Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have given the senators an early Christmas present by agreeing to hold the vote on the passage of the Senate health reform bill around 8 a.m. this Thursday, instead of 7 p.m. as they had initially planned.
This will be the first time in 114 years that the Senate has held roll call on Christmas Eve, according to the Senate library.
Reid promised a few weeks back that a decision would be made before Christmas, and it looks like the Senate is coming right down to the wire. Thursday is Christmas Eve, and thanks to the scheduling change, senators who celebrate the holiday will be able to spend time with their family rather than at work.
The final vote on the health care legislation was initially scheduled for after 7 p.m. because Republicans said they would need to use the entire 30 hours of debate allowed under the rules after a filibuster has been cut off.
