SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. December 24  – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) returned to Vermont and issued the following statement today after the Senate voted 60 to 39 for health care reform legislation.

“The bill is not as strong as I wanted and I will work to improve it, but it begins to move this country toward the long-time goal of providing comprehensive, affordable health care for all Americans. The legislation would provide health insurance for 31 million people, end the odious practice of denying care for people with pre-existing conditions, and provide affordable primary care and low-cost prescription drugs for 25 million more Americans in 10,000 more communities. We can do better, but this is an important step forward.”