WASHINGTON--The Senate on Monday was headed to approving the tax package President Obama negotiated with Republicans with more than 60 senators moving to advance the legislation; 60 votes were needed to avoid a filibuster. The voting on the procedural issue will be open for a few more hours. The vote on the legislation itself may not occur until Wednesday. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) voted to advance the measure.

Kirk statement: "I voted for the bill to prevent a massive tax hike from hitting Illinois families and hurting our economy during this Great Recession. President Obama and Senate leaders agree that this legislation will help end the recession, adding jobs and restoring tax-rate certainty to this fragile economy. .....After enactment of this legislation, I will turn my attention to cutting federal spending, reducing the cost of Congress and the Executive branch to bring down the debt."