Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin, led a bipartisan group that quietly built sufficient Republican support for the measure. Credit: Haiyun Jiang / The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed landmark legislation on Tuesday to mandate federal recognition for same-sex marriages, as a lame-duck Congress mustered a notable moment of bipartisanship before Democrats were to lose their unified control of Capitol Hill.

The 61-to-36 vote put the bill on track to become law in the final weeks before Republicans assume the majority in the House of Representatives at the start of the new Congress in January. It marked one of the final major legislative achievements for Democrats before Republicans shift the focus in the House to conducting investigations of President Biden’s administration and family members.

The bill must now win final approval by the House, which would clear it for Mr. Biden’s signature. Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland and the majority leader, said that chamber would move quickly to pass it, acting as soon as next week.

But its embrace in the Senate, where proponents […]

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