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The Senate voted 51-49 to permanently set aside an amendment (S.Amdt. 3849) to the bill S. 2296, effectively killing the proposal without a direct vote on its contents.
This vote was on a 'motion to table' an amendment to a larger piece of legislation. By agreeing to 'table' the amendment, the Senate chose to stop considering it immediately and permanently. This procedural move prevents the proposal from being added to the underlying bill, S. 2296. In the Senate, a motion to table is a common tactic used to dispose of a proposal quickly. Unlike a direct vote on whether an amendment is good or bad, a vote to table is a vote to kill the matter. If the motion succeeds, the proposal is gone; if it fails, the Senate would continue debating the amendment. The motion succeeded with a narrow 51-49 majority. This means the amendment is defeated and will not be part of the final bill. The vote was unusual in its breakdown, as both the Democratic and Republican parties were almost evenly split, indicating that the issue was not a simple party-line dispute.
The Senate will continue considering S. 2296 or move on to other legislative business. The killed amendment can generally only be revived through a complex process that is rarely attempted.
Democrats. Democrats were divided, with 23 members voting to kill the amendment and 22 voting to keep it alive.
Republicans. Republicans were also split, with 27 members supporting the motion to table and 24 opposing it.
The Senate voted 51-49 to permanently set aside an amendment (S.Amdt.
3849) to the bill S. 2296, effectively killing the proposal without a direct vote on its contents.