Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul defied leaders of both parties Thursday and delayed until next week Senate approval of an additional $40 billion to help Ukraine and its allies withstand Russia’s three-month old invasion.
With the Senate poised to debate and vote on the package of military and economic aid, Paul denied leaders the unanimous agreement they needed to proceed. The bipartisan measure, backed by President Joe Biden, underscores U.S. determination to reinforce its support for Ukraine’s outnumbered forces.
The legislation has been approved overwhelmingly by the House and has strong bipartisan support in the Senate. Final passage is not in doubt.
Even so, Paul’s objection was a departure from the overwhelming sentiment in Congress in favor of quickly helping Ukraine, as it fights to withstand Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion and tries to discourage him from escalating the war.
It was also a rebellion against his fellow Kentucky Republican, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who on Thursday had called on “both sides” to “help us pass this urgent funding bill today.”
Paul, a libertarian who often opposes U.S. intervention abroad, said he wanted language inserted into the bill, without a vote, that would have an inspector general scrutinize the new spending. He has a long history of demanding last-minute changes by holding up or threatening to delay bills on the brink of passage, including measures dealing with lynching, sanctioning Russia, preventing a federal shutdown, the defense budget, government surveillance and providing health care to the Sept. 11 attack first responders.
Democrats and McConnell opposed Paul’s push and offered to have a vote on his language. Paul was likely to lose that vote and rejected the offer.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked by CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe about Paul’s insistence on the inclusion of an inspector general — and whether the Biden administration would establish some kind of watchdog entity to track the spending.
“I would say that we agree oversight is critical,” Psaki replied. “That’s why the package already includes millions of dollars to support additional oversight measures, including additional funding for existing inspectors general and we encourage all senators to promptly pass the bill as it stands, we feel what’s in there sufficient.”
Paul, who unsuccessfully sought his party’s 2016 presidential nomination, argued that the added spending was more than the U.S. spends on many domestic programs, was comparable to Russia’s entire defense budget and would deepen federal deficits and worsen inflation. Last year’s budget deficit was almost $2.8 trillion but is likely headed downward, and the bill’s spending is less than 0.2% of the size of the U.S. economy, suggesting its impact on inflation would be negligible.
“No matter how sympathetic the cause, my oath of office is to the national security of the United States of America,” Paul said. “We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy.”
Democrats said they were objecting to Paul’s plan because it would expand the powers of an existing inspector general whose current purview is limited to…
Read More News: Rand Paul stalls Senate passage of $40 billion in Ukraine aid
