Harry Reid: “I express my appreciation, for the Senate and the staff, to the leader for getting us out of here as early as possible.…”

“I express my appreciation, for the Senate and the staff, to the leader for getting us out of here as early as possible. The weather is treacherous. There was a meeting at the White House that prevented us from getting out earlier. For everyone, I express my appreciation to the leader for adjourning at this time. Senator Inhofe and I just finished a very constructive conversation. I have spoken to Senator Jeffords and to Senator Bond. We feel very good about moving forward on the highway bill next week. I know the chairman of the Finance Committee is here. They are going to meet on Monday to work on a provision on taxes. We can't do the bill unless they do that. I have spoken to the Senators from Alabama and Maryland, Senator Sarbanes and Senator Shelby. They are going to mark their provision up on Tuesday as it deals with mass transit. I hope this most important bill, creating hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of jobs over the next 5 years can be completed before we go for our break in the middle of February.”