Senator Rand Paul stood his ground today and blocked the $40 billion in aid to Ukraine from quickly passing the House.
This was even after he was urged not to block it from both Schumer and McConnell.
Here’s the full speech from Paul on this below:
Or a few shorter clips if you prefer:
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) explains his rationale for blocking $40 billion Ukraine military aid package:
“My oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation … We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy.” pic.twitter.com/0DmaXIxSbJ
— The Recount (@therecount) May 12, 2022
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) calls $40 billion military aid package to Ukraine “a gift” and blocks it from passing. pic.twitter.com/Lxfez8LApb
— The Recount (@therecount) May 12, 2022
Here’s more on Paul blocking the aid bill from Bloomberg:
The Senate was forced to postpone final passage of a $40 billion Ukraine aid package after Senator Rand Paul refused to allow the vote unless language he demanded was added.
The Senate, where work can be slowed by objections from one senator, is now expected to vote on the legislation and send it to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature next week.
Paul, a Kentucky Republican, ignored a plea from both Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a fellow Kentuckian, to allow the chamber to vote on the bill this week.
Schumer said Paul was declaring “my way or the highway” by refusing to give consent to move rapidly to a vote without his provision, which would give the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction oversight powers over Ukraine assistance.
Schumer and McConnell proposed that Paul’s provision get a vote as an amendment to the bill, but it would likely have failed.
Paul said Ukraine will have received about $60 billion from the US since last year, an amount that exceeds the budget for the U.S. State Department and a level that could further stoke soaring inflation.
“Inflation doesn’t come out of nowhere,” he said on the Senate floor. “It comes out of deficit spending.”
The US House on Tuesday approved the legislation on a 368-57 vote, and it has broad bipartisan support in the Senate as well. The total is significantly larger than the $33 billion assistance package Biden requested last month.
Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who is a member of McConnell’s leadership team, said the Senate would clear the package early next week.
The bill includes $19.7 billion for the Defense Department, more than $3 billion more than the administration’s request. This includes the $6 billion in direct security assistance to Ukraine that Biden sought last month and $9.05 billion to replenish weapons stocks sent to Ukraine from the Pentagon. The package would provide $4 billion in foreign military financing for countries affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to help them purchase weapons.
The bill also includes $8.8 billion in direct economic support for Ukraine along with funds to repair the US Embassy in Kyiv, document war crimes and protect against nuclear fuel leaks.
In addition, the measure would provide $4.35 billion for global food and humanitarian aid to be administered by the US Agency for International Development and another $700 million in global food funding at the State Department. The inclusion of the funds was made despite some concerns from Republicans that the global food crisis should not be addressed in the bill.
Looks like it’s far more than just an aid package for Ukraine. But it will ultimately pass the Senate, just like it passed the House. It will only have to wait a few more days now.