“There is a plan to construct a billion-dollar ballroom, gold plated, without any action by Congress to authorize it,” Merkley said on the Senate floor. “This amendment is very simple, it says that congressional authorization is needed to proceed.”
The measure failed to reach the 60 votes required for passage, falling short with a 53-46 count.
But in a reminder that concern about the expensive project is spanning across party aisles, seven Republican Senators voted in favor of the amendment.
Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio, Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana all voted “yea.”
Collins, Husted, and Sullivan’s votes were particularly noteworthy, as all three Republicans are facing tough re-election bids later this year.
Cassidy—who lost a competitive Republican primary last month after President Donald Trump endorsed a rival candidate—initially voted against the amendment, but he later asked the chamber to change his vote.
