On Thursday, the Senate’s top Democrats and Republicans joined together in a rare show of bipartisanship to try to pass $40 billion in aid for Ukraine, only to be thwarted by a single Republican lawmaker: Kentucky libertarian Rand Paul.
Faced with the prospect of an extended delay for the package that passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and his Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell attempted to move forward on the aid package, only to be blocked by Paul, a fiscal hawk who objects to the proposed spending levels.
The impasse has pushed the bill’s approval till next week.
A procedural vote on the bill has been set for late Monday afternoon in the Senate.
It was unclear whether that vote would expedite the Ukraine aid package. If any senator wishes to compel a series of legislative procedures before a final vote, passage may happen in the middle of next week.
“The package is ready to move, the great majority of senators on both sides of the aisle want it,” Schumer said as the Ukraine assistance bill became stuck in the Senate’s procedural gears.
“If Senator Paul persists in his rash demands, all he will do is to single-handedly postpone vitally needed Ukraine help,” he continued.
Paul, on the other hand, was unmoved.
The postponement until next week may present issues for western countries attempting to support Ukraine in its struggle against Russia.
According to the Biden administration, available money under a provision that authorises the president to order the transfer of weapons without legislative permission in response to an emergency will be depleted by May 19th.
Paul wants the law changed to necessitate the appointment of an inspector general to supervise Ukraine expenditure. Without his consent, the Senate will have to go through a long procedure outlined in the chamber’s complex rules.
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky chimed in, stating, “Ukraine is not asking us to fight this war.” They’re merely asking for the resources they’ll need to fight back against this irrational invasion. And they require assistance right now.”
Only Republicans voted against the Ukraine spending package, which passed the House 368 to 57.
Joe Biden had requested an extra $33 billion in help for Ukraine from Congress. However, lawmakers chose to boost military and humanitarian aid spending.
“This is Ukraine’s second spending law in two months. Before publicly opposing the assistance package, Paul added, “And this measure is three times larger than the first.” “All Congress wants to do is keep spending, spending, spending.”
The assistance package had originally included additional funding to combat Covid-19 in the United States, but the two issues were separated after Republicans objected.
Meanwhile, Ashish Jha, the White House Covid-19 coordinator, issued a stark warning that the United States would become increasingly vulnerable to the coronavirus this autumn and winter unless Congress approves extra funds for more vaccinations and treatments.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Jha claimed that Americans’ immunological protection against the virus was weakening, that the virus was changing to become more infectious, and that most individuals would need booster injections, with the possibility of improved protection from a new generation of vaccinations.
