By Norm Singleton
Critics of free market-minded members of Congress often disparage them for blocking “must-pass” pieces of legislation. These detractors argue that liberty-focused lawmakers should not let perfect be the enemy of the good— and that isolated concerns will never be enough to ensure more fiscal conservatism or fend off the regulatory state. This line of reasoning is far from accurate— and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has proven as much time and time again.
For example, critics slammed Sen. Paul for opposing an Obamacare reform proposal that Affordable Care Act architect Jonathan Gruber said would have preserved a majority of the disastrous legislation. Senator Paul’s critics said he should accept it as Congress would never agree to repeal more of it. Now, however, the individual mandate is all but officially repealed—a mammoth win for consumer choice that may never have been possible had Sen. Paul folded.
Most recently, the Kentucky Senator has proven that you can protect the free market and public safety simultaneously. In the 2023-2024 legislative session, a bill was introduced in
Many politicians and public safety leaders, including those on the federal, state, and local levels, endorsed the bill. They said AM radio stations serve as the backbone of these warning systems due to their geographical reach and their ability to remain on-air and accessible to those caught in a disaster—even after other communications platforms (such as the Internet and cell phones) fail.
But while there was overwhelming support for the bill, the original version did not include a sunset provision. Meaning, while AM radio is currently the backbone of our warning systems today, if passed, the legislation would have required it to remain so even if future alternatives that were better became available.
Because the bill both simultaneously disincentivized the development of new technologies — and made AM radio the permanent source for emergency information—Sen. Paul objected when the AM radio bill came before the Senate for passage by unanimous consent. This blocked it from moving forward. Clearly, Sen. Paul was not against the legislation’s aim of protecting public safety—he was just opposed to sacrificing the industry’s market forces.
As famed economist Ludwig von Mises put it in his trademark book Human Action, “The history of mankind is the history of ideas. It is ideas that distinguish men from all other beings. It is ideas that have transformed the zoological specimen man into a being which is able to build an ever-progressing civilization.” By objecting to this bill, Sen. Paul effectively protected the future transformative power of ideas in the public safety arena from a potential government roadblock.
With the vast majority of his colleagues supporting the bill, there was immense pressure on Sen. Paul to vote yes, just as there was during the Obamacare repeal. Bet Sen. Paul held firm — and yet again, his steadfastness resulted in another win against the regulatory state.
In January 2025, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act was re-introduced. Only this time, its sponsors included a sunset provision to ensure that free-market innovation ultimately will decide how best to protect public safety. Yet again, the Senate was forced to listen to the concerns of Kentucky’s junior Senator—and another bill became more free-market focused.
The bill’s increased free-market focus has not caused it to lose any support, either. Rather, it breezed through theSenate Commerce Committee without a hitch recently, and analysts expect it to pass soon.
As Thomas Jefferson said, “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Protecting individual liberty and consumer choice is not always easy —and it certainly does not win many friends in Washington —but it is always worth it.
Kudos to you, Sen. Paul.
Norm Singleton is a Senior Fellow at the Market Institute and the former President of Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty
