Sen. Rand Paul talks public transportation mask mandate, high gas prices and Keystone Pipeline

HAZARD, Ky. (WYMT) - Kentucky Senator Rand Paul sat down with WYMT to discuss a variety of topics.

As COVID-19 restrictions continue to relax across the country, Sen. Paul wants to take things one step further by ending the federal mask mandate on public transportation.

The senator introduced legislation to repeal the mandate last year. He told WYMT he still believes masks do not work, so he sees no reason to continue mandating people to wear them.

“People need to realize it was never a federal law, it was a mandate by an unelected bureaucrat, who most of us believe does not have the power to make that mandate,” he said.

On the topic of transportation, many of us are now seeing more than $4.00 per gallon for gas. Senator Paul says those prices have increased nearly 10% recently.

“Inflation comes from government spending money they don’t have and borrowing and printing up the money,” he said. “So we are going to get more of this because President Biden and the democrats are insistent on borrowing money and passing it out.”

WYMT’s Dakota Makres asked the senator if the Keystone Pipeline extension could have helped lower prices if the project was completed before it was stopped by the Biden Administration.

“Shutting that down hurts that for energy independence, not building pipelines between Pennsylvania and New England hurts us as far as energy independence,” he said. “Not drilling in Alaska hurts us.”

He will bring ending the mandate to a vote next week.

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