Members of the Senate voted yesterday to table an amendment offered by Senators John McCain and Phil Gramm that would have watered down cross-border safety provisions in the Department of Transportation spending bill now being debated on the Senate floor.

"Truckers should know who those Senators are that voted against rejecting this amendment," says OOIDA's Todd Spencer. "These lawmakers are still determined to open the border despite the obvious shortcomings in safety."

Last week, Senate lawmakers approved a measure containing tougher safety requirements for U.S.-bound Mexican trucks than those proposed by the Bush administration. The measure, offered by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) prompted a second veto threat from President Bush, who wants Mexican trucks to be allowed on roads throughout the country beginning next January.

The GOP senator from Arizona, in leading the charge for the open border on behalf of the White House, needed a minimum 34 votes required to uphold a Bush veto of the legislation. The roll call with 35 "nay" votes gave McCain, Gramm and others the leverage of a presidential veto to use in hammering home a spending bill with less restrictive safety rules.

Click here to see how your Senator voted.