US senator delays vote on bill to keep government running

Hopes for a quick vote on legislation to keep the US government operating beyond midnight hit a snag on Thursday when Republican Senator Rand Paul put up a roadblock to voting because he first wanted debate on his amendment to kill the measure's increased federal spending.

However, other senators sounded frustrated by the delay. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican worried the holdup may result in more delays.

"If we get one amendment up, you can imagine other people are going to have amendments," he said. "You can essentially accomplish the same thing by a point-of-order and get a vote. He doesn't need consent to do that. So that's an alternative we're going to suggest to him and work with him on," he added.

"There's only so much I can do, and this is the silly thing about it. ... I will make them listen to me, and they will have to have me listened to," Paul defended himself on Fox News Thursday evening. "This is too important for the country not to have a debate about it."

It was unclear whether the Senate and House of Representatives would be able to pass a funding bill by midnight, when existing federal funds expire. Without new funds, federal agencies would have to be ordered to partially shut down.

$300 billion new bill

The deal, backed by President Donald Trump, would add almost 300 billion US dollars to the federal deficit and leaves the thorny immigration issues unresolved.

The bill includes 165 billion US dollars in additional defense spending and 131 billion US dollars for domestic spending, covering healthcare, infrastructure, and tackling the US opioid crisis.

The defense spending increased nine percent from the previous fiscal year.

According to CNN, the deal also includes aid packages for recent natural disasters.

(CGTN)