Senators Say They've Met Threshold for Criminal Justice Vote

Supporters of a criminal justice bill say they have met the threshold set by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for getting a vote.Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., said he now has support for the legislation from more than half of the Republicans in the chamber. Democratic leaders said support on their side is “overwhelming.” If true, their projections mean at least two-thirds of the Senate would vote for the bill.

McConnell “said, ‘show me the numbers. If it gets to be 65 or 70, I’ll bring it up,’” Grassley said during a forum sponsored by The Washington Post. “We’re there.”

Yet it remains unclear whether the legislation will receive a vote on the floor, with only a few weeks to go before a new Congress is sworn in.

McConnell has made no public commitments on the bill other than to say he would count the votes and weigh it against other priorities that the Senate must deal with, including a spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown, a farm bill and judicial nominations.