Eric Holder and Rand Paul team up on drug sentencing

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

Attorney General Eric Holder and Republicans are finding rare common ground on putting an end to mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. The New York Times reports that Holder has met with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is backing a bill that would overhaul sentencing guidelines, and other Republicans who want to see the laws changed to save money. According to Holder, the Justice Department spends one-third of its budget on operating prisons. Paul predicts his bill will pass the Senate with strong support from his side of the aisle.