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Congress Vote Tracker is a private, independent project. It is not affiliated with the U.S. government, Congress, or any agency, and it does not speak for them. Every vote count is drawn from official public records (Congress.gov, the House Clerk, and Senate.gov) and linked back to the source on every page.

Congressional Glossary

What is a motion to proceed?

A motion to proceed asks the Senate to begin considering a bill or resolution. Because the motion itself can be debated, and filibustered, many measures die before their debate ever starts.

In one sentence

A motion to proceed asks the Senate to begin considering a bill or resolution. Because the motion itself can be debated, and filibustered, many measures die before their debate ever starts.

Votes needed: A simple majority, once any debate on the motion ends

What a motion to proceed is

The Senate cannot simply start debating a bill; it must first agree to take the bill up. The motion to proceed is that gateway vote. If it carries, the measure becomes the Senate's pending business and debate on the merits begins. If it fails, the bill stays on the calendar, technically alive and practically stalled (senate.gov). Nominations and certain privileged measures skip the step, but for ordinary legislation the gateway is unavoidable, and deciding what to move to is the core of the majority leader's power over the agenda.

The gateway can be filibustered

On most legislation the motion to proceed is itself debatable, which means it can be filibustered. A determined minority can force the majority to win a cloture vote just to start the debate, then filibuster the bill again afterward: two 60-vote hurdles before a single amendment is considered. Majority leaders often skip the fight entirely and never move to proceed on bills that lack the votes, which is why the Senate calendar is where legislation goes to wait.

Motions to proceed in the 119th Congress

The record shows both outcomes plainly. On June 16, 2026, the Senate agreed 87 to 8 to proceed on H.R. 6644, the housing bill that went on to pass by a similar margin. Eight days later, a motion to proceed to S.J.Res. 185, a war powers resolution, failed 47 to 50, and the Senate never reached the resolution's merits at all. The list below tracks the newest motions to proceed as they enter the record.

From the official record

Recent motions to proceed

All vote records →
Aug 08
Senate
S. 5271 · Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 5271; A bill to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require voters to provide photo identification.
52–46
Aug 05
Senate
S.J.Res. 187 · Motion to Proceed to S. J. Res. 187; A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "Modification to the Start of the Submission Period for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Reporting and Recordkeeping Under TSCA 8(a)(7)".
48–50
Aug 03
Senate
H.R. 6500 · Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to H.R. 6500; An act making continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2027, and for other purposes.
89–4
Jul 30
Senate
S.J.Res. 199 · Motion to Proceed to S.J. Res. 199; A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Restoring Flexibility in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)".
47–52
Jul 29
Senate
H.R. 5334 · Motion to Proceed to H.R. 5334; An act to impose sanctions and other measures with respect to the Russian Federation, as championed by the late Senator Lindsey O. Graham, and for other purposes.
84–12
Jul 28
Senate
H.R. 5334 · Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 5334; An act to impose sanctions and other measures with respect to the Russian Federation, as championed by the late Senator Lindsey O. Graham, and for other purposes.
86–12
Jul 16
Senate
S.J.Res. 198 · Motion to Proceed to S.J. Res. 198; A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to "Medicare Program; Implementation of Prior Authorization for Select Services for the Wasteful and Inappropriate Services Reduction (WISeR) Model".
46–50
Jul 14
Senate
S. 4784 · Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 4784; An original bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes.
50–46

8 roll calls shown, newest first. Each row links to the official record.

Common questions

It is the Senate motion to take up a bill or resolution and make it the pending business of the floor. Nothing gets debated or amended until the motion carries. On June 24, 2026, a motion to proceed to S.J.Res. 185 failed 47 to 50, ending that measure before debate began.

Yes, on most legislation. The motion is debatable, so opponents can refuse to end debate on it, forcing a 60-vote cloture fight before the bill is even taken up. A bill can therefore face two filibusters: one on the motion to proceed and another on the bill itself.

Sources

congressvotetracker.org

An independent civic project, not affiliated with the U.S. government or any agency. Vote data is sourced from official public records (Congress.gov, the House Clerk, and Senate.gov).