[4] The legislation would increase direct spending by requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to revise certain standards related to underwriting mortgages.

[2] The failure of the bill to receive cloture on May 12, 2014, was seen as hurting two Democratic senators who have difficult re-election campaigns this year.

"[3] After the vote to end cloture failed, Portman said that "today's failure to move forward on a bipartisan energy-efficiency bill is yet another disappointing example of Washington's dysfunction.

"[1] According to Margot Anderson, the executive director of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Energy Project, the changes made by the bill "aren't huge, bold things.

"[1] Her concern with the failure of the bill was the loss of momentum on energy because "people are worried that if we can't even pass that, we're not in good shape to tackle the bigger stuff.