“The battle must go on,” bill advocate Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) declared on April 7 after a cloture vote on a compromise crafted by Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) failed by a 60-39 vote. Supporters vow to revisit the issue after the Easter recess.
Officials from both parties are pointing fingers at each other over the pact’s demise. Some Republicans claim that Democrats killed the proposal by blocking amendments. Democrats counter that those provisions essentially would have gutted the legislation.