A Senate vote Wednesday frees President Obama to raise the federal debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion.

In the 52 to 44 Senate vote, the chamber failed to invoke cloture on a motion to proceed to a resolution of disapproval on the debt-ceiling increase. The House approved the resolution 239 to 176 earlier this month. Senate passage, though never likely, would have forced Obama to veto the resolution.

Obama’s debt-ceiling increase, which he requested earlier this month, is the second the administration has made under the terms of last summer’s Budget Control Act which ended a long fight over the debt ceiling. It raises the debt ceiling to $16.4 trillion. In both cases, the Republican House has passed and the Democratic Senate has rejected the resolutions.

The votes are symbolic but politically notable. Senate Republicans unanimously voted against the debt ceiling as did all but one House Republicans. That was the intent of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who helped craft the debt-ceiling deal.  In an election year, this month's votes allow Republicans to oppose an unpopular debt-ceiling increase, and force many Democrats to support it, without threatening a default for which the GOP could be blamed.

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., voted against the resolution, continuing a move toward the center in the face of tight reelection race. Democrats opposing the debt ceiling included Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Joe Manchin, D-W.V.