Reid: Senate Can Work Past Christmas

Senators dreaming of Christmas turkey should be thinking more about lame duck, Harry Reid warns. The majority leader says that after the tax cut deal is passed, he wants to address the START treaty, the DREAM Act, health care for 9/11 first responders, and the Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal, Politico reports. "I hate to report all this to you, but there’s still Congress after Christmas,” the Nevadan told reporters. "So if Republicans think because they can stall and stall and stall and if we take a break, we’re through—we're not through. Congress ends on Jan. 4, so we’re going to continue working on this stuff until we get it done.”

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl accused Reid of being disrespectful not just of senators and their staff, but of Christmas itself. "It is impossible to do all of the things that the majority leader laid out," he said, "without disrespecting the institution and without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians and the families of all of the Senate." Over at the House, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer says that while he is hopeful things can be wrapped up by the weekend, "hopeful is not a synonym for optimism." (More Harry Reid stories.)