It was supposed to be a polite Valentine’s Day breakfast in Tulsa. Instead, it turned into a political brawl that has conservatives buzzing nationwide.
At the McGrath Breakfast Group gathering, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) didn’t mince words when confronted by voters about federal spending and an amendment pushed by his colleague, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). According to veteran Oklahoma political reporter David Arnett’s Substack profile, Mullin dismantled the narrative that he had backed funding for illegal immigrants and then took a flamethrower to Paul’s maneuvering.
“The question is why did I vote to give illegals more money? I didn’t,” Mullin told the crowd. “The president made it very clear he wanted appropriation bills passed. If any amendment passes, it kills the whole bill. Rand Paul’s amendment sounds good, right? The problem is Rand knew that if that bill passed, it would kill the other eleven appropriation bills, which would throw us into the shutdown.”
In other words, Mullin painted Paul’s amendment as political theater — a move that might excite libertarian purists but would detonate the entire funding package and risk a government shutdown. And it didn’t stop there.
“Rand doesn’t ever vote with [Republicans] when it comes to appropriation bills,” Mullin continued. “I had to vote against it because if that would have passed, not only would it have killed the bill, but it would also have killed the farm bill which is tied to social programs. If you change the ratio (about 70/30) you must redo the entire farm bill.”
For conservatives in farm country, that’s no small matter. The farm bill is a delicate political balancing act, often pairing agricultural support with nutrition programs. According to Mullin, upsetting that balance would mean reopening the entire legislative fight.
Then came the haymaker.
“What Rand was trying to do was trying to kill the farm bill because he’s trying to legalize hemp for drinks in Kentucky because of tobacco industry shifts. There is always a backstory,” Mullin said.
And just when listeners thought it couldn’t get more heated, Mullin went nuclear: “I respect Bernie Sanders because he’s an open socialist, and you know that he’s a communist so you know what you’re getting. Rand Paul’s a freaking snake. And I understand completely why his neighbor did what he did. And I told him that to his face. It stirred people up like Cheryl (Mullin’s wife), who don’t know the backstory. And then that night Rand sends out a fundraising letter on it. It’s a gimmick.”
That blunt remark references the infamous 2017 altercation between Paul and a neighbor at his Kentucky home — a dispute reportedly sparked by yard work near a property line that escalated into a physical attack. Paul suffered multiple broken ribs and later battled pneumonia as a result. The neighbor ultimately served 30 days in jail and was ordered to pay $582,834.82 in damages after a civil suit.
Paul has long styled himself as the Senate’s fiscal hawk and libertarian watchdog, frequently bucking GOP leadership on spending bills, foreign aid, and debt ceiling fights. His brand appeals to voters wary of Washington excess. But critics within his own party argue that grandstanding amendments can jeopardize broader conservative wins.
