BREAKING: Rand Paul Saves Fellow Senator’s Life With The Heimlich Maneuver

Things took a dangerous turn during a Senate luncheon on Capitol Hill Thursday. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), a doctor, performed a successful Heimlich maneuver on Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), who reportedly choked on food served for the chamber’s “Iowa Day.”

The news was revealed by Politico’s Congressional Bureau Chief Burgess Everett shortly after the event occurred.

“Whoa: Rand Paul used the Heimlich maneuver on Joni Ernst at Senate lunch today,” Everett wrote to X. “She was choking on some food, per attendees. She’s OK, senators say.”

Whoa: Rand Paul used the Heimlich maneuver on Joni Ernst at Senate lunch today, she was choking on some food, per attendees. She’s OK, senators say

— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) November 30, 2023

Ernst, who is reportedly doing fine thanks to her colleague’s heroic act, took to X to make light of the situation and give her thanks to Senator Paul.

“Can’t help but choke on the woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats. Thanks, Dr. @RandPaul!” an unflappable Ernst posted soon after the scare.

Can’t help but choke on the woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats. Thanks, Dr. @RandPaul! https://t.co/OJDdqpQXjR

— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) November 30, 2023

Paul and Ernst, despite being colleagues, have disagreed on plenty over the years, and have most recently grappled on the topic of aid to Ukraine. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), another frequent opponent of Paul’s limited-government approach, also reacted in a light-hearted fashion.

The Hill reports:

Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) hosted the Thursday luncheon, which is provided weekly by a member and frequently features their home state’s delicacies. Grassley posted about the meal shortly beforehand, which was headlined by pork chops from the Hawkeye State.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has battled frequently with Paul over the years on foreign policy issues, quipped to The Washington Post afterwards “God bless Rand Paul.”

“I never thought I’d say that,” he added.

Paul, the son of the legendary Ron Paul, has earned his reputation of a libertarian rabble-rouser in Washington, unafraid to take on career bureaucrats such as Dr. Anthony Fauci. Most recently, he took the gloves off and went after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a fiery hearing on government censorship, also taking FBI Director Chris Wray to the mat as well.

Opening the dialogue, Sen. Paul asked Secretary Mayorkas pointedly, “Do you consider a discussion on vaccine efficacy a threat to the homeland?”

He followed up, “Have you engaged with social media companies regarding content moderation?… Did these discussions touch on topics like vaccine efficacy, mask effectiveness, or Hunter Biden’s laptop?”

Mayorkas firmly replied, “No, Senator. We haven’t participated in such meetings.”

Similarly, FBI Director Wray was grilled on the agency’s involvement with social media platforms, with Paul pointing towards the Missouri v. Biden case again. Wray, like Mayorkas, reiterated that their discussions centered on “the threat environment that the homeland faced.”