WASHINGTON (TND) — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has withheld the Senate from obtaining the unanimous consent it needs to quickly pass a package for additional relief money to Ukraine amid its ongoing war effort against Russia.
The only time you have leverage is when you hold them up from something they want to do,” Paul said, according to Roll Call.
The latest $40 billion legislation would push American spending on aid to Ukraine to around $54 billion, adding to the total since the clash with Russia began in February.
That amount is roughly $6 billion more than the U.S. spent on federal assistance around the world in 2019, and around $3 billion more than what was spent in 2020.
Paul wants language inserted into the bill that would give power to a special inspector general to scrutinize the new spending.
Paul’s hindrance is angering critics who argue the funding needs to be passed before the previously appropriated funds from the last aid package run out. The White House says the package needs to be approved by late next week to meet that deadline, according to Roll Call.
Senate leaders Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., stood together Thursday as they attempted to move the legislation forward.
They're only asking for the resources they need to defend themselves against this deranged invasion,” McConnell said of the Ukrainians, according to CBS News. “And they need this help right now.
It's clear from the junior senator from Kentucky's remarks, he doesn't want to aid Ukraine,” said Schumer. “All he will accomplish with his actions here today is to delay that aid, not to stop it.
Paul rejected a proposal from both leaders to hold an amendment vote on his proposed language, subject to a 60-vote threshold, according to reports. Now, up to 30-hours of debate and a handful of more votes must take place in order for the relief package to pass.
There's a simple way to solve this. We should vote on Sen. Paul's amendment and then we should pass the supplemental, and we should do it today,” McConnell said.
Objecting to that notion, Paul said he wanted his amendment put into the bill without a separate vote on it. There is a separate Ukraine spending oversight bill from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., and Paul likely feared his fellow Republican senators would use the passage of Kennedy’s measure as a reason to oppose his measure, according to Roll Call.