The Senate has voted to move forward with a five month extension of unemployment benefits, setting up final passage of the bill for later this week.
The chamber voted 61-38 to move forward with the bipartisan agreement to extend the aid for the long-term jobless. There are five Republican cosponsors of the bill, so this vote wasn't in much jeopardy of falling short of the 60 votes needed to advance.
The vote sets the stage for another day or two of debate, and Democratic leaders hope to pass the bill by the end of the week.
But the future of the legislation is uncertain in the House; Speaker John Boehner has called it "unworkable."