Steny Hoyer

As I understand it, from your announcement, the tax reconciliation bill will also be on the floor next week? I yield to my friend.

I thank the gentleman. The current CR, as you know, runs out on Friday. First of all, presumably, we anticipate another CR coming. I am sure we have to have another CR at least for some agencies. How long do you think that CR would run? I…

Do you know how early in the week that might be? Obviously, as you know, there is a very important motion to instruct which would be in order at that time. Many of our Members are concerned about that. Would you know when possibly that…

Reclaiming my time, you believe it will come, but you are not sure that it will come before Thanksgiving. Is that I what I get from what you just said? I yield to my friend.

Let me go to another subject because the gentleman and I could go on all day about this, and that is what the Members fear. Immigration. This is an issue on which many of us have focused, on which great concern has been expressed. I am…

Had Jefferson been questioned on that observation, he would have said it does not necessarily mean that both conclusions are correct.

As a matter of fact, I would be glad to engage my friend in that debate. We can take an hour out and debate that.

In nominal terms it was larger. In actual terms, not in nominal, in actual terms if you made $5 in 1993 and you make $5.10 now, you are technically making more money. Nobody in the world believes you are making more money. And that…

I am sure that all of us want to work this out, and I appreciate that comment. Let me go, if I might now, to appropriations conference reports. They are not listed here, other than obviously we anticipate that there may well be…

As I said, my presumption is that we will try to make sure, I say we, the Speaker's Office will try to make sure that we accommodate Members who are going, because I presume there will be a substantial number.

And then given the fact that the Speaker's Office obviously is making these arrangements, I yield to my friend.

Could the gentleman give some idea as to when you believe that Members who attend the 11 o'clock funeral would be able to get back to Washington vis-a-vis votes?

You do not mention Friday. There is one bill mentioned, plus perhaps conference reports on appropriations bills. Do you anticipate that we will be meeting Friday next, or that Members can be reasonably confident that we will complete our…

I think most of the public believes that we hopefully are servants. The adjective I am not sure that they always agree with.

So the public understands and our colleagues understand, what I indicated was that the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), the ranking Democrat on this committee, who has been here over a quarter of a century, wants to offer an…

I appreciate his answer. Reclaiming my time, on appropriations conference reports, prior to the Thanksgiving recess, can he tell us how many he anticipates might be ready, obviously realizing that the other body's actions are difficult to…

Reclaiming my time, if am I to understand about the discussions then as to what would be in the CR, the advice I would have, for whatever it might be worth, is that we try to consider it prior to Friday, in light of the fact that Friday is…

There was thought that we might meet tomorrow; that is obviously not happening. It is my understanding Friday is on the schedule for next week. Can the gentleman tell me how likely it would be that Friday, while there for contingencies…

Reclaiming my time, given that assumption, can the gentleman tell me when he would expect to have on the floor a continuing resolution, in light of the fact we clearly will not have passed most of the appropriations bills prior to the end…

Would that be 6:30? I hate to press the point; but, obviously, Members, for purposes of planning and travel and reservations, need to have pretty precise knowledge of when they have to be back here for votes. I yield to my friend.

Reclaiming my time, the last bill I would ask you about is the subject matter that has been one of the biggest subjects that we have been considering this year. The President put it on the agenda, the Social Security privatization, private…

If the gentlemen from Texas (Mr. DeLay) does not object, let me yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), the ranking member, because I know he has worked very hard with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley), as you well know…

Does the gentleman have any thoughts at this point in time regarding the length of time of the initial CR that we would consider? I yield to my friend. Mr. DeLAY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. No, I have not been advised by the…

Reclaiming my time, I am presuming, and there was some discussion about this last week, that at some point in time in the next couple of weeks, we are going to have to do some sort of continuing resolution. Is that the gentleman's belief…

I thank the leader for those comments. On a more immediate basis, next week we are scheduled obviously to come in on Tuesday at 12:30, and Friday is on the schedule. Is it the majority leader's expectation that we will probably be in on…