Senate Republicans block bill that would have allowed gays to serve openly in military

Anne Flaherty - U.S. Senate Republicans have blocked an effort to repeal the law banning gays from serving openly in the military.

The partisan vote was a defeat for gay rights groups who saw the provision in a defence authorization bill as their last chance any time soon to overturn the law known as "don't ask, don't tell."

Democrats fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the legislation, which authorized $726 billion in defence spending including a pay raise for troops.

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins had been seen as the crucial 60th vote because she supports overturning the military ban.

But Collins sided with her GOP colleagues in arguing that Republicans weren't given sufficient leeway to offer amendments to the wide-ranging policy bill.