Leaders in the Senate, both Republican and Democratic, are looking to address Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) concerns regarding certain provisions in the government funding deal before they can fast-track a bill to resolve the current government shutdown, which has lasted 41 days.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune noted in a press conference Monday that Paul is essentially the sole “opponent” hindering the expedited consideration of the funding package. Paul’s main issue lies with clauses that restrict the unregulated sale of products derived from cannabis.
Paul argues that he’s acting in defense of Kentucky’s cannabis sector. He maintains that, according to Senate rules, he is within his rights to utilize all procedural time available to evaluate funding efforts with which he disagrees.
“I want to clarify that I am not delaying this bill. Its timing is dictated by Senate procedure,” Paul stated in a post. “However, there are irrelevant components in this package that don’t relate to reopening the government and could negatively impact Kentucky’s cannabis growers and small businesses.”
Paul is specifically aiming to strip language from the bill that funds the USDA, which would restrict the unregulated sale of hemp-based products, including Delta-8, both online and at various retail locations. The funding proposal introduced on Sunday features allocations for military construction, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and other legislative expenses.
A representative for Paul mentioned that while the senator is eager to see the government reopen, he strongly opposes provisions perceived to unjustly target Kentucky’s cannabis industry.
“Sen. Rand Paul is committed to reopening the government promptly but objects to including aspects of the federal aid package that unfairly impact Kentucky’s cannabis sector,” the spokesperson said.
They reiterated that this language was not related to either budgetary or government reopening priorities.
The Senate made significant progress on the funding bill on Sunday night, voting to conclude debate on a motion to advance a House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government.
According to Senate rules, there must be a 30-hour waiting period post-adjournment before a vote can take place, meaning four additional votes will be needed to pass the bill reopening the government and send it over to the House.
Senators will need to vote on ending debate on the amendment and adopting an alternative deal, which was announced Sunday, before they can move on to final voting on the overall proposal.
Speeding up the passage process would necessitate agreement from all 100 senators, a process that could otherwise be drawn out due to Senate procedural rules.
Thune remarked that Paul is the only senator unwilling to expedite the passage of the bill to the House.
“I don’t think extending this is beneficial for anyone,” Thune remarked.
He confirmed that Paul takes issue with certain provisions contained in the Farm Appropriations Bill.
Senate Republican aides indicated that if Paul were to withdraw his objections, the Senate could promptly vote on moving forward with the primary legislative measure.
Paul expressed his desire for a vote on an amendment to remove the cannabis-related clause from the bill, which he has already proposed.
The aide acknowledged that according to Senate rules, there is a formal requirement for senators to engage in 30 full hours of debate post-motion closure on a bill.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who is leading negotiations on the government reopening agreement, remarked that there is no opposition from the Democratic side regarding a swift approval of the funding deal.
“I’m not aware of any Democrats wanting to delay between votes,” he said.
