This vote was on whether to allow to go forward a measure that would extend for two months certain expired programs, including unemployment insurance benefits. In addition the bill would extend COBRA health insurance subsidies, higher Medicare reimbursements for physicians, national flood insurance and other items. Because of Congressional inaction these benefits had already lapsed for several days and Democrats were eager to push through an extension. 

Earlier in the day George LeMieux, R-Fla., who said the measure would spend too much money, used a parliamentary maneuver to defeat the measure as violating the Senate’s budgetary rules (see vote 110).  Technically this applied to what is known as a “substitute amendment,” which is essentially a complete rewrite of the underlying bill with a number of changes.  Often the Senate will take up the shell of an unrelated bill, then paste in a “substitute amendment” that contains the real text of what the bill would seek to do.  Since the substitute amendment was what was defeated, the shell of the bill itself continued to be debated on the Senate floor.  A few hours later Reid called the amendment back up for a re-vote and the motion succeeded, which is what this vote was on.

By a vote of 60-40, the motion to allow the measure to go forward succeeded.  Every Democrat present voted to allow the measure to go forward.  All but one Republican present voted against allowing the measure to go forward (George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who was absent for the prior vote). The end result is that the motion to allow the measure to go forward succeeded, and debate on a bill that would extend several expiring programs, primarily those to benefit the unemployed, continued.