US Senator Rand Paul has warned that passage of an emergency funding bill that includes $60 billion for Ukraine aid won’t be a quick and smooth process because he won’t allow his colleagues to avoid a serious debate about prioritizing Kiev’s security over America’s border crisis.
“I think we should stay here as long as it takes,” the Kentucky Republican told CNN on Friday. “If it takes a week or a month, I’ll force them to stay here to discuss why they think the border of Ukraine is more important than the US border.”
Paul’s comments came one day after the aid bill moved a key step toward approval in the Senate by clearing a so-called cloture vote, meaning it can no longer be stalled through a filibuster. However, Paul and other opponents can slow the legislation’s advance toward a final vote by introducing amendments and demanding that they be debated. The bill can only be sped to a vote without further debate if all 100 senators agree to a fast-track procedure.