Schumer Confirms Aim Of Passing Build Back Better Before Christmas

In a 'Dear Colleagues' letter, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) confirms that it is still his intention to pass the Build Back Better bill by Christmas, as well as a number of other major pieces of legislation.

• "Now that the House has passed the reconciliation bill, our goal in the Senate is to pass the legislation before Christmas and get it to the president’s desk. Of course, there are other priorities we plan to address before the end of the year as well, including voting rights, debt limit, NDAA, among others."
• Schumer also raises the prospect of an extended Senate session going deep into the time when Congress would usually be on Christmas break, stating that "...there are more long days and nights, and potentially weekends, that the Senate will be in session this month. For this coming week, we anticipate processing nominations and a final conference agreement on NDAA. Due to the time it may take to process those items in the Senate without cooperation, Senators should prepare for potential weekend votes"
• Even with an extended session and weekend votes, the prospect of passing BBB by Christmas looks slim. Democratic senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) remain reluctant to voice support for the plan at present.