Senate votes to remove trade barriers

{mosads}“Not since 2007 have we had trade promotion,” Portman said ahead of the vote early Saturday morning. “The people getting hurt the most are our workers.”

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) cosponsored the amendment.

The Senate also voted on the following budget amendments:

– Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) amendment 329, to ask senators to give part of their salaries to the charity of their choice because federal workers are losing part of their salaries because of furloughs under sequestration, passed by voice vote.

– Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) amendment 293, to ensure that the Bureau of Land Management collaborates with states in efforts to promote sustainable sage-grouse populations and the conservation of sage-grouse habitat by developing and approving state plans that prevent the listing of the bird under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and preserve the way of life in, and economic health of, the impacted areas, passed by voice vote.

– Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) amendment 527, to restrict eminent domain so that private land could not be acquired for other private use, passed by voice vote.

– Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) amendment 136, to prohibit funding of the “Missile to Nowhere” — the Medium Extended Air Defense System, passed 94-5.

– Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) amendment 318, to amend the reconciliation instruction to include instructions to the Finance Committee to achieve the budget’s stated goal of $275 billion in mandatory healthcare savings, rejected on a 47-52 vote.

This article was updated at 2:59 a.m. to include the Crapo amendment.