'National debt greatest threat to national security': Rand Paul questions billions spent on Iran war

Republican Senator Rand Paul, on Monday, reiterated his position on the Trump administration's decision to launch a military operation against Iran and stressed that the greatest threat the U.S. faces today is its national debt. In an interview with Andrew Napolitano, Paul said that a contingent of "conservative free market libertarian leaning members" who held a voice in the House and Senate have "all been neutered," as he stressed the need to address the country's increasing debt.

"Our debt IS our national crisis. No foreign army threatens America like our own reckless spending does. Washington refuses to say it. I will," Paul had written in a post on X. When asked by Napolitano about the statement, Paul said, "Well the thing is that the current war makes it worse. We're spending about 1-2 million dollars a day," and added that this, coupled with additional burdens to ensure farmer security could see the American government would borrow $100-$200 billion "on top of about two trillion dollars that we're already borrowing."

Sharing a video of his conversation with Napolitano on X, Paul wrote, "Our national debt is the greatest threat to our national security. The Iran war costs $1-2 billion a day. Farmers need billions to offset tariff losses. Storm damage needs billions more. None of it is paid for. All of it is borrowed. And Washington just keeps spending." Since the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, Paul has voiced his disagreement with the decision, saying that the Trump administration should prioritize bringing down the national debt. 

In an earlier post, Paul wrote that "codifying DOGE cuts, reintroducing my Penny Plan (6% cuts/year to balance in 5 years), and fighting to lower the debt ceiling" are real solutions to tackle the debt crisis. "Over the last 5 months, the US has borrowed $1 TRILLION—that’s $50 billion every week. Our debt crisis is accelerating out of control," he wrote. Paul's 'Six Penny Plan', a federal budget resolution, aims to balance on-budget outlays and revenues within five years by cutting six cents off every dollar projected to be spent over the next five fiscal years. In a press release announcing the introduction of the bill, Paul claimed that the U.S is currently staring down its third-highest deficit ever recorded, citing the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Senator’s office stated that at over $37 trillion, the federal debt is now roughly double the total of every bank deposit in the U.S.