What we're hearing: If the measures fail to get the 10 Republican votes needed to meet the 60-vote Senate threshold, some Democrats hope to tack them on to whatever infrastructure and economic recovery package evolve this spring. Top Senate Democrats have already signaled they plan to use the reconciliation process to pass Biden's mammoth infrastructure bill, which would allow it to pass via simple majority vote. 

Between the lines: Democrats and immigration advocates hope they can get 10 Republicans to possibly pass a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and farmworkers as those bills have received some bipartisan support in the past. At the very least, it’s politically savvy to force Republicans to openly deny a pathway to citizenship for the millions of so-called Dreamers, young people living in the U.S. illegally who were brought here as children — as it’s a proposal that enjoys wide popularity.