On April 8, 2022, two bills were passed in Congress to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. These bills suspended normal trade relations with Russia and prohibited the import of oil, coal, and natural gas from it.
The Senate unanimously approved both bills. The House approved the first by a vote of 420-3 and the second 413-9. Three members of the House — Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Matt Gaetz of Florida — voted against both bills.
These bills are now heading to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
As a CNN report noted, the House was able to pass these bills with ease, while the Senate was involved in a heated debate over the proposed changes to the Global Magnitsky Act. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul was the chief opponent of these changes, which he believed would grant too much power to the executive branch to go after individuals accused of committing human rights violations.
The Senate capitulated to some of Paul’s demands by using more narrowly defined language in the bill.
When he was interviewed by Tony Perkins, the President of the Family Research Council, Paul declared that “people become afraid of the crowd” when it comes to dealing with controversial legislation such as the changes to the Global Magnitsky Act. On top of that, he knew that such a bill would pass with overwhelming support, but he would still stand on principle. Paul said,“I’ve let my colleagues on both sides of the aisle know that I’ll stand up, even if it’s unpopular.”
“I’ve let my colleagues on both sides of the aisle know that I’ll stand up, even if it's unpopular.” – @SenRandPaul https://t.co/LDEGjLTOYJ
— Family Research Council (@FRCdc) April 7, 2022
Rand Paul remains a unique voice of dissent in the US Senate. This is an institution that is largely captured by special interest groups and other institutions that are completely detached from the wants and desires of the constituencies of individual states.
That’s one reason why people like Paul have not been able to cobble together a liberty coalition of sorts in the US Senate. Regardless, Paul should stand strong and lead by example. In a political scene of conformity towards warmongering, any kind of dissent goes a long way.
