Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both Republicans, disagreed on Thursday on whether to create a House-Senate task force to investigate changes to a $10 million earmark in 2005.

Snowe voted against the proposal while Collins supported it. The measure failed 49 to 43, 60 votes were needed for passage.

Both senators voted to ask the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into whether a powerful lawmaker changed the earmark for a highway interchange in Florida after the House and Senate had approved the bill.

Collins joined 17 senators – 13 Republicans and four Democrats – who voted for both investigations.

House Democratic and Republican leaders support an investigation by the House Ethics Committee.

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