US lawmaker saves colleague from choking
Senator Rand Paul used the Heimlich maneuver on fellow Republican Joni Ernst at a luncheon
US Senator Rand Paul may have saved Senator Joni Ernst’s life on Thursday, performing the Heimlich maneuver when she began choking on a piece of food at a lunch meeting in Washington.
The incident occurred during a luncheon for Republican senators hosted by Ernest and Chuck Grassley, both Republicans from Iowa. Paul, an eye surgeon from Kentucky who was elected to the Senate in 2010, came to Ernest’s rescue after he began choking.
The Heimlich technique involves reaching behind the choking person with both hands and pulling the base of the diaphragm to dislodge the object by forcing air through the throat.
Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, called Paul a hero.
“Not all heroes wear capes.” He told me on X (formerly Twitter). “Not all senators can quote Mises and Hayek while saving lives.” He added, referring to two famous Austrian economists.
Ernst joked about the incident by taking a jab at Democrats.
“I can’t help but choke on the woke politics that Democrats are forcing down our throats. Thank you Dr. Rand Paul! I wrote on X.
the “Iowa Day” The luncheon was sponsored at least in part by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. a picture The one published by Grassley showed Grassley and Ernest carrying plates of food, a ham for him and a ham sandwich for his colleague.
Ernst, 53, retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard after being elected to the Senate in 2014.
Paul has been a source of controversy in the Senate for his libertarian policies, including fighting against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, trying to block the extension of the Patriot Act, and opposing funding for military aid to Ukraine.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a war hawk who has repeatedly clashed with Paul, thanked him for saving a colleague on Thursday.
“It’s a good thing he did.” Graham said. “God bless Rand Paul. “I never thought I’d say that.”
