An objection from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., about a provision in the government funding deal needs to be resolved before the 41-day shutdown’s end can be accelerated, Senate Republican and Democrat leaders said Monday, The Hill reported.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that there is only one “objector” to speeding up Senate consideration of the government funding package, referring to Paul, who wants to get rid of a provision from the package that would prevent the unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based products.
Paul explained on X that “standing up for Kentucky jobs is part of my job.”
He said, “Just to be clear: I am not delaying this bill. The timing is already fixed under Senate procedure.”
“But there is extraneous language in this package that has nothing to do with reopening the government and would harm Kentucky’s hemp farmers and small businesses.”
Paul’s challenge regards language from the bill funding the Agriculture Department that would ban the unregulated sale of intoxicating hemp-based or hemp-derived products from being sold online or at gas stations and corner stores, The Hill reported.
The Senate voted Sunday night to end debate on a motion to proceed to a House-passed continuing resolution to fund the government, which is a major first step toward passage of a funding bill.
But Senate rules mandate that 30 hours of post-cloture time must elapse on the chamber floor before senators can vote to proceed.
Then senators still need to hold four more votes to pass the bill to reopen government and send it to the House: on ending debate on the substitute amendment, on adopting the substitute — which is the bipartisan deal negotiators unveiled Sunday — and on ending debate on the underlying legislative vehicle before voting on final passage of the whole package.
All 100 senators need to consent to speed up the timeline for passing the bill, which would otherwise take days under the Senate’s procedural rules.
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