Senate Will Stay In Session Christmas Eve For Health Care Vote

The Senate will remain in session Christmas eve to continue debate on health care reform legislation.

“We will be here Christmas eve completing work on this bill,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday afternoon following his party’s policy luncheon. “I think it’s important that we take the time to analyze it every way we can before the final votes are taken in the Senate.”

While the rules of the Senate provide 30 hours of debate following cloture, there were hopes among Senate Democrats that the minority party would accept an agreement to move the vote up to Wednesday.

Earlier Tuesday, McConnell stated on the Senate floor that he and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would pursue an agreement to bring the health care reform debate to a sensible end.

"[Reid and I] are working on an agreement that will give certainty to the way to end this session,” said McConnell. “Hopefully, the two of us together can be recommending something that makes sense for both sides in the not too distant future.”

McConnell could not confirm when he expects the Senate to hold their vote on the 24th.