The two-year Republican-backed budget bill that swept through the house with the support of House Democrats, has now entered its final 30 hours of debate after 12 Senate Republicans voted with Senate Democrats to end debate on the bill with the cloture vote of 67-33.

12 Republicans, that included Sens. Saxby Chambliss (Ga.), John Hoeven (N.D.), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Roy Blunt (Mo.), John McCain (Ariz.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Susan Collins (Maine), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Ron Johnson (Wis.) voted to end debate on the measure despite urgings and opposition from the Club for Growth and Heritage Action.

The Senate vote on the bill stood in sharp contrast to the House vote where Republicans backed the deal brokered by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. in the House, the budget bill passed last week on a vote of 332-94.

The budget bill which is supported by Pres. Obama, will come to a vote in the Senate on Wednesday. in the Senate, final approval of the bill only requires a simple majority of 51 votes. It is expected that no Republicans will vote for the final passage of the budget bill, even though Republicans are eager for the passage. With a simple majority vote their votes will not be needed. Republicans are hoping to avoid another government shutdown, like the one in October, that resulted in their polling numbers plummeting precipitously.

Of the 12 Senate Republicans who voted to move the bill forward only one of the 12 is facing a primary challenger in the next election cycle. That lone Republican is Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. Alexander has already indicated that he will vote to oppose final passage of the bill.

The bill will reduce sequester spending cuts by $63 billion over the next two years.

Following on the heels of the budget bill, will come the omnibus spending bill that Congress will need to approve by mid-January to avoid shutdown.