Republican senators nearly seized a victory to overturn President Obama’s veto on
the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act in 2015, the Senate's first bill of the year, however they fell just five votes short of the two-thirds majority needed.
Despite all Senate Republicans but one voting for the bill, they failed to secure enough votes across the aisle in the 62-36 defeat. Only nine Senate Democrats voted in favor of it against 34 from their own party in addition to two independents. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was the lone Republican holdout; Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid also did not vote on the measure.
Arizona's two senators, Republicans Jeff Flake and John McCain, voted in favor of the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act.
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The pipeline's approval was of significant interest for Sen. Flake, who is a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
“Today’s vote to advance the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline is proof that the Senate will advance legislation that fosters private-sector job creation and economic growth. I hope the president will sign this legislation rather than veto it,”
Flake said in a statement after the Keystone XL pipeline was originally passed by the Senate.
Sen. McCain felt there was too much bipartisan support for the bill to deny its passage and called out the intentions of President Obama.
“It is extremely disappointing that President Obama vetoed the Keystone XL pipeline bill today, a negative signal about his willingness to work with Congress on important legislation over the final two years of his presidency,”
McCain said in a statement after the Senate failed to overturn Obama’s veto.
If passed, the bill would have approved TransCanada Keystone Pipeline to construct and operate a pipeline from Canada through the Midwest to Gulf states waiting to refine the transported crude oil.
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