Senate Democrats are planning on extending the home buyer tax credit by combining it with a bill to extend unemployment insurance.

Democrats hope to pick up Republican support for the bill by combining the two provisions. They have been trying for weeks to pass an extension of unemployment benefits as part of a larger tax and spending package, but the larger bill died in the Senate last week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., filed a motion Tuesday to end debate on the bill and force a vote by Thursday — if Democrats can round up the necessary 60 votes to end a Republican filibuster.

As the Associated Press notes, "The homebuyer tax credit is a much easier sell."