Editing Ron Paul (section)

=== Tenure ===

;Legislation
{{Main|List of legislation sponsored by Ron Paul}}

Of the 620 bills that Paul had sponsored through December 2011, over a period of more than 22 years in Congress, only one had been signed into law—a lifetime success rate of less than 0.3%.<ref name=WPHR2121>{{cite news |last=Fahrenthold |first=David A. |title=Ron Paul's House Record Marked by Bold Strokes, and Futility |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ron-pauls-house-record-stands-out-for-its-futility-and-tenacity/2011/12/23/gIQA5ioVJP_story.html |access-date=January 30, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 26, 2011 |url-access=limited}}</ref> The sole measure authored by Paul that was ultimately enacted allowed for a federal customhouse to be sold to a local historic preservation society (H.R. 2121 in 2009).<ref name=WPHR2121/>

[[File: Ron Paul, official Congressional photo portrait, 2007 (1).jpg |thumb|left|2007 congressional portrait]]

By amending other legislation, he helped prohibit funding for [[national identification numbers]], funding for federal teacher certification,<ref name=drno/> [[International Criminal Court]] jurisdiction over the U.S. military, American participation with any U.N. [[Tobin tax|global tax]], and surveillance of peaceful [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] activities by citizens.<ref>{{cite news |title=Paul says Americans' freedoms under siege |url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6277_Page2.html |author=Bresnahan, John |work=[[Politico]] |date=October 10, 2007 |access-date=October 10, 2007}}</ref>

In November 1997, Paul was one of eighteen Republicans in the House to co-sponsor [[1997 impeachment resolution by Bob Barr|a resolution]] by [[Bob Barr]] that sought to launch an [[Impeachment inquiry in the United States|impeachment inquiry]] against President [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="pace1">{{cite news |last1=Pace |first1=David |title=17 in House seek probe to impeach president |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/498562556 |via=Newspapers.com |newspaper=The Record |agency=The Associated Press |access-date=4 March 2021 |language=en |date=6 Nov 1997 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="hutcheson"/> The resolution did not specify any charges or allegations.<ref name="hutcheson">{{cite news |last1=Hutcheson |first1=Ron |title=Some House Republicans can't wait for elections |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/197738955 |via=Newspapers.com |newspaper=Asheville Citizen-Times |agency=Knight-Rider Newspapers |language=en |url-access=subscription |date=17 Nov 1997}}</ref> This was an early effort to [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeach]] Clinton, predating the eruption of the [[Clinton–Lewinsky scandal]]. The eruption of that scandal would ultimately lead to a more serious effort to impeach Clinton in 1998.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Barkham |first1=Patrick |title=Clinton impeachment timeline |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1998/nov/18/clinton.usa |website=The Guardian |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=18 November 1998}}</ref> On October 8, 1998, Paul voted in favor of legislation that was passed to open [[Impeachment inquiry against Bill Clinton|an impeachment inquiry]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 498 Roll Call 498, Bill Number: H. Res. 581, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998498 |website=clerk.house.gov |publisher=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=1 March 2021 |language=en |date=8 October 1998}}</ref> [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|On December 19, 1998]], Paul voted in favor of all four proposed [[articles of impeachment]] against Clinton (only two of which received the needed majority of votes to be adopted).<ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 546 Roll Call 546, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998546 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=19 December 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 545 Roll Call 545, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998545 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=19 December 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Roll Call 544 Roll Call 544, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998544 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=19 December 1998}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Washington |first1=U. S. Capitol Room H154 |last2=p:225-7000 |first2=DC 20515-6601 |title=Roll Call 543 Roll Call 543, Bill Number: H. Res. 611, 105th Congress, 2nd Session |url=https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/1998543 |website=Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives |access-date=6 March 2021 |language=en |date=19 December 1998}}</ref> Two days prior, on December 16, Paul had stated that he would vote to impeach based on Clinton's military attacks in the Middle East, namely the [[1998 bombing of Iraq]] and [[Operation Infinite Reach]], and not necessarily the Lewinsky scandal, which he described as far less serious than the "unconstitutionality of presidents waging wars".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?116695-1/situation-iraq-impeachment |title=Situation in Iraq and Impeachment &#124; C-SPAN.org |website=www.c-span.org}}</ref>

;Affiliations
Paul was honorary chairman of, and is a member of the [[Republican Liberty Caucus]], a political action committee that describes its goal as electing "liberty-minded, limited-government individuals".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rlc.org/?p=FAQ |title=Frequently Asked Questions |year=2002 |access-date=March 17, 2007 |publisher=[[Republican Liberty Caucus]]}}</ref> He is an initiating member of the [[Congressional Rural Caucus]], which deals with agricultural and rural issues, and the 140-member [[Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.refugenet.org/New-issues/refugecaucus.html |title=The Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus |publisher=[[National Wildlife Refuge]] Association |date=January 15, 2008 |access-date=February 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228110238/http://www.refugenet.org/New-issues/refugecaucus.html <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=December 28, 2007}}</ref>