Update: Sen. Rand Paul's amendment was tabled by a vote of 76–24, and the Senate passed the bill to end the government shutdown. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was the only Republican to side with Paul.
The longest government shutdown on record appears to have entered its endgame, after the Senate last night advanced a measure to extend government funding until late January in exchange for a December vote in the chamber on healthcare tax credits.
But the Senate vote to approve the legislation is being slowed—at most, for five days—by a Republican holdout, Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), over an unlikely issue: its provision that would ban intoxicating hemp products with THC.
The hemp provision, added to the Senate bill by GOP leadership, is a pet cause of retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who since last year has chaired the House Freedom Caucus. It was added into the shutdown-ending funding bill after a lobbying push last week by trade groups representing large alcohol companies and beer-makers.
The legislation would strictly limit the overall THC allowed in products—like the THC-infused beverages available in many states—to 0.4 milligrams per container. Paul says the provision would hurt Kentucky farmers, posting on X that it “has nothing to do with reopening the government.” The junior Kentucky senator is asking for a vote on his amendment, subject to a 50-vote threshold, that would strike the hemp provision.
The U.S. Hemp Association says the ban would hurt farmers and is mobilizing its members to contact their senators in support of Paul’s amendment. The group instead calls on Congress to craft what it calls “responsible regulations” for hemp products, like independent third-party testing and packaging standards.
