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FILE: Nov. 13, 2014: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-K.Y., with GOP Sens. John Thune, S.D., and John Cornyn, Texas, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C.(REUTERS)

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a bill meant to help human-trafficking victims over objections to a controversial abortion provision, fueling a standoff that in turn is delaying a confirmation vote for President Obama's attorney general nominee.

The flare-up is one of the more complicated disputes of the new congressional session. Democrats are objecting to the anti-human trafficking bill, which they initially supported, because it contains the abortion provision -- which would prohibit victim-restitution funds being used to pay for abortions. Democrats only recently noticed the provision, though it's been in the bill for weeks.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tried to advance the legislation on Tuesday, but Democrats would not help his party reach the 60-vote threshold to move forward.

The legislation was blocked on a 55-43 vote, with four Democrats joining Republicans.

The stand-off now has not only the trafficking legislation but also the AG nomination hanging in the balance. McConnell said earlier this week that the chamber wont have a final vote to approve Loretta Lynch as the countrys next attorney general until the human-trafficking legislation is approved.

That message was repeated Tuesday by bill sponsor Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn after the failed test vote.

Some groups want to turn this into an abortion issue, Cornyn said. Cornyn also accused Democrats of staging a fake fight for political reasons and said McConnell will continue to hold votes on the legislation until it is passed.

Both parties are now pointing the finger at each other over legislation that at one point was a bipartisan issue. The bill itself has 12 Democratic cosponsors, and all nine Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the legislation early on.

However, Senate Democrats began to block the bill about two weeks ago upon learning of the abortion-money language.

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Democrats block anti-human trafficking bill, while GOP vows Lynch vote on hold until measure passes