David Obey: “As the gentleman well knows, we have stayed here for three weekends waiting to find someone to negotiate with. And as…”

“As the gentleman well knows, we have stayed here for three weekends waiting to find someone to negotiate with. And as the gentleman also knows, no one with the power to make decisions on the issues has been here. I do not have any intention of sitting around for another weekend waiting for the persons who have the authority to make the decisions to come around. It is obvious that the chairman from the other body is not prepared to make any movement whatsoever in negotiations. It is also obvious that it is the leadership of both caucuses that is making the decision about what the contents are in these bills. And so far as I know, they are going to be roaming around the country again, which is their right, performing their duties on behalf of candidates running for reelection. But I am not about to again not go to my own district waiting for meetings that will not happen. We asked that people be prepared to meet at 10 o'clock Monday morning. We laid an offer on the table. We are giving their side and both the Senate and the House Chambers an opportunity to respond to it, and we have asked and Senator Stevens has indicated that he would like to meet on Monday to discuss this. My question would be, when will the Speaker and the majority leader and the majority whip in this House and the majority leader on the Senate side and the majority whip on the Senate side be available next week so that we can in fact get these decisions made?”