Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., blocked a vote on legislation designed to protect whistleblowers in the wake of a Veterans Affairs scandal, saying the bill needed to remain on the docket as part of broader negotiations between lawmakers.

“I hope we can work together in the next little bit to come up with a package of bills that would give Republicans a few of the things they want and give us some of the things we want because the issue before us — as valid as it could be and might be — it addresses a very narrow issue that the senator from Wisconsin seeks to address, but a variety of matters are left undone,” Reid said on the Senate floor.