Senate Republicans object to foreign aid and border bill moving forward

As expected, the Senate's vote to advance a bipartisan foreign aid bill with major new border provisions failed on Wednesday. It's the first of two votes that Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is forcing on the issue — the second of which removes the border provisions but maintains its overseas funding measures.

In the initial procedural vote, the Senate split 49-50 on proceeding with the full bill, which includes money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan as well as the new border policy deal. Sixty votes were needed to advance the legislation.

Republicans in the Senate had signaled that they would sink the bill — despite pleas from key negotiators just before the vote. The Senate had then been expected to vote Wednesday evening on the second option Schumer presented: a procedural vote on whether to begin debate on a national security package that included the foreign aid but none of the border provisions or funds.

It is still unclear whether that legislation will ultimately get the 60 votes necessary to advance to debate.

After more than four hours of holding the floor in limbo on Wednesday, the Senate went home for the night — planning to come back on Thursday — to see if they can work out a way to move forward.

Senate Republicans kept the floor paralyzed while they met behind the scenes to try to come up with a game plan as to whether they wanted to green-light moving forward on the package without the border and immigration changes. Some conservatives say they won't vote to move forward unless Schumer agrees to allow them a chance to vote on some amendments to the package.

In the first vote, several senators crossed party lines with Republican Sens. James Lankford, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney agreeing to move