Democratic leaders are threatening to hold senators in Washington until Sunday, unless an agreement is reached to bring up an Iraq war funding bill before then.

“We’ll either do it the easy way or the hard way, it’s up to the Republicans,” Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., said, adding that he is willing to agree to a 60-vote threshold for passing the bill. The House passed the measure 218-203 late Wednesday night.

The Iraq “bridge fund” legislation, which President Bush has threatened to veto, would mandate that a U.S. troop redeployment begin within 30 days of enactment, with a goal of withdrawing most troops from Iraq by Dec. 15, 2008. The Defense Department would be barred from sending troops into battle unless they were fully trained and equipped. Strict rules against torture techniques from a recently updated Army Field Manual would be extended to all government agencies and employees.

A Senate Republican leadership aide expressed skepticism that Reid would make good on his threat. “Reid has threatened weekend votes at least 14 times; we’ve had one,” the aide said.

The aide declined to say whether Republicans would insist on consideration of their competing war funding bill as a condition of any agreement. That measure, sponsored by Sens. Mitch McConnell , R-Ky., and Ted Stevens , R-Alaska, would give the president $70 billion for war operations without policy restrictions or withdrawal timelines.

Current war funding will expire on Nov. 17. Sen. Charles E. Schumer , D-N.Y., said that if the new war funding measure fails to muster the 60 votes needed to clear the Senate, which is likely, the Pentagon will just have to borrow from the regular $460.3 billion fiscal 2008 defense appropriations bill that Bush signed this week.

“Cabinet members have told us there is enough money to do that at least through February,” Schumer said.

Bart Jansen contributed to this story.