10 days after House vote: When will Senate consider Iron Dome bill?

• Published date: 04 October 2021
• Author: OMRI NAHMIAS
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

In recent days, pro-Israel groups called on Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) to support the move and fast-track the bill. Paul on Thursday revealed himself to be the single senator refusing to "hotline" the bill now that it has been approved by the US House of Representatives. "Hotlining" is when all 100 senators agree to allow a bill to go straight to the floor for a vote, substantially accelerating the process.

Paul is one of the most outspoken opponents of foreign aid, and for a period, a number of years ago he proposed eliminating assistance to Israel. Now, a spokesperson for Paul told Politico that Paul will drop his objection to hotlining the Iron Dome bill if the $1 billion comes from proposed assistance to Afghanistan.

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As of Monday at noon, it was still unclear if the bill would be brought to the Senate floor later today. According to people familiar with the legislative process, one scenario is that Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) would bring the bill to the floor and ask for unanimous consent during the evening round of votes. It has yet to be seen whether Paul would agree or object and block the bill. A third option is that Paul would demand Menendez to consider his amendment, but wouldn't oppose the bill moving forward.

In recent days, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Christian United For Israel (CUFI) pressed Paul to support the bill. AIPAC called Paul to "stand with our ally Israel."

"Blocking emergency funding to ensure Israel can protect its citizens from terrorist...