Senate GOP blocks bill to protect birth control access

• The vote failed 51 to 39, as senators headed out of town for the week — several to Normandy, France for the 80-year anniversary of D-Day.
• Just two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Ak.) — voted with Democrats to move forward on the bill, but not enough to reach the 60-vote threshold to overcome the filibuster.

What to watch: Schumer changed his vote to no, a mechanism that will allow him to bring the bill back for a vote later.

• He also set up a vote on a bill on in vitro fertilization for next week.

What they're saying: "I plan to vote to proceed. Even though I believe the bill needs amendments to protect the religious freedom of health care providers," Collins told Axios on Tuesday.

• "If it's a messaging bill, my message is I support a woman's access to contraception. Pretty simple," Murkowski told reporters on Wednesday before voting yes.