Point of Fact about US Senate voting -- If everyone is present, it takes 51 votes, or 50 votes if the vice president votes to break the tie. Under the current rules of the Senate–which can be altered by a majority vote–it takes 60 votes to proceed to a vote on a bill when some senators want to continue debate forever, or filibuster. -- And that is how, although Republicans "control" the Senate, some bills that Republicans generally supported didn't get sent to the President's desk even after passage by the House.
