<P> On September 7, Paul called for a vote of no confidence in United States Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner . Later that month, Paul blocked legislation that would strengthen safety rules for oil and gas pipelines, because, he stated, the bill was not strong enough . In October, Paul blocked a bill that would provide $36 million in benefits for elderly and disabled refugees, saying that he was concerned that it could be used to aid domestic terrorists . This was in response to two alleged terrorists who came to the United States through a refugee program and were receiving welfare benefits when they were arrested in 2011 in Paul's hometown of Bowling Green . Paul lifted his hold on the bill after Democratic leaders promised to hold a Congressional hearing into how individuals are selected for refugee status and request an investigation on how the two suspects were admitted in the country through a refugee program . </P> <P> In June 2012, Paul endorsed Mitt Romney after it became apparent that he would be the Republican nominee for the 2012 presidential election . However, he was later vocal about his disagreements with Romney on a number of policies . </P> <P> For the 113th Congress, Paul was added to the Foreign Relations committee and retained his spot on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Small Business committees . </P> <P> On March 6--7, 2013, Paul engaged in a filibuster to delay voting on the nomination of John O. Brennan as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency . Paul questioned the Obama administration's use of drones and the stated legal justification for their potential use within the United States . Paul held the floor for 12 hours and 52 minutes . He ceded to several Republican senators and Democratic senator, Ron Wyden, who generally also questioned drone usage . Paul said his purpose was to challenge drone policy in general and specifically as it related to noncombatants on U.S. soil . He requested a pledge from the Administration that noncombatants would not be targeted on U.S. soil . Attorney General Eric Holder responded that the President is not authorized to deploy extrajudicial punishment without due process, against non-combatant citizens . Paul answered that he was "quite happy" with the response . The filibuster was ended with a cloture vote of 81 to 16, and Brennan was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 63 to 34 . </P>

Why has the senate became the prime source of presidential candidates