Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D., Md.) has become the 16th Democrat to sign onto a Senate push to pass a public option via reconciliation. The list also includes Sens: Michael Bennett (Colo.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Tom Udall (N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), Al Franken (Minn.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), John Kerry (Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Roland Burris (Ill.).

UPDATE: Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D., N.J.) has added his name to the list.

Meanwhile, on the House side, Majority Whip James Clyburn (D., S.C.) said he wouldn’t be surprised if the public option made it back into the bill via reconciliation:

“So I think so far as the public option is concerned, if you’re going to do a 50-vote or a 50-plus-one strategy, rather than a 60-vote strategy, I’m not too sure that the public option cannot be a part of this plan,” Clyburn said during an appearance on MSNBC.
“Because we were trying to get the 60 votes by dropping the public option, so if you’re not going to do a 60-vote strategy but instead a 50-plus-one strategy, the public option could very well be a part of this package,” the whip added.

UPDATE II: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has added his name to the list. That makes 18.