Senate kills measure to defund policy 'czars'

The Senate voted 47-51 to kill an amendment offered by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) that would have ended the ability of the White House to appoint policy "czars,” and prohibited the use of federal funds for the salaries and expenses of czars already appointed. The measure needed 60 votes to pass. Before the vote, Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY), the Senate’s third-ranking Democrat, decried the amendment from the floor as an attempt to weaken the Democratic presidency and as a “poison pill” for the underlying legislation.