With Oklahoma U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe and James Lankford joining 47 other Republicans Wednesday, a key procedural vote on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan pushed by Democrats failed to pass.
It was a united effort by Republicans as they lined up against it, preferring to finish negotiations on the bill rather than voting for it and deciding later what would be in the measure as proposed by Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.
The measure needed 60 votes to clear a key procedural hurdle and Sen. Schumer changed his vote to “no” in order to have the parliamentary opportunity to bring up the vote again.
Earlier in the day, Sen. Lankford was interviewed on “Mornings with Maria” on Fox Business News and described the procedural vote by Democrats a “whole new low.” He said the Democrats pushing to vote on the bill before it is written is violating “basic rules of any legislation.”