Lawmakers voted 49-37 to end debate on her nomination, falling short of the 60 votes needed. Obama used his presidential power to install Aponte in the post last year in a "recess appointment" that runs out at the end of 2011. Republicans opposed her nomination on the grounds that she had decades-long ties to a Cuban man suspected of being a spy for Havana and for publishing an opinion piece after her arrival in El Salvador defending gay rights. Republicans had sought Aponte's full FBI file, a step the Obama administration rejected. White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement that the voted showed Republicans were prepared "to play politics with America's national interests." "Republicans in Congress need to stop thinking about the next election and start putting the best interests of the American people first," he said.