Senate Democrats blocked a bill aimed at forcing the Obama administration to replace its Clean Water Act rule, but Republicans quickly advanced a disapproval resolution that would simply kill the rule. 

 

The measure aimed at replacing the rule needed 60 votes to advance to a full debate, but just four Democrats supported the cloture motion, leaving the bill three votes short, 57-41. The rule would re-define what ditches, wetlands, streams and other features fall under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act (CWA) as “waters of the United States” (WOTUS).

 

After the cloture motion failed, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who called the WOTUS rule a “cynical and overbearing power grab,” brought up the GOP fallback measure, the disapproval resolution sponsored by Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. It only needed a simple majority to proceed, and the Senate voted 55-43 to take it up.

 

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