U.S. lawmakers blocked a Democratic proposal Wednesday that would have provided an extra $250 million in grants to help states beef up election security.
The Senate vote onSen. Patrick Leahy's amendment was 50-47, but it needed at least 60 votes to pass. The vote fell largely along party lines, with Sen. Bob Corker being the only Republican to vote yes.
Multiple government officials previously said they expected Russia to meddle in U.S. elections again.
And just last week, Sen. Claire McCaskill confirmed that Russian hackers tried unsuccessfully to get into her Senate computer network.
Congress already set aside $380 million for states to use to up their election security back in March.
But after the House similarly refused to provide more funding last month, a group of 21 attorneys general sent a letter to congressional leaders asking them to do more to protect upcoming elections.
Several Republican senators argued that states have yet to use up the original $380 million, so it's too early for the federal government to hand over more money.
