Politics

Fresh off a trip to Israel, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul says his mission was to prove he is an ally of the Middle Eastern nation.

Many pro-Israel groups have been wary of the senator, because of his calls to reduce foreign aid. Paul’s father, Ron Paul, the former U.S. representative and Republican presidential candidate, also had a frosty relationship with pro-Israel groups.

But the senator said he learned a lot from his trip and worked to solidify his relationships with the U.S. ally.

“My going over there was to cement that, not to rub salt in the wound and say, 'Oh I’m not going to give anymore money to Israel," Paul said. "Really it’s always been about foreign aid that we can’t continue to borrow from China to send anywhere really."

Paul said a bankrupt America is less of an ally to Israel. The Bowling Green Republican says it would be better for everyone if Congress slightly reduced foreign aid payments.

Kentucky's senior U.S. Senator believes there is opportunity for bipartisan agreement concerning American troop levels in Afghanistan.

The Courier-Journal reports McConnell made the remarks after returning home from a congressional trip to Afghanistan and Israel.

The Kentucky Republican believes between 10,000-15,000 U.S. troops would be needed to continue training Afghan troops and combat terrorism after next year's American drawdown.

Tennessee Rep. Joe Carr is proposing a state law to make it a crime in Tennessee for federal agents to enforce any effort to ban firearms or ammunition.

The Murfreesboro Republican said that measure would also require the state's attorney general to defend any Tennessean prosecuted for violating the potential federal gun violations.

The move comes after President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled the most sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence in two decades a month after the Connecticut school shooting that left six teachers and 20 students dead.

The president called for universal background checks and bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Kentucky second district Republican Congressman Brett Guthrie says he thinks preventing other tragedies like the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut can best be accomplished by focusing on mental health issues. The Bowling Green Republican favors that approach instead of what he calls "infringing on the Constitutional rights of law abiding citizens."

Guthrie's House Committee on Education and the Workforce will be looking into school safety and he says he plans to get input from Kentucky education officials.

Third District Congressman John Yarmuth, on the other hand, says he fully supports all of President Obama's proposals to end gun violence. The only Democrat in Kentucky's Congressional delegation is co-sponsoring a bill to ban high capacity gun magazines that hold more than ten rounds of ammunition.