Immigration bill survives key vote 64-35

The comprehensive immigration reform bill survived a crucial procedural vote Tuesday and took a large step toward Senate passage.

{mosads}The push for the bipartisan legislation, which is backed by President Bush, appeared to be stalled earlier this month. But a compromise was reached after the bill was pulled following a failed cloture vote on June 7 and breathed new life into the effort.

At the time, supporters of the bill were 15 votes shy of forcing to end debate. Several Republican proponents of the legislation withheld their support, demanding that more time be granted to consider the measure. It was a different story today, when 64 senators, including many Republicans, supported the bill.

GOP opponents of the measure had claimed that support for the bill was eroding and had hoped that enough former supporters would change their minds to get to the necessary 41 votes to stop the legislation. However, the tenuous coalition that has so far held the compromise together survived its most serious test yet.

However, several amendments remain, both from conservatives and liberals, that could prevent Senate passage.