Defiant US Senator Rand Paul stymies effort to pass $40 billion Ukraine aid bill

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget in Washington, U.S., on April 26, 2022. Al Drago/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) – Top Democrats and Republicans in the US Senate joined forces on Thursday in a rare moment of unity in a bid to approve $40 billion in aid for Ukraine, only to be blocked by a single Republican legislator: Senator Rand Paul.

Faced with the prospect of a prolonged delay for the package that passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, sought to advance the aid package only to be blocked. by Paul, a veteran fiscal hawk who opposes the proposed amount of spending.

The impasse delayed approval of the measure until next week.

The Senate has scheduled an initial procedural vote on the bill for Monday afternoon. It was not clear whether such a vote would speed up the approval of aid to Ukraine. Alternatively, approval could come in the middle of next week if any senator wants to force through a series of legislative steps before a final vote.

When the Ukraine aid bill got caught in the procedural gears of the Senate, Schumer pleaded for quick action: “The package is ready, the vast majority of senators on both sides of the aisle want it.”

“If Senator Paul persists in his reckless demands… all he will accomplish is single-handedly delaying the aid Ukraine desperately needs.”

But Paul was not moved.

The delay until next week could cause problems for Western nations trying to bolster Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The Biden administration has said that by May 19 it hopes to exhaust funds available under an authority that allows the president to authorize arms transfers without congressional approval in response to an emergency.

Paul demands that the law be changed to require an inspector general to oversee spending in Ukraine. Without his consent, the Senate must follow a lengthy process stipulated by the chamber’s arcane rules.

In a regular display of legislative theater, Schumer was joined by his political rival, McConnell, who also addressed the urgency of the situation.

“Ukraine is not asking us to fight this war. They only ask for the resources they need to defend themselves against this mad invasion. And they need this help right now,” said McConnell, who is Paul’s fellow senator from Kentucky.

The House passed Ukraine’s spending bill 368 to 57, with only Republicans voting against it.

President Joe Biden had asked Congress to approve an additional $33 billion in aid for Ukraine. But lawmakers decided to increase military and humanitarian funding.

On Thursday, Schumer and McConnell offered Paul an amendment vote on their proposal that would have required the support of 60 of 100 senators to pass.

But Paul rejected the offer and demanded that the Senate adopt his amendment before voting on the aid package.

“This is the second spending bill for Ukraine in two months. And this bill is three times bigger than the first one,” Paul said before formally blocking the aid package. “Congress just wants to keep spending and spending.”

Reporting by David Morgan, additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Moira Warburton, and Eric Beech; Edited by Scott Malone and Grant McCool

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