Senate procedures allow any single senator to block unanimous consent requests that would fast-track legislation without debate or amendments. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer uses unanimous consent to schedule votes on noncontroversial bills like renaming post offices, which pass in seconds when no one objects. But one senator saying ''I object'' forces the bill into regular order: committee hearings, floor debate, and a 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster. Rand Paul rejected unanimous consent on a $40 billion Ukraine aid package in May 2022, forcing two weeks of procedural delays. Bernie Sanders blocked a 2020 defense bill over Medicare amendments. The tactic gives individual senators enormous leverage to extract concessions, demand recorded votes, or simply slow legislation they oppose. Unlike the House, where the majority party controls the floor schedule, the Senate''s unanimous consent rule makes every senator a potential veto point on the legislative calendar.