Vitter Amendment Blocked In Senate

(Washington, DC) -- The U.S. Senate has voted to invoke cloture and end debate on GOP Louisiana Senator David Vitter's amendment that would have required census takers to inquire about citizenship during the 2010 nationwide population count. The move garnered the 60 votes it needed, with Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana voting with the majority. Landrieu had criticized Vitter's amendment as a "stunt" that would be too costly. Vitter says the inquiry would only serve to accurately represent each state's population for the purpose of re-drawing congressional district boundaries. Vitter says if non-citizens are included in the reapportionment process, Louisiana will lose one of its seven congressional seats.