Three legislators were absent from the vote. It is the first time a government is ousted since the country came to existence, after the breakup of the former Czechoslovakia in 1993.

VOA: standard.2009.03.25

Negotiations with the House of Representatives to craft a final bill for President Obama will be difficult because of some major differences, notably the House bill's provision for a government-run health insurance option, absent from the Senate measure.

VOA: standard.2009.12.24