WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats early Wednesday completed an important initial step in their quest to approve a $3.5 trillion bill aimed at tackling a number of President Joe Biden's priorities by subsidizing child care, expanding care giving and providing free community college and pre-kindergarten. The Senate, after hours of debate, passed a resolution along party lines on a 50-49 vote that gives committees in Congress instructions to begin crafting the bill, using the resolution as a "blueprint." A final vote on the bill isn't expected until the fall. 

But Wednesday's vote serves as the start of a broader fight among Democrats tasked with creating a bill that is crucial to the passage of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan the Senate passed Tuesday. Some moderate Senate Democrats have reservations about the $3.5 trillion price tag, while progressives Democrats in the House say they're willing to vote against the infrastructure deal if the larger package isn't to their liking.

With narrow Democrat majorities in both chambers, the fate of both bills could come down to how the $3.5 trillion bill is crafted. Senate Democrats, who hold a slight majority in the 100-member chamber, plan to use a legislative maneuver called reconciliation to pass the plan without the support of Republicans, who generally oppose the measure. Vice President Kamala Harris would be used to break a 50-50 tie. Like the Senate, Democrats also hold a slight lead in the House, meaning just a handful of Democratic objections could sink both the bipartisan infrastructure package and the larger bill. Democratic House leaders and progressives are insistent they will not vote on the infrastructure deal without the  $3.5 trillion bill.

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