CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — The University of Virginia Center for Politics says U.S. Senator Rand Paul’s blockage of a new aid package to Ukraine comes as no surprise.

The Kentucky Republican defied leaders of both parties Thursday by delaying the Senate’s approval to help Ukraine and its allies.

The relief aid bill is worth around $40 billion. Paul said Ukraine could not be saved by “dooming the U.S. economy.”

Paul said he wanted language inserted in the bill to have an inspector scrutinize the new spending without a vote.

UVA’s National Political Analyst Larry Sabato says Paul has an unusual combination of political views and opinions.

“What this really demonstrates is the ridiculousness of many of the Senate rules. Where a single senator can keep a country in distress, like Ukraine, from receiving aid that is strongly supported by both Republicans and Democrats,” Sabato said.

Paul has a long history of demanding last-minute changes by holding up bills on the brink of passage.