Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) offered an amendment to the AIDS relief bill which would have provided $250 billion in food aid to sub-Saharan African nations. In the view of Progressives, the food aid is critically important to address the widespread famine that has engulfed sub-Saharan African countries. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) lodged a point of order against the Dorgan amendment by arguing that is was not relevant to the AIDS relief bill under consideration. Debate on the AIDS relief legislation was governed by reconciliation rules because it was determined by the parliamentarian to be budget-related. Those rules allow Senators to raise points of order against amendments by claiming that they are not relevant to the pending legislation in order to reject the amendment. To overcome a point of order, a sixtyvote majority is required in support of the amendment. The Dorgan amendment failed to attract the necessary sixty votes and was defeated 48-52.