Senate

Reid warns of weekend work in order to take off Thanksgiving week

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) warned senators Tuesday that they would be working through upcoming weekends in order to take off the week of Thanksgiving. [WATCH VIDEO]

“We’re going to try to take Thanksgiving week off and the weekend after, but we can’t do it if we’re held up on procedural matters,” Reid said. “We’re going to take off Veterans’ Day, but we’re going to be working weekends.”

{mosads}Last week, Reid announced that during the four-week work period the Senate needed to complete work on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a minimum wage bill and a bill to better regulate compound drugs.

The Senate is expected to complete work on ENDA this week, but Reid said Republicans should agree to yield back debate time to expedite the process. On Monday, the Senate voted 61-30 to end debate on a motion to proceed to the bill.

“We have a way of going forward on this. There is no need to eat up the whole 30 hours of debate,” Reid said. “It may impinge upon the holidays.”

Last Monday, Reid also warned that the Senate would work Fridays — which it rarely does — but then took last Friday off.