Sen. Rand Paul’s office reveals explanation for missed foreign aid, TikTok vote
Sen. Rand Paul missed last week’s votes on the $95 billion foreign aid package due to the death of his father-in-law, his office confirmed Tuesday to The Herald-Leader.
Kentucky’s junior senator was curiously absent during a series of votes a week ago determining the fate of U.S. aid to Ukraine and Israel, which Paul had vociferously criticized for weeks.
The legislation also included a provision to force TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company, which Paul also opposed.
There was even speculation that Paul would join an effort on the Senate floor to delay passage of the supplemental funding that ended up easily sailing through the chamber.
So when Paul didn’t show up for any of the votes, some political observers expressed bewilderment and surprise.
For days, his office did not respond to requests for an explanation.
That changed Tuesday following an April 25 Herald-Leader story about Paul’s absence.
While Paul hasn’t yet personally addressed the death in his family, he did host constituent events in Kentucky April 22, the day before the Senate votes.
Paul’s father-in-law Hilton Ashby died April 20. The visitation and the funeral took place April 24-25 in Bowling Green.
Paul returned to posting on social media late last week.
“The ink isn’t even dry on the $61B foreign aid to Ukraine and big spenders are already planning more,” he quipped, linking to an article quoting an anonymous Congressional aide predicting another package in September.
As the Senate reconvened this week, a spokeswoman for Paul said the senator is back in Washington and expected to partake in this week’s votes.
This story was originally published April 30, 2024, 12:37 PM.
