GOP Sen. Rand Paul questions whether White House has 'enemies list'

GOP Sen. Rand Paul questions whether White House has 'enemies list'
The Hill ^ | 5/10/11 | Kevin Bogardus

Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 3:23:49 PM by markomalley

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) asked Tuesday if the White House had an "enemies list" in light of the National Labor Relations Board's complaint against Boeing for moving some of its operations to South Carolina.

The complaint stems from Boeing's decision to move some of its production line for the Dreamliner jet to the right-to-work state to avoid the work stoppages that have hampered the company in the state of Washington. The labor board contends that the move is retaliation against unionized workers, while Boeing says it is a business decision designed to keep production running smoothly.

Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with several other GOP lawmakers and business lobbyists, Paul implied that President Obama was playing politics, since the complaint could see Boeing move jobs out of South Carolina.

"I have a question for the president. Mr. President, do you have an enemies list? Is this decision based on the fact that South Carolina appears to be a Republican state, has two Republican senators? Is this decision based on the fact that South Carolina is a right-to-work state? Are they on your enemies list?" Paul said.

The freshman senator also mentioned a draft executive order under consideration by the White House that would have government contractors disclose their political contributions.

"Will you now punish contractors who have given money to Republican candidates?" Paul asked.


Paul rattled off several other states, including Kentucky, Alabama and Texas, that he said could fall under the administration's cross-hairs for voting Republican in the last election.

"Are we going to use the whole power and bully nature of government to say that business cannot be located in a state that might happen to vote Republican?" Paul said. "I find this appalling and I respectfully ask the president to immediately rescind this assault on business."