Republican Sen. Rand Paul has objected to a Senate vote on the Ukraine aid package, which means the House will not approve the document this week.
This was reported by The Washington Post.
Senator Paul single-handedly blocked the speedy passage of the bill, as Senate rules require the unanimous consent of all senators to proceed to the final vote. Because of his opposition, the Senate must go through all the usual procedures. However, the remaining 99 senators did not object to the speedy passage of the bill.
Rand Paul demanded that the text of the bill include a provision on the appointment of an inspector general to control the expenditure of funds provided to Ukraine. Such an amendment would require a re-vote in the House of Representatives.
Leaders of both factions of the Senate tried to persuade the senator, but he refused to make concessions. Thus, the Senate will consider the bill next week according to the usual procedure.
This is not the first time Rand Paul has acted in russia's interests. In 2017, during the discussion of the bill on Montenegro's accession to NATO, Rand Paul voted against it, thus blocking the bill. In response, Senator John McCain said he was working for Putin.
In January 2022, Rand Paul voted against the draft Nordic Stream 2 sanctions as a means of preventing the russian invasion of Ukraine.
As stated earlier, on May 11, the US House of Representatives supported a bill that would provide Ukraine with an additional $39.8 billion in aid. 368 deputies of the lower house of Congress voted in favor, 57 against. The approved aid is seven billion more than requested by the Joe Biden administration. Democrat congressmen proposed to increase the amount.
In a statement Monday, President Biden said the need for additional assistance to Ukraine was urgent, as previously approved funding was almost depleted. “I urge Congress to immediately pass the Ukrainian bill on additional funding and pass it on to my table within the next few days”, he said.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also called for an immediate vote on the aid package.