Sen. Rand Paul Votes Against Filibuster Break

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has diverged from his Republican colleagues, being the sole GOP member to oppose the procedural vote aimed at overcoming the filibuster concerning the government’s reopening deal.

Paul’s reasoning for his “no” vote hinged on his desire to push for amendments to the hemp bill. The proposed legislation seeks to curb the unregulated sale of psychoactive cannabis products in places like gas stations and smaller shops while still allowing the sale of non-intoxicating CBD products in other hemp-related contexts.

Now, if the Senate managed to gather 60 votes last night to break the filibuster, and only requires 51 votes to advance the bill, why is Paul stepping in the way?

The government is slipping deeper into a shutdown crisis without a clear resolution in sight.

The recent vote addressed the possibility of breaking the filibuster to proceed with the September spending bill that the House had initially approved. It had taken a long time to get there.

In a side note, here’s where things get tangled.

With the filibuster successfully broken, the Senate can now engage in 30 hours of debate on the bill, unless Paul changes his position. This scenario implies that a small procedural vote could indeed finalize the bill by Tuesday morning.

Yet this all hinges on securing an agreement with Paul or, interestingly, with other Democratic senators to hasten the process.

But it doesn’t stop there. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has signaled his intentions—there’s talk of proposing what he calls an “alternative” amendment. Essentially, this would involve stripping the current text from the House and replacing it with a new spending package.

However, due to regulations, Thune can’t officially file to break the filibuster against this new amendment until Tuesday, as cloture petitions take a day to mature. This situation further complicates matters, meaning the Senate won’t be able to vote on breaking the filibuster for any alternative legislation until, at the earliest, Thursday. That could extend all the way to Friday.

The likelihood of a government shutdown grows as Democrats block Trump’s support extension for the second time.

So, if the Senate decides to adopt the new text on Friday, Thune would need to reintroduce the underlying bill, wait a day, and then vote to break the filibuster on Sunday—still requiring those 60 votes.

This scenario indicates that any newly amended spending bill might not make it through until Monday, consequently delaying the House’s involvement until Tuesday or even Wednesday.

Consequently, we could be looking at a prolonged government shutdown.

However, this situation is likely to change. It’s all about following the rules.

Still, it could benefit Thune to strike a deal with Paul to expedite matters. Without cooperation, both Paul and dissenting Democrats could significantly hinder progress and prolong the shutdown.