Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) Image by getty images

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took a break from his routine morning workout in the official Senate gym to beseech Sen. Rand Paul to stop his efforts to prevent the U.S.-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018 from passing, Jewish Insider reported.

Paul is using Senate procedures to single-handedly “hold” the bill, which would ensure billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. Schumer said at a forum hosted by the American Zionist Movement on Wednesday that he “lobbied Rand Paul to let this go, and I think we will be able to work something out.”

Schumer has been on Paul for a while to remove the hold, according to Jewish Insider. AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups also vocal about passing the law, which would formalize the 10-year Memorandum of Understanding reached between the U.S. and Israel in 2016. Paul has said that he supports Israel but is opposed in principle to all forms of foreign aid.

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Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

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