The U.S. Senate was hoping to quickly pass nearly $40 billion in Ukraine aid before leaving town for the week. But Kentucky Senator Sen. Rand Paul has thwarted the bipartisan effort by singlehandedly blocking the legislation because he wants to insert new language into the text of the bill.
According to The Hill, Paul objected to a deal offered by both Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that would have set up votes on Thursday afternoon on the funding and on an amendment from Paul, who blocked the votes because he wants his language inserted into the text of the bill instead of having to take his chance with an amendment vote.
“I think they’re going to have to go through the long way,” Paul told The Hill.
Schumer and McConnell then appeared on the Senate floor to try to set up votes on the Ukraine aid. Under the Senate’s rules any one senator can try to quickly set up a vote or pass a bill, but it only takes one senator to object.
“There is now only one thing holding us back, the junior senator from Kentucky is preventing swift passage of Ukraine aid because he wants to add, at the last minute, his own changes directly into the bill … He is not even asking for an amendment. He is simply saying my way or the highway,” Schumer said, according to the publication.
“I’m offering to hold a vote on his amendment, even though I disagree with it. Let the chamber speak its will. Let both sides of the aisle have input and for heaven’s sake, let Ukraine funding get done ASAP,” Schumer added.
Meanwhile, McConnell had signaled that he wanted to get the Ukraine package passed on Thursday. He added that while he understood that Paul wanted to change the bill that the “simple way to solve this” was to have a vote on Paul’s amendment and then a vote on the Ukraine aid, as Schumer offered.
“Ukraine is not asking us to fight this war. They’re only asking for the resources they need to defend themselves against this deranged invasion, and they need help right now,” McConnell said.
Read it at The Hill.
