In a 53 to 47 vote that fell along party lines, all Senate Democrats blocked a House-approved stock-trading bill, making the issue certain to be headlines on Fox News.
The Stop Insider Trading Act would have required voters to show a photo ID identification to vote in federal elections.
The bill was also criticized by Democrats for excluding the White House from any regulation on stock trading, while the voter ID provision would threaten mail-in voting.
Democrats say an outright ban is needed for members of Congress — along with the president and members of his administration.
The bill, known as the Stop Insider Trading Act, passed the House in July with the support of all Republicans and 13 Democrats. It would prohibit lawmakers, their spouses and dependent children, from purchasing publicly traded stocks, while requiring that they publicly disclose each intended sale at least a week in advance to limit their ability to profit off insider information.
Chuck Schumer called it “a Republican toothless stock-trading bill is as ineffective as a screen door on a submarine,” and added they intended the bill to fail.