Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is throwing down the gauntlet, telling the Senate to either strip out billions to Ukraine from the stopgap bill or face a government shutdown.

(Video Credit: Fox News)

Paul made his threat on Thursday concerning $6.1 billion in funding that is being pushed for Ukraine in an obscene effort to allegedly foot the bill not only for their military, but for their pensions, seeds, farming, clothing, businesses, and a myriad of other things that we don’t even pay for here at home.

“To avoid a government shutdown, I will consent to an expedited vote on a clean CR without Ukraine aid on it. If leadership insists on funding another country’s government at the expense of our own government, all blame rests with their intransigence,” Paul wrote on X.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are evidently digging in their heels and are refusing to pull the outrageous funding for Ukraine.

“I’m comfortable with the way we put together the Senate bill. It basically is trying to do just a continuation until Nov. 17. This crafted package is the result of a lot of discussion. I think it makes sense for the Senate. I also think it makes sense for the country,” McConnell told reporters on Wednesday according to The Hill.

To avoid a government shutdown, I will consent to an expedited vote on a clean CR without Ukraine aid on it. If leadership insists on funding another country’s government at the expense of our own government, all blame rests with their intransigence.

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 28, 2023

McConnell and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is the senior Republican on the Appropriations Committee, are lobbying hard to pass the bill.

“Anticipating Paul’s objections to speeding up the floor debate, leaders have told rank-and-file senators to expect to vote through Sunday to get the temporary funding measure through the Senate. It would fund the government until Nov. 17,” The Hill reported.

“I will use every tool I can to prevent it from easily passing. We don’t have any extra money. We borrowed $1 trillion in the last three months. We basically borrow the money from China to send it to Ukraine. It’s not making us stronger, it’s making us weaker,” Paul asserted, according to The Hill.

Paul rejected the possibility that he would cave if he got a vote on an amendment or some other concession that wouldn’t necessarily affect the funding for Ukraine.

“No, they need to take the Ukraine money off of this. It’s insulting to Americans and those who work in our government that we’re going to fund the Ukrainian government — if there’s a shutdown, they will continue to pay Ukrainian government workers while our workers go unpaid,” he contended.

The look on their faces when they learned Ukrainian government workers would be paid during a shutdown, but not American government workers. Priceless? No, pathetic. pic.twitter.com/CScXdqFHtK

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 27, 2023

Paul is not budging and he is not alone among Republicans in the Senate and the House. It’s looking more and more like there will be a government shutdown which many conservatives support at this point.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Republicans that he won’t bring a Senate-passed funding bill to the House floor for a vote according to The Hill.

Paul told Fox News host Laura Ingraham several days ago, “A significant chunk is nonmilitary. A bunch of it’s going to government salaries. I also read that it is going to government pensions and you’re right, to add insult to injury if there’s a shutdown, U.S. government workers will not be paid but, Ukrainian workers will be paid by the U.S. taxpayer.”

(Video Credit: The Hill)

“There’s nothing in the Constitution that allows for spending like this to another country. The spending clause in our Constitution says that Congress could spend according to its enumerated powers, the powers given by the Constitution for the general welfare. So it is illegal for the U.S. government, if they want to give $100 billion to my state of Kentucky they can’t do it. That would violate the general welfare clause,” he continued.

“What do you think it violates to send it to another country? Our framers never imagined in their worst nightmare that we would send that much money overseas but it violates every part of the Constitution and I will do everything to stop them sending anymore,” Paul vowed.

He also appeared on “Sunday Morning Futures” with host Maria Bartiromo and replied to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) concerning the funding, “Somebody needs to remind the senator that we don’t have any money. We’re about $1.5 trillion in debt for this year. Over the last three months, we’ve accumulated almost a trillion dollars in three months. The total is $33 trillion. So we don’t have like an extra rainy-day fund or surplus we can send them.”

(Video Credit: Fox Business)

“We have to borrow the money from China to send it to Ukraine. So no matter what your sympathies are in the war, and I’m sympathetic to Ukraine fighting off the Russian aggressors,” Paul added.

“But at the same time, I think it’s irresponsible to think about their country before I think about my country. We have government funding that needs to happen before September 30. And for them to hold that hostage and to say we will close down — you know, we’re going to close down government unless you pass Ukrainian funding,” he said.

It makes no sense to continue the status quo. It’s bad policy to borrow money from China to send to Ukraine. It’s bad policy to bankrupt our own country to send money to Ukraine. Like I said last week, I will not consent to easy passage of any spending bill that includes funding…

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 26, 2023

“We don’t have money. So I don’t think it’s a good idea for our country to continue borrowing,” he stated. “We’ve given them over — I think it’s about $113 billion. There’s another $24 billion. But you’ve got to read between the lines, they’ll tell you it will tell it will last them about two to three months and they’ll be back again.”

“Every two to three months they’re over here. You know, he’ll be here again today begging for more money. It’s not even just going to armament,” Paul remarked. “You realize we are funding the pension of their government workers. And we complain about bloated government here. They’ve got bloated government and they’ve got corruption. And the American taxpayer, people who are struggling in our country are asked to fund it.”

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