Democratic Senators were unable to move the Paycheck Fairness Act forward after the Republican caucus invoked the filibuster and Democrats could only muster 50 votes, to the Republicans’ 49, to break the filibuster, falling short of the required 60 vote threshold, the New York Times reports.

The Paycheck Fairness Act would make it more difficult for employers to pay women and members of the LGBTQ community less for the same work done by a straight man.  It would require employers to provide justification for lower pay in legal cases or arbitration, as well as provide workers more avenues to pursue unfair pay claims, including class action lawsuits.

“There’s absolutely nothing controversial about making sure every worker gets paid fairly for their work,” Democratic Washington Senator Patty Murray said on Tuesday.

The PFA stood little chance of passing because key Republicans, at the urging of lobbying groups like the US Chamber of Commerce, would never have supported it.  That may have been the plan for Democrats to show the continuing futility caused by the filibuster.

The PFA isn’t the only bill that has overwhelming public support but will go nowhere due to Republican obstructionism and the abuse of the filibuster.  S.1 (the For the People Act), the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and the American Jobs Plan have overwhelming public support, but will die in the Senate despite majority support.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is likely pushing some of these bills forward knowing that the GOP would filibuster them, thereby showing the reticent members of the Democratic caucus (cough, cough Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema) to change filibuster rules.