It's not only Republicans who oppose the bill. Democratic senators representing oil producing states, like Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Mark Begich of Alaska, have been vocal opponents of the bill.

Landrieu says it's a waste to spend so much time on a bill that no one expects to pass and that won't address prices at the pump.

She urged Congress to work on what she cast as real solutions to the energy prices.

"It might make us feel better to beat up on big oil. It might present a scapegoat in some quarters, but it will not lower prices at the pump and that's what we need to be about," Landrieu said. "This economy, our economic recovery that we're in, slow and spotty in places, but underway, can be stalled out by prices as high as $4.37-a -gallon."

Landrieu asked her colleagues why they want to hurt an industry that employs millions of Americans.

"Why are we doing it? Why are we harming an industry, five large oil and gas companies that work internationally, that employ 9.2 million people in the United States directly, that are good hard working Americans, working in and for these companies?" she asked.

Begich called the legislation a gimmick.