Senate Democrats and a eight Republicans blocked a proposal that a constituted a continuing resolution that would run through December 11 and prohibit for one year federal funding for Planned Parenthood or its affiliates unless they certify that they will not perform or fund abortions during that period. The Senate rejected, 47-52, the motion to invoke cloture on the substitute amendment to the joint resolution. The measure failed to even win a simple majority vote.
Sixty votes were needed to advance the measure. Republican senators voting with Democrats included Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Dean Heller (R-NV), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Ben Sasse (R-NE).
Following the failure, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell moved to set up a vote on a clean spending bill that would avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1, although House Speaker John Boehner still has not said whether his chamber will take up the Senate legislation.
The Senate is expected to take a cloture vote in relation to a “clean” continuing resolution on Monday, September 28th, two days before the government’s funding authority expires.