DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement on Nov. 21, 2009, after the Senate voted 60-39 to begin full debate of the health insurance reform bill:

"Today, the Senate took another historic step on the road to enacting health insurance reform. By clearing this first procedural hurdle, senators will now have an opportunity to debate the health reform bill on the Senate floor and continue to make progress on delivering health insurance reform to the American people. I want to extend my congratulations to Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Dick Durbin for their tenacity in bringing the bill to the floor, and thank countless other senators for their commitment to reform as the Senate begins this historic debate.

"While unfortunate, it's not terribly surprising that no Republicans voted in favor of the motion to proceed. Defenders of the status quo have been working to derail reform for months -- unfortunately, their obstructionist, just-say-no tactics represent more of the same. No matter. We know that there are some members of the Republican Party who understand the urgent need for health insurance reform and we remain hopeful that we can continue to work with those members to find common ground on this historic effort to pass health insurance reform that provides greater security and stability to Americans who have insurance and more quality affordable options to those who don't. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would bring down the skyrocketing costs of care for American families, businesses and our government, and reduce the national deficit $130 billion by 2019.

"We've been trying to reform our broken system since Harry Truman was president -- now, we're in the home stretch. This time, President Obama and Congressional Democrats will deliver health insurance reform to the American people."