Reid warns Senate they could stay in Washington through Thanksgiving

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday the Senate could work through the weekend and into next week, staying in town while the supercommittee works on a deficit deal.

Reid said the Senate would not recess for Thanksgiving unless lawmakers had made substantial progress on the Defense authorization bill. That would keep lawmakers in Washington with members of the supercommittee, which is racing to meet its Nov. 23 deadline.

In the past, Reid has threatened to force colleagues to work over the weekend or into the start of a recess to give them a sense of urgency.

A House GOP leadership aide said he did not know whether Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would keep the House in session through the weekend or into next week.

“I know everyone wants to get home for Thanksgiving. We all do. But we have an obligation here,” Reid told colleagues on the Senate floor. “After Thanksgiving, we have only a few weeks to get everything done.

“If we have procedural obstacles on that very important legislation, it will mean we have to work the weekend into next week,” he said of the Defense authorization measure. “I want to make sure everyone understands that.”

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