WASHINGTON (JTA) — Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky, is the latest lawmaker to get in the way of $1 billion in new assistance to Israel to replenish its Iron Dome anti-missile system.
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Paul on Thursday revealed himself to be the single senator refusing to “hotline” the bill now that it has been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives. “Hotlining” is when all 100 senators agree to allow a bill to go straight to the floor for a vote, substantially accelerating the process.
Paul is one of the most outspoken opponents of foreign assistance, and for a period a number of years ago proposed eliminating assistance to Israel. Now, a spokesperson for Paul told Politico that Paul will drop his objection to the Iron Dome hotlining if the $1 billion comes from proposed assistance to Afghanistan.
Paul’s stand is the latest wrinkle in a funding request that has roiled Congress. Progressives last week squelched a plan by the Democratic leadership in the House to slip the money into an unrelated emergency stopgap government funding bill, saying the last-minute inclusion undercut congressional conventions.
Instead, the Democratic leadership advanced the funding in a standalone bill, which the House approved after a brief debate. The standalone bill passed overwhelmingly, including among progressives in the Democratic caucus.
Israel asked for the $1 billion, which is in addition to $500 million the Iron Dome gets each year, to replenish supplies after Israel’s Gaza conflict in May.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Twitter urged Paul to “stand with our ally Israel.”
“Blocking emergency funding to ensure Israel can protect its citizens from terrorist rockets rewards Hamas and undermines America’s interests & values,” the lobby said.
What they dont realize is, in my opinion, is, do you really think if Israel does not have an iron dome system, they’ll allow to be bombarded with rockets? They’ll just go hard and flatten the gaza strip with one MOAB which is far cheaper than funding the iron dome… I wonder if then will the progressives refuse funding to rebuild gaza… Its kind of a hypothetical, but think in to it..
Aipac is so weak since they’re a job mills for patronage hacks like met council on poverty
As someone who has personally discussed foreign aid (in general AND for Israel with Sen Paul and his staff from the hour he was 1st sworn as in as senator in 2011, this ‘parliamentary trick’ is commonly done by all senators and he is not ill-intentioned on this. He is VERY supportive of the Iron Dome. In fact, after he visited Israel for the 1st time in 2013, he proposed Iron Dome batteries for the US Atlantic coast. What he is opposed to is farting away tax$$$ to countries that hate the US. AIPAC knows that quite well.
stand strong Rand against the Dems of Aipac.
When any one of the four powerless congresswomen known as the squad say anything anti Isreal, Vinland explodes with childish insults about DemocRATS all hate Jews and other such uneducated nonsense.
Here a GOP Senator actually does something to hurt Isreal and we get twisted reasoning to explain why he is right or why it doesn’t matter.
The GOP can spit on Isreal and Jews, yet some of you will them for making it rain, and besides, you were going to shower for shabbos anyway so they gave you time to learn instead.
He is a silly man. He is even sillier than his father.
Why cannot Israel make its own offensive weapons?
The United States should not be cutting them deals.
Paul is correct. Don’t spend more. We need to be fiscally responsible. Cut Muslim funding.