Rand Paul Threatens to Block Senate Funding Bill Over Ukraine Aid

Senator Rand Paul threatens to hold up Senate funding bill over $6B+ for Ukraine aid
Paul says he'll only allow vote on 'clean' bill without Ukraine funding to avoid shutdown
Neither Schumer nor McConnell willing to pull Ukraine money from funding bill
Senate leaders tell senators to expect votes through Sunday to pass funding measure
Funding bill would keep government operating until November 17

thehill.com

Relevant topic timeline:

9/6/2023

Mitch McConnell says there’s ‘no excuse’ not to support more Ukraine aid

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged lawmakers to continue supporting Ukraine and criticized President Biden for not being decisive enough in response to Russian aggression, emphasizing the importance of aiding Ukraine in weakening Russia without military conflict. McConnell's stance contrasts with some Republicans who have called for reducing aid to Ukraine. The Biden administration has requested roughly $40 billion in supplemental funding, with about half of it allocated for Ukraine. McConnell stated that lawmakers will have the opportunity to vote on this aid when considering a short-term spending deal.

9/18/2023

Senate Democrats Seek to Suspend Rules to Advance Stalled Spending Bill After Objection from Sen. Johnson

Senate Democrats are seeking to suspend the Senate's rules in order to advance a government funding bill that was stalled by Senator Ron Johnson's objection.

9/20/2023

Rand Paul Threatens to Delay Ukraine Aid, Putting Government Funding at Risk

Conservative Sen. Rand Paul has announced that he will oppose any funding bill to keep the government open past Sept. 30 if it includes funding for the war in Ukraine.

9/26/2023

Congress Faces Government Shutdown as Far-Right GOP Threatens Funding Bill Over Ukraine Aid

Leaders in the United States Senate have reached a bipartisan agreement on a stopgap measure to prevent a government shutdown, which would provide short-term funding for the government and allocate $6 billion for Ukraine to defend against a Russian invasion, but the deal may face challenges in the House of Representatives from far-right Republicans.

9/30/2023

House Passes Stopgap Funding Bill, Averting Shutdown Despite Conservative Opposition

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a stopgap funding bill, which maintains current spending levels for 45 days, includes $16 billion in disaster relief, but excludes Ukraine aid and border policy changes, and the bill has been sent to the Senate for a vote.

10/1/2023

Haley Pushes for Ukraine Aid and Spending Cuts in Stopgap Bill, Clashing With McCarthy's Border Focus

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized Congress for not including Ukraine aid in their stopgap measure, calling for spending cuts and arguing that funding for Ukraine is necessary to prevent war and counter the influence of Russia and China.

Topics

Posted 9/28/2023, 10:23:00 PM