18 U.S. Senators withdraw support of the controversial bill, but the fight isn't over
Yesterday's internet blackout may have had some success changing minds and winning hearts in the nation's capital. In the last 24 hours, a total of 18 U.S. senators have publicly withdrawn support of the controversial Protect IP Act, better known as PIPA.
[Related: PIPA/SOPA timeline]
Though on the internet the issue has largely been bi-partisan, the recent withdrawl of support has largely come from Republicans. Many of the defections have been high-profile, including former PIPA co-sponsors Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sen. John Boozman (R-AR),Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), and Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD).
According to an informal head count at opencongress.org, 33 senators currently stand in support of the bill, while 36 remain opposed. A total of 51 votes are needed to defeat this bill for sure; though the bill could be killed with as few as 40 votes if Senate Republicans decide to mount a filibuster. The PIPA legislation is still slated for a vote on January 24.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor announced Monday that PIPA's sister bill, SOPA, would not be coming to a vote in the House after the White House announced its opposition.
[Image credit: laslzo-photo]
This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca
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