Rand Paul holds up $40 billion in aid for Ukraine.

U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky on Thursday single-handedly delayed a bipartisan effort to quickly send $40 billion in aid to Ukraine, which Congress had tried to fast-track amid the escalating brutality of Russia’s war.

The Senate needed unanimous consent to waive procedural hurdles and approve the humanitarian and military aid package. Mr. Paul, a Republican and a libertarian who generally opposes U.S. spending on foreign aid, objected, halting the effort to shepherd the largest foreign aid package through Congress in at least two decades.

“My oath of office is to the U.S. Constitution, not to any foreign nation,” Mr. Paul said, adding, “We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy.”

The Senate is still expected to approve the aid package, but Mr. Paul’s objection will delay a vote until at least next week. Read more

@nytimes