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Paul Gives Back Operating Funds

By Devin Katayama

Louisville, KY – Sen. Rand Paul is giving back $500,000 dollars of operational funds to the U.S. Treasury. Paul says he's fulfilling a campaign promise to downsize government.

Paul says he's considered everything from coffee pots to computers and says over a one year budget, he's been able to cut costs about 15 percent.

"We've done a lot of things that I have not necessarily won the battle for. This is the one thing I have control over and that's my office budget and I wanted to show the people of Kentucky that I have been frugal with their money and that I wanted to bring it back and I'm very happy to have these taxpayers here to receive some o their own money back."

Paul plans to continue giving money back to taxpayers over his six-year term. He says while the savings may shrink over the years as staff earns raises, he hopes to return over $1 million dollars.

Paul criticized lawmakers who spend all of the $3 million they're appropriated for operational budgets and says if Congress began offering incentives to lawmakers to cut costs the amount of money saved could be significant.