The Hill News

The Senate will vote to ratify a long-stalled nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia Wednesday afternoon, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said.

At a signing ceremony for legislation repealing "Don't ask, don't tell," Reid told reporters that the upper chamber will hold a vote no later than 2 p.m., according to a White House pool report.

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is poised to be ratified when it comes up for a vote. The Senate voted to advance the legislation Tuesday by a vote of 67-28, which would be a wide enough margin to approve the treaty under the Constitution.

After holding up the treaty for months, 11 Republican senators voted to move forward on the treaty Tuesday. Two-thirds of senators present need to vote to ratify! the pact.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he will vote against the treaty, objecting to its contents and the timing of the ratification vote. 

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Wednesday indicated that President Obama will likely address the media. Ratifying START is one of the few remaining top priorities of the White House in the lame-duck session.