GOP Unanimously Votes Against Motion To Move To Defense Authorization, Stalling DREAM Act In Senate

David Herszenhorn of the New York Times has the full story on the failure to invoke cloture on the Defense Authorization Bill in the senate. The Defense bill would have been a vehicle for an up or down vote on the DREAM Act, in his story Defense Bill, With Provision on Gay Ban, Stalls in Senate: 

Senate Republicans voted unanimously to block debate of the bill — the huge, annual authorization of military programs — after the majority leader, Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said he would attach a number of the Democrats’ election-year priorities to it while also moving to limit the amendments offered by Republicans.

The final vote was 56 - 43:

The vote was 56 to 43, with Democrats falling short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster and take up the bill. The Arkansas Democrats, Senators Blanche L. Lincoln and Mark Pryor, sided with all 41 Republicans in opposing debate.

While Democrats criticized Republicans for killing the chance to have an up or down vote on the DREAM Act it is unclear how an actual vote on the immigration legislation would have turned out:

While Democrats immediately sought to blame Republicans for obstructing both the immigration measure, which is known as the Dream Act, and the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” it is unclear how the measures would have fared were the military bill brought up under less intense political circumstances.

...From a policy perspective, the immigration measure was more controversial and Democrats seemed likely to face opposition to it not only by Republicans but from within their own ranks. Adding the measure to the bill would similarly require 60 votes, and aides in both parties said the effort would likely have failed.

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