This vote was on whether a bill to add money to the Cash for Clunkers program should retain its emergency funding designation.  When Congress designates something as “emergency” funding, this typically means that it does not have to meet most of Congress’ budgetary rules, such as one requiring that legislation not increase the deficit.  In this case, the bill in question would add $2 billion to the popular “Cash for Clunkers” program, which gives vouchers to people to trade in older, less fuel-efficient cars for newer, more fuel-efficient ones.

Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., attempted to strip the bill of its “emergency funding” designation with a parliamentary maneuver, which would have required the bill to meet those budgetary rules.  It would have likely had the effect of killing the bill, since lawmakers would then have had to come up with a way to pay for the bill without increasing the deficit.

This type of parliamentary maneuver is not debatable, so no one spoke either in support or opposition to the amendment, except that Patty Murray, D-Wash., made her own motion to waive the rules in the case of this bill.  That waiver motion is what this vote was on.

By a vote of 60-37, the waiver motion was agreed to.  All but two Democrats present voted for the motion. All but five Republicans present voted against the waiver motion.  The end result is that the rules were waived, Kyl’s parliamentary maneuver failed, and the bill to inject $2 billion into the Cash for Clunkers program went forward with its emergency spending designation intact.