--- title: Sen. Rand Paul Offers Amendment to Boost Defense Spending description: Sen. Rand Paul has proposed adding $76.5 billion to the military budget, a stunning reversal from his 2011 proposal to cut defense. canonical: https://time.com/3759378/rand-paul-defense-spending/ author: Alex Rogers article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-26T06:14:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:42:23.276Z article:section: Politics og:title: Rand Paul Now Wants to Boost Defense Spending og:description: It's a stunning reversal from his suggested cuts in 2011. og:url: https://time.com/3759378/rand-paul-defense-spending/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte55499704b1483d4/69877d83e53aba04884d7645/rand-paul-vaccine.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4928 og:image:height: 2772 og:image:alt: Sen. Rand Paul Vaccine og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Rand Paul Now Wants to Boost Defense Spending twitter:description: It's a stunning reversal from his suggested cuts in 2011. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte55499704b1483d4/69877d83e53aba04884d7645/rand-paul-vaccine.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Rand Paul Proposes Boosting Defense Spending > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: A Year in Space: The Mission [Watch (HLS stream): A Year in Space: The Mission](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gEqrnCPI.m3u8) (3:59)  _Published 2015-03-24. On March 28, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly begins a historic year in Space. Time follows Kelly and his twin brother, Mark, as they work the test the boundaries of long-term space travel._ by [Alex Rogers](https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/) and [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) Mar 26, 2015 6:14 AM UTC  Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a news conference on Jan. 27, 2015. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during a news conference on Jan. 27, 2015. Bill Clark—CQ-Roll Call,Inc./Getty Images by [Alex Rogers](https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/) and [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) Mar 26, 2015 6:14 AM UTC Just weeks before announcing his 2016 presidential bid, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is completing an about-face on a longstanding pledge to curb the growth in defense spending. In an olive branch to defense hawks hell-bent on curtailing his White House ambitions, the libertarian Senator introduced a budget amendment late Wednesday calling for a nearly $190 billion infusion to the defense budget over the next two years—a roughly 16 percent increase. Paul’s amendment brings him in line with his likely presidential primary rivals, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who introduced a measure calling for nearly the same level of increases just days ago. The amendment was first noticed by TIME and later confirmed by Paul’s office. The move completes a stunning reversal for Paul, who in May 2011, after just five months in office, released his own budget that would have eliminated four agencies—Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Energy and Education—while slashing the Pentagon, a sacred cow for many Republicans. Under Paul’s [original proposal](http://www.scribd.com/doc/55912438/Senator-Rand-Paul-5-Year-Balanced-Budget#page=14), defense spending would have dropped from $553 billion in the 2011 fiscal year to $542 billion in 2016\. War funding would have plummeted from $159 billion to zero. He called it the “draw-down and restructuring of the Department of Defense.” But under Paul’s new plan, the Pentagon will see its budget authority swell by $76.5 billion to $696,776,000,000 in fiscal year 2016. The boost would be offset by a two-year combined $212 billion cut to funding for aid to foreign governments, climate change research and crippling reductions in to the budgets of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Commerce and Education. Paul’s endorsement of increased defense spending represents a change in direction for the first-term lawmaker, who [rose to prominence](http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/17/paul-both-sides-need-to-give-in/#more-154881) with his critiques of the size of the defense budget and foreign aid, drawing charges of [advocating isolationism](http://time.com/3268581/rand-paul-i-am-not-an-isolationist/). Under pressure from fellow lawmakers and well-heeled donors, Paul in recent months has appeared to embrace the hawkish rhetoric that has defined the GOP in recent decades. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February Paul [warned](http://time.com/3726508/cpac-isis-republican-foreign-policy/) of the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS). “Without question, we must now defend ourselves and American interests,” he said. Asked about federal spending, he added, “for me, the priority is always national defense.” ### Photos: On the Road with Rand Paul  Senator Rand Paul talks to voters at the Horry County Republican Party in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul talks with students at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul's boots are seen as he talks with students at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul bows his head in prayer before talking to voters at the Horry County Republican Party in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on Sept. 30th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul and GOP Senatorial candidate Thom Tillis meet with diners at Big Ed's restaurant in Raleigh, N.C. on Oct. 1st, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul attends a BBQ event at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  In a back tent, Senator Paul manages to have five minutes alone to go over his speech at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell attend a BBQ event at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  Senator Rand Paul speaks at a BBQ event at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12th, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME  The BBQ event's band at the Donnelly Barn in Bowling Green, Ky. on Oct. 12, 2014. Charles Ommanney for TIME The amendment was filed on the same day as House Republicans overwhelmingly supported a plan to alter their budget to give billions more to the Pentagon. It’s not the first time that Paul has adjusted his position on a foreign policy matter to find greater appeal within his own party. Early in his Senate career, Paul advocated for the elimination of all aid to foreign governments, including Israel, but after criticism has since backtracked on that proposal. Paul’s change-of-heart on the budget highlights the importance of the funding document to many likely presidential candidates. In addition to the increased defense spending, Rubio provided a roadmap to his all-but-certain presidential campaign, introducing over 25 amendments stating his desire to deliver weapons to Ukraine, create education tax credits, strengthen pro-life legislation, weaken collective bargaining agreements and ensure Medicare wouldn’t be “raided” by Obamacare. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is considering a presidential run, pointed to Rubio’s measure to increase defense spending as an example of how budget votes will impact the 2016 race. “That’s a great amendment,” says Graham, one of the Senate’s preeminent foreign policy hawks. “I think if you voted against Marco’s amendment you’d be probably on the outside of most people in the primary.” Outside of Congress, other GOP presidential candidates have used the budget process to insulate themselves from tough political questions. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has relied on his outsider status to avoid commenting on everything from immigration to the gas tax. In New Hampshire earlier this month, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush dodged a question on securing the border by pointing toward dysfunction in Washington. “I think that Congress needs to pass a budget and put conservative priorities on the table,” he said at a house party. “And in that budget there are ways that you could show the opposition to the use of executive orders, and so I hope they do that, and I hope they fully fund the department of homeland security…because how else are we going to secure the border. This is the only way that we can do it.” “I think we need to increase spending on defense and homeland security,” Bush added. _Read next:_ [_Why Rand Paul is Attacking Ted Cruz_](http://time.com/3756166/why-rand-paul-is-attacking-ted-cruz/?iid=time%5Freadnext) [_Listen to the most important stories of the day._](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/?sl%5Fautoplay=true&xid=spl-fullbrief-article) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3759378/rand-paul-defense-spending/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3759378/rand-paul-defense-spending/"},"headline":"Rand Paul Proposes Boosting Defense Spending","datePublished":"2015-03-26T06:14:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:42:23.276Z","description":"His amendment would add $76.5 billion to the defense budget","url":"https://time.com/3759378/rand-paul-defense-spending/","keywords":["Rand Paul","Military","2016 Election","Budget","National Security"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte55499704b1483d4/69877d83e53aba04884d7645/rand-paul-vaccine.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Rogers","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte55499704b1483d4/69877d83e53aba04884d7645/rand-paul-vaccine.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sen. 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