Votes Needed definition
Votes Needed means the number of “yes” votes that Republicans had to cast in order to secure passage of the bill, bearing in mind (1) the total number of members present and voting and (2) the number of Democrats voting “yes.” Note that in the House this means 50 percent plus one, while in the Senate 50 percent is sufficient (given the fact that the vice president can cast a deciding vote in the case of a tie)