At a quickly scheduled press conference Friday afternoon, Barack Obama encouraged Congress to continue to work on health care legislation and resist the fatigue that comes close to the “finish line.” Bills passed committees in both houses Friday. "I believe that members of Congress are prepared to work as hard as it's going to take to make this happen," the president said. "We're going to be putting in a lot more hours and there are going to be a lot more sleepless nights, but eventually this is going to happen." Obama's enthusiasm runs up against a report released by the Congressional Budget Office saying that the Congressional plans will actually increase health care costs, rather than diminish them. Another possible hitch in his plans: a group of centrist Democrats and Republicans urged a slower timetable for the debate in an open letter.
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