Washington, July 13 (ANI): U.S. Freshman Senator Rand Paul has threatened to bottle up the Senate if he does not get a vote on his plan to cut foreign aid to Pakistan.
Paul has warned that he may file a motion to shut down debate and push a vote on his proposal, a right typically granted strictly to the Senate majority leader. But Paul is angry that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has refused to give him an up-or-down vote on the proposal, and now appears poised to use arcane Senate procedures to force a vote even if it ties up the Senate for days, reports Politico.
Paul's bill would halt billions of dollars in foreign aid that the U.S. provides Pakistan until the country frees a doctor Shakil Afridi, whom Pakistan sentenced to 33 years in prison after he was found 'guilty' of helping the CIA track down Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
"I have worked consistently to bring awareness to Dr Shakil Afridi's plight, and I have offered legislation to deny any current or future foreign assistance to the Pakistani government until they reverse course and free Dr Afridi," Paul wrote in a letter.
"In pursuing a resolution to this situation, I have gained the necessary number of signatures on a cloture petition to force a vote on my legislation on the Senate floor. If Dr Afridi is not released upon appeal, I will seek such a floor vote at the earliest opportunity," he added.
Paul said he might call for a vote as early as July 20, the day after an appeal to Afridi's 33-year prison sentence will be considered. Paul introduced the bill on June 6.
The letter was addressed to Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and was also sent to President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Pakistani Ambassador Sherry Rehman. (ANI)
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