Sit-In Doesn't Stop Senate Republicans from Blocking Infrastructure Bill

OurDC
Adam Martin 1,428 Views Nov 3, 2011

While his office was full of protesters, Sen. Mitch McConnell led Republicans in a vote on Thursday that blocked the $60 billion infrastructure component of President Barack Obama's jobs plan. "The Senate voted 51-49 in favor of a procedural motion to bring up the component of President Obama's jobs plan, nine short of the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster," MSNBC reported. The vote came as 20 or so activists with the jobs advocacy group OurDC staged a sit-in at McConnell's office, demanding a meeting with the minority leader to pressure him to let the measure pass. They brought a lunch of Subway sandwiches with them and sitting on "every piece of furniture in the minority leader’s office lobby, and even the floor," ABC News reported. They didn't get what they came for, but according to ABC, they promised to spread their indoor occupation to other legislators' offices. "The bottom line for here is that there is bitter, bitter pain of not working and gridlock and they want folks to see it, hear it and feel it," one unnamed protester told ABC. With 100 senators and 435 U.S. representatives, that's plenty of heated office space for those currently occupying McPherson Square to move into.

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