Almost there! Sens. Max Baucus, Harry Reid and Chris Dodd approach the podium to speak after the Senate voted Christmas Eve morning to pass health care reform. The bill will now be merged with the House bill and must survive another series of votes before making it to the President’s desk.
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President Obama speaks briefly following the vote. “These are no small reforms,” he said, adding that the bill is the biggest social legislation since Social Security, and the biggest health care legislation since Medicare.
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The ailing but cheerful Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) arrives to vote on health care. “This is for my friend, Ted Kennedy. Aye,” he said.
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Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), the House’s longest serving member, arrives at Capitol Hill. He said he was there to thank his colleagues for the vote.
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A handful of anti-reform protesters stand outside in the pre-dawn cold.
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Vice President Biden looks on while Obama thanks senators for passing the bill. Biden, in his constitutional capacity as president of the Senate, presided over the vote Thursday morning.
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Sens. Dick Durbin, Chuck Schumer, Max Baucus and Harry Reid prepare for their press conference.
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Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) relaxes after the vote as he chats with a legislative aide about the upcoming recess.
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Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) chat before the Senate vote.
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