A bipartisan bill that would provide unemployment benefits to 1.3 million Americans for the next three months eked past an attempt by Republicans to stop the bill from moving forward. The U.S. Senate passed the bill through for full consideration by a 60-37 vote.  The bill needed 60 votes to move forward.

Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk were split on the vote, with Durbin voting for the bill and Kirk voting against the legislation.

The chamber is expected to vote on the bill later this week. If it passes, it would head to the GOP-led House, where its chances of passage are questionable. Republicans say they will not pass the bill without a clause that details how the $6 billion, three-month benefit extension would be financed, adding the caveat that it cannot be put towards the federal debt.

Congress allowed unemployment insurance benefits to expire for 1.3 million long-term unemployed Americans last month.