Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has threatened to block a vote on a bill to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) if it contains an amendment submitted by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that states life begins at conception.

TheHill.com reports that Reid, without directly mentioning Paul by name, has warned his Republican colleagues to stop the Kentucky senator's attempt to attach his Life at Conception Act amendment to the NFIP reauthorization legislation. Paul's amendment seeks to "ensure equal protection for right to life of each born and preborn human person."

"We'll either do flood insurance with amendments that deal with flood insurance or we won't do it," Reid said. "But I want everyone to know: This flood insurance is extremely important. The big pushers of this bill are Republican senators, veteran Republican senators. They better work on their side of the aisle, because I am not going to put up with that."

For his part, Paul (pictured left) told TPM.com that he would welcome an opportunity for Reid to provide him the chance to present his Life at Conception Act legislation as a stand-alone vote in the Senate.

"If he'll give me a free-standing vote, I'll take a free-standing vote anytime," Paul said. "He hasn't been really forthcoming with offering a free-standing vote on it."

Paul also poked fun at Reid's public frustration over the conception amendment. "Yeah, can you believe that they're exasperated with me?" he said.