WASHINGTON — The US Senate on Tuesday failed to advance a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court at the Hague, a surprising moment of unity amongst Senate Democrats on a typically divisive issue. 

The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act states that if the ICC investigates, arrests, detains or prosecutes any US citizen or entity as well as any citizens “of a US ally that is not a state party to the Rome Statute or has not consented to ICC jurisdiction,” the United States would impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against the ICC and anyone who assisted the court in its actions. The bill would also place visa-blocking sanctions on “the immediate family members of those sanctioned.”  

All 53 Senate Republicans voted for the bill but still failed to meet the 60 votes needed to advance the bill to a final vote. The vote ended with 54 votes for the bill, and 45 against.

The bill passed the Republican-controlled House on Jan. 9 by a vote of 243 to 140. The bill received unanimous support from House Republicans, in addition to backing from 45 Democrats. In the Senate, the bill is sponsored by Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, along with 11 more Republicans.