It's very rare for any piece of legislation beyond the renaming of a post-office to pass with nearly unanimous support, but as we've seen even if a bill easily sails through both chambers of Congress it only takes one fake libertarian to block it.
Failed presidential candidate Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is blocking the renewal of a chemical safety bill that was first passed in 1976, the Toxic Substances Control Act.
Why? Apparently he's the only person in all of a Congress who hasn't read it.
“One of the pledges I made to the people of Kentucky when I came here was that I would read the bills,” Paul said on the Senate floor Thursday.
“This bill came here on Tuesday. It's 180 pages long. It involves new criminalization, new crimes that will be created at the federal level. It includes preemption of states,” the former presidential candidate added.
This undoubtedly comes as a surprise to Rand's Senate colleagues because the Senate first considered this legislation several months ago and the final version of the bill was published last week, not Tuesday. Moreover, the bulk of the legislation has already been on the books for 40 years.
Because Rand son of Ron has decided to halt the unanimous passage of the bill, and because Congress is leaving town for recess, the bill may not be sent to the president's desk for several more weeks.
The bill will pass, just not today. Rand Paul's vanity is evidently more important.