Harry Reid Warns Senate They’ll Be Spending Christmas In Washington

Congress’s Christmas Break look like it’s going to be either very short or non-existent:

WASHINGTON — The Senate will likely work overtime this holiday season to approve a fiscal cliff package and Sandy relief funding before the end of the year, Majority Leader Harry Reid acknowledged Monday.

“It appears the Senate will be coming back the day after Christmas,” Reid said on the Senate floor.

With Christmas nearing, lawmakers find themselves in a rush to finish an ambitious legislative agenda, including a deal to avert the fiscal cliff and a disaster relief package for states ravaged by superstorm Sandy.

Congress putting things off till the last minute. Where have I seen this before?

FILED UNDER: Congress, US Politics, ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Brummagem Joe says:

    Harry is probably just trying to concentrate minds.

  2. Whitfield says:

    Reid has it backwards. The best thing that Congress could do is to take a two year Christmas break and head overseas on some kind of junket. The president also. When they get back, the fiscal crisis will be over, unemployment at 4%, gas prices lower, lower food prices, and the country is back on its feet. Mr. Reid, Mrs. Pelosi, and the president need to understand that the government is the cause, not the solution.

  3. Let's Be Free says:

    There are certainly worse places to be for Christmas.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7c6c6pK1YQ

    The Senators can sing praise and be thankful.

    Merry Christmas!

  4. grumpy realist says:

    @Whitfield: And what evidence do you have that this will happen?

    (I really wish all posters who think Government Is Evil would put their money where their mouths are and move to one of the countries that has minimal government. Show me how wonderful your life is in Somalia, please….)

  5. Whitfield says:

    @grumpy realist: I did not say that government takes the two year break, I wrote that Congress and the president could leave town for a while.

  6. SC_Birdflyte says:

    My heart bleeds. Most of us who’ve reached a certain age have given up holidays and vacations to meet job demands. There’s no reason why Senators shouldn’t do the same.

  7. Ernieyeball says:

    @Whitfield: Let the bureaucrats run everything with no input from the citizens via elected representatives. Sounds like a great idea Comrade!

  8. Ernieyeball says:

    @SC_Birdflyte: You could be grateful that you have a job with all its demands.

  9. Ben Wolf says:

    @Whitfield:

    Mr. Reid, Mrs. Pelosi, and the president need to understand that the government is the cause, not the solution.

    Why are you lying?

  10. Just 'nutha ig'rant cracker says:

    @Ben Wolf: He (or she)’s not lying–merely paraphrasing Ronaldus Maximus.

    Awk! Wraaawk! Polly wanna cracker!