This was a procedural vote on a bill to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The motion represented Republican efforts to remove language in the legislation that urged the president to bring a White House-created nuclear non-proliferation program to the United Nations for authorization.

One section of the bill contained a provision known as sense of Congress, nonbinding language that reflects the sentiments of a majority of lawmakers on a particular subject. In this case, the nonbinding language urged the president to work with the U.N. Security Council to authorize the Proliferation Security Initiative. This program, first proposed by President Bush in 2003 and housed within the State Department, would create international agreements to allow the United States and its allies to search planes and ships carrying suspect cargo and seize illegal weapons or missile technologies.

The motion under consideration in this vote would send the bill back to the Foreign Affairs Committee with instructions to remove the language urging the president to seek authorization for the program by the U.N.

If successful, the motion to recommit would send the bill back to the Foreign Affairs Committee with specific instructions to remove the section and add language stating that the U.S. government is solely responsible for protecting American security. Many Republicans believe that signing international non-proliferation agreements undermines U.S. sovereignty. Many Democrats believe the international governing body is the best way to safeguard world peace, reduce the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and thus ensure American safety.

The motion to recommit failed on an almost unanimous party-line vote. Only two Democrats joined all present Republicans in voting for the motion to recommit. By a vote of 198-230, the motion to recommit the bill to the Foreign Affairs Committee failed. Thus, a bill to implement the unfulfilled recommendations of the 9/11 Commission went forward with nonbinding language urging the president to work with the United Nations to authorize an international program to allow the United States and its allies to search planes and ships carrying suspect cargo and seize illegal weapons or missile technologies.