Rand Paul Delays Key Defense Bill Over Afghanistan Troop Drawdown

By Daniel Flatley and Roxana Tiron
12/10/2020, 2:38:17 PM

▶ Rand Paul holds up passage of annual defense spending bill
▶ Paul opposes raising hurdles to presidential decision

A dispute over President Donald Trump’s ability to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan without congressional consent is delaying the passage of a massive defense bill.

Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, is objecting to a provision of the legislation that would raise hurdles for the president’s ability to draw down troops in the central Asian country without the approval of Congress.

The provision added by GOP Representative Liz Cheney and Democratic Representative Jason Crow, an Afghanistan veteran, calls for the administration to submit inter-agency reports and certifications before reducing U.S. forces below the 8,000 level and again at 4,000.

Paul’s opposition is slowing approval of the $740.5 billion National Defense Authorization Act.

The libertarian-leaning senator said he thought Democrats were backing the provision out of “partisan anger” because they didn’t want Trump to have full discretion on taking troops out of Afghanistan. He argued that they were “going against their own alleged principles to get their desired results.”

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Sen. Rand Paul delays defense bill vote over troop drawdowns

By MATTHEW DALY
December 11, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate vote on a wide-ranging defense policy bill was delayed after Kentucky Republican Rand Paul objected to the measure, casting the next steps in doubt and raising the slim prospect of a government shutdown if a short-term spending bill caught up in the dispute is not approved by Friday.

Paul said on the Senate floor that he opposes provisions in the defense bill that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to draw down U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Germany. His objections on Thursday threatened another must-pass bill, a one-week spending measure that would keep the government open through Dec. 18. The House has passed the stopgap measure, but a government shutdown would occur if the Senate does not act on it by midnight Friday.

Paul said he would drop his objection if GOP leaders allowed a final vote on the National Defense Authorization Act on Monday. Senators from both parties were eager to finish work on the bill this week.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said he thought Paul — who has provoked government shutdowns before — was using the time-crunch for maximum leverage to remove the provision on troop withdrawals.

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