The vote against Rand Paul's plan was 86-13. Paul's attempt to cut Egypt aid killed

The Senate on Wednesday killed a measure from Sen. Rand Paul that would have cut off United States aid to Egypt.

Paul’s amendment to the transportation spending bill would have redirected the approximately $1.5 billion in annual aid to crumbling bridges in the U.S. And though the upper chamber defeated the proposal, simply getting a vote on Egypt aid was viewed as a victory in Paul world.


The vote was to table the amendment, meaning a “yea” vote was against Paul’s plan. The vote was 86-13.

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Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted with Paul, as did a small group of GOP senators that included Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas and Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

On the Senate floor, the Kentucky Republican cast his amendment in terms of refocusing on domestic improvements rather than overseas. Paul frequently cited the economic situation in Detroit and violence in Chicago as far more important than foreign assistance.

“All I can see is the billions of American tax dollars that he chooses to send overseas,” Paul said. “The president sends billions of dollars to Egypt in the form of advanced fighter plans and tanks while Detroit crumbles.”

“In our hour of need in our country, why are you sending money to people that hate us?” Paul asked.

The Obama administration has declined to deem the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian military a coup, a designation that would have automatically cut off U.S. assistance. If enacted, Paul’s amendment would have made it a finding of Congress that a “military coup d’etat” occurred in Egypt, as several other senators have suggested occurred.

Paul said he shouldn’t even have had to file his amendment because the coup designation should have already been made.

“All military aid must end, that’s the law. There is no presidential waiver, the law states unequivocally the aid must end,” Paul said. “If we choose to ignore our own laws, can we with a straight face preach to the rest of the world about the rule of law?”

The floor debate was virtually everyone versus Paul. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said cutting off aid to Egypt would also hurt Israel, a close ally.

“This is a question of whether the senator from Kentucky knows what’s better for Israel, or if Israel knows what’s better for Israel,” McCain said.

On multiple occasions, when asked to yield for questions – including one from McCain – Paul said “not now” and continued imploring his colleagues to see his side.

Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services committee, said some of Paul’s points are “totally wrong” and said if the U.S. cuts aid to Egypt, the money “vacuum” will quickly be filled by other countries like Russia. Such a series of events could then harm Israel, he said.

“This is coming from a conservative, not a liberal, not a Democrat,” Inhofe said. “If you have any feelings at all for our best friends in the Middle East — that’s Israel — then you can’t consider this amendment. Israel has all the interests at stake.”

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) also spoke against the Paul amendment, calling it “good politics but bad policy” and said he hadn’t seen Paul vote much for investment in American cities.

The vote was the latest in a string of efforts from Paul to choke off aid to foreign countries in turmoil. Last September, legislation from Paul that would have cut aid to Egypt, Pakistan and Libya failed 81-10.

Priya Anand contributed to this report.

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