Barney Frank: “I am puzzled. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for standing up for democratic procedures, but as I understand it, we…”

“I am puzzled. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for standing up for democratic procedures, but as I understand it, we will not be in session. The President does not have an item veto. I am interested to learn that the President is somewhat distrustful apparently of the Republican majority and does not want to sign anything from them without having a chance to hold it up to the light, and maybe he has a point there. But when he reads it if he does not like it, what is he going to do, veto the whole thing? In that case, the CR probably ought to go to March or April. We are giving the President not much of a choice if we go with a CR to the 24th; we are still not in until the 25th. So if the President does catch you at something, and apparently there may be some things in there he is a little nervous about, what is his remedy? Veto the whole omnibus? I mean, if you had not done it in this way, we would all not be in this bind. But it does not make sense to me that even giving the President these extra few days, he will have no remedy if he does find something he does not like, because if he vetoes this, the CR is out on the 24th, then there is nothing and we do not come back until late on the 25th and you have that thing anyway. So I do not understand what this accomplishes, in any case.”