WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate roundly rejected a proposal Wednesday to redirect aid for Egypt into bridge-building projects in the U.S. after a potential Republican presidential candidate and tea party favorite challenged the Obama administration’s refusal to label the ouster of Egypt’s president a military coup.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky’s amendment to next year’s transportation bill would have halted the $1.5 billion in mainly military assistance the U.S. provides Egypt each year.