With strong White House support, the US Senate voted to advance a roughly $15-billion package aimed at spurring job growth amid election-year worries about high unemployment.
Several Republicans, including the successor to late Democratic icon Ted Kennedy, broke ranks as lawmakers voted 62-30 to end debate on the measure, clearing a 60-vote requirement and setting the stage for final approval.
US President Barack Obama's Democratic allies worry that the 9.7 percent national unemployment rate and other woes could spell trouble for them in November mid-term elections that will decide who controls the US Congress.
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"This is one of many efforts we need to tackle our economic challenges, and we will continue to work with Congress on additional job creation measures. Jobs remain our top priority," Obama said in a statement.
Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, a backer of the bill, said it would help save or create 1.3 million jobs.
The measure includes steps to boost an existing bond program to fund school construction and energy projects, highway construction monies for road and bridge repair and tax breaks for businesses that hire new workers.
To help pay for the outlays, the legislation includes provisions to help the US Internal Revenue Service "detect, deter and discourage offshore tax abuses."
Five Republicans -- Senators Kit Bond, Scott Brown, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and George Voinovich -- sided with 55 Democrats and their two independent allies to hand a hard-fought legislative win to Obama and Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Democratic Senator Ben Nelson voted against the measure.
Democrats had needed two Republican votes to carry the day, one because they and their two independent allies hold just 59 seats and another because Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg was absent due to treatment for stomach cancer.
"The American people want to see Washington put aside partisan differences and make progress on jobs, and today the Senate took one important step forward in doing that," said Obama.
