Baucus: Dems will work Christmas Day to pass healthcare bill

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) stressed Democrats were ready to work on Christmas Day in order to complete their healthcare bill by the year's end.

The Senate Finance Committee chairman also assured it was quite possible the chamber could invoke cloture on a package of manager's amendments by the beginning of next week, provided Republicans did not force a full reading of the proposals.

That could set up the package for its final vote before the Christmas holiday, Baucus said.

"Once there's 60 votes on the manager's package, maybe cooler heads will prevail," Baucus told reporters. "We won't have to go through the full 30 hours [for cloture]... I'm hopeful that happens."

The senator did acknowledge, however, that Wednesday's forced reading of Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) amendment could spell the beginning of a series of procedural hurdles that ultimately keeps Democrats from passing the healthcare bill before Christmas.

"If every procedural motion available was utilized, that could very well be the result," Baucus said.

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