Senate Democrats on Tuesday defeated a motion to proceed to the $1.15 trillion annual defense authorization bill, legislation that usually enjoys strong bipartisan support but this year has become snarled in a partisan fight over defense spending levels.

The motion to advance the annual defense bill failed by a vote of 50 to 46. It needed 60 votes to succeed.

Senators voted strictly along party lines except for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) who changed his vote from “yes” to “no” to allow him to bring the motion back to the floor at a later time.

Four senators missed the vote: Sens. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Jim Justice (R-W.Va.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

The legislation advanced out of the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 11 with a bipartisan 18-9 vote, but the partisan battle lines have hardened since then as Republican and Democratic negotiators have failed to reach agreement on top-line defense and non-defense spending levels.

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