LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said America's debt is the biggest threat to national security.

Paul called the current debt, which stands just above $34 trillion, an "extraordinarily bad" situation. So he reintroduced his "Audit the Fed" bill as his first piece of legislation in 2024.

The bill aims to prevent the Federal Reserve from concealing vital information on its operations from Congress. 

"They create the inflation we live with," Paul said in an interview Thursday with WDRB News. "And it's not necessarily their fault. ... Primarily, Congress is the one that spends the money we don't have ... and then the Federal Reserve mops it up and tries to take care of the deficit. But they work hand in glove, and I think we need to know more about it."

Paul said he will continue to be a loud voice in Congress to reduce debt and stop the government over-spending.

He also continues negotiations in Congress to strike a deal on immigration reform and funding for Ukraine and Israel. Paul said far too many people are entering the U.S. illegally, and he wants to open more pathways for legal immigration, through visas, for people who are willing to work.

Paul said Thursday he wants to open more pathways for legal immigration.

But there's still a lot of work to be done, he said.

"Republicans are using the leverage of withholding the Ukraine money until they get something on the border, and that's what the negotiations are going on," Paul said Thursday. "I'm not going to be easily persuaded because I think it's a mistake to send any more money to Ukraine."

Lawmakers in Washington are under pressure to broker a deal to fund the government and avoid a government shut down.

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