emphatically proclaimed in his War of Freedom speech that the American experiment was defined by its freedom from want and fear,” McNeel said. “That liberty is only possible when one is free from the tyranny of poverty and the oppression and fear that it brings about.”

He noted that cutting the federal government “to the bone” means cutting SNAP, Medicare, Medicaid and housing assistance programs that protect the most vulnerable populations.

McNeel pointed to specific examples: a farmer relying on federal subsidies, a single mother working two jobs and a young homebuyer in Dallas dependent on down payment assistance.

Mariana Colicchio ’25, arguing in the affirmative, said Paul’s critique resonated with her view that the modern American state has grown too large and framed her position as a defense of individual autonomy.

“The hollow center of political life for many people has been replaced by this almost religious faith in the government and what the government can do for our lives and the types of freedoms that the government can actually impart onto us,” Colicchio said.

Colicchio challenged what she called “a pathological desire to change the intent behind policies in order to justify them,” arguing that reliance on federal intervention has weakened community and individual agency.

After the debate, the resolution was rejected with a 15-48-6 vote. 

Next semester’s Yale Political Union guest speakers will include Martin Luther King III, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Congressman Maxwell Frost.