WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate voted 60-37 Tuesday to limit debate on legislation to temporarily resume federal unemployment benefits for people unemployed for longer than 6 1/2 months.

The vote on the "cloture" motion cuts off debate in the chamber and avoids a filibuster. The Senate could vote on the bill as soon as the end of the week.

About 1.3 million Americans lost federal unemployment insurance Dec. 28. The bill would allow them to receive aid for up to three more months.

Some Democrats said the reduced benefits left people without a safety net while they look for work. Republicans argued that the country cannot keep adding to the national debt without a plan to pay for it.

Federal unemployment insurance kicks in when a person's state benefits are exhausted. How long the federal benefits last, between 14 and 47 weeks, depend on the state and its unemployment rate.

Arkansans can receive state benefits for up to 25 weeks. The federal benefits were provided for up to 14 more weeks, Arkansas Department of Workforce Services spokesman Becky Heflin has said.

An estimated 40,300 Arkansans either immediately stopped receiving the federal benefits or will receive no federal unemployment aid when their state unemployment is exhausted this year, according to a Dec. 5 White House report on the economic effects of the cutoff.

Nationwide, without an extension, another 1.9 million people will use up their state benefits by June 1 and will be unable to apply for the extended federal benefits. An additional 1.6 million will not have access to the benefits by the end of 2014.

The federal benefits were first signed into law by President George W. Bush as the nation weathered a recession with the national unemployment rate eventually rising from 5 percent to 10 percent. The benefits have been extended numerous times since. Some argue that the government should no longer provide support for so long -- on average between 40 and 63 weeks -- when the worst of the economic crisis is over.

Nationally the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 7 percent in November; in Arkansas it was 7.5 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 4.1 million Americans have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more as of November, according to the agency.

Six Republicans joined 54 Democrats to provide the minimum number of votes to cut off debate on the bill, thus preventing a filibuster. But several Republicans who voted to move the bill forward later told reporters that they want to amend the plan to specify how the $6.4 billion extension will be paid for.

Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., said he hopes Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will allow Republicans to offer amendments to the bill. He voted in favor of cutting off debate Tuesday.

"It deserves debate, it deserves alternatives," Coats said. "Why end the process from even starting? If Harry wants to not give us an opportunity to offer amendments, to debate reforms ... then Democrats will have to answer the question."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said more Republicans could accept extending the benefits if the legislation is amended and a funding source is found.

"Are we going to have amendments or not?" McConnell said to reporters after voting not to limit debate. "There may be a way forward here. What we need to do is have an open amendment process."

McConnell offered an amendment Tuesday that would pay for the unemployment insurance by delaying a portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that requires people to have health insurance or pay a penalty.

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called McConnell's amendment a "nonstarter" and said he hopes other Republicans have ideas to pay for the insurance benefits without delaying the health-care law, which has been a focal point of contention since passing in 2010.

Reid said he would consider accepting amendments to the bill, but not if they are tied to the health-care law.

"We'll take a look if they have something serious," he said.

Reid called the insurance a "lifeline" and said Congress should pass the three-month extension now and use the next few months to reach a compromise on how to fund it in the future.

In a news conference Tuesday, President Barack Obama urged Congress to approve the bill, calling it a moral and economic issue.

"Although the economy has been growing and we've been adding new jobs, the truth of the matter is, is that the financial crisis was so devastating that there's still a lot of people who are struggling. And, in fact, if we don't provide unemployment insurance it makes it harder for them to find a job," he said.

Arkansas' senators were split Tuesday on whether to move ahead.

Mark Pryor voted in favor, saying the extension will help people keep food on the table and pay bills. He said senators should be able to compromise.

"If people are willing to work together and try to find solutions, there is always a possibility to get things worked out, so I hope we can," Pryor said.

Sen. John Boozman said he can't support a bill that adds so much to the federal debt.

"It needs to be paid for. At some point we have to quit mortgaging our future," Boozman said. "We simply have to get our fiscal house in order."

Even if the plan gets Senate approval, it is not clear whether it will even be introduced in the House, Speaker John Boehner said.

"One month ago I personally told the White House that another extension of temporary emergency unemployment benefits should not only be paid for but include something to help put people back to work. To date, the president has offered no such plan. If he does, I'll be happy to discuss it," Boehner said.

Jonah Shumate, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., said Crawford is pleased Reid will consider negotiating how to pay for the benefits. He said Crawford would have a hard time backing the extension otherwise.

Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., said he wants to help Arkansans who can't find work, but said the money is an incentive not to find a job and might discourage employers from hiring.

"We need to think long and hard before we pass laws that hurt the most vulnerable in the name of charity, especially if this 13th extension isn't paid for and will add billions of dollars to the deficit," Griffin said.

Claire Burghoff, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., said Womack will consider the number of unemployed Americans as he weighs the benefits of the extension.

"He believes we should focus on creating jobs instead of continuously extending unemployment benefits, which were put in place as a temporary measure, and making them a permanent solution," she said.

Caroline Rabbitt, spokesman for Rep. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Cotton thinks creating jobs is a better solution.

"Running up our national debt by extending what were intended to be temporary unemployment benefits five years after the recession is not a long-term solution," she said.