Rand Paul protests war authorizations, stalls defense bill

WASHINGTON—Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., threatened Monday to delay nearly $700 billion in defense spending if Congress won’t reconsider its war authorizations for Afghanistan and Iraq. Paul staged a sit-in on the Senate floor Monday evening after the upper chamber passed a motion to proceed on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in an 89-3 vote. The tally ended procedural debate on the bill and moved the Senate closer to a final vote of passage. Paul demanded the Senate vote on an amendment he filed to repeal the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are the longest wars in U.S. history. “I will object to all procedural motions and amendments unless and until my amendment is made in order and we vote on these wars,” Paul posted on Twitter. Paul can’t single-handedly prevent the Senate from passing the NDAA, but his protest could force an additional 30-hours of debate in an already log-jammed Congress. President Donald Trump announced earlier this month he plans to deploy nearly 4,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan without specifying when they might come home.