David Obey: “Mr. Speaker, I frankly have misgivings and mixed feelings about this continuing resolution. People who know me know that…”

“Mr. Speaker, I frankly have misgivings and mixed feelings about this continuing resolution. People who know me know that I have a black Irish soul and that I often worry about the downside of life, but even I, until 2 days ago, was very optimistic that we would be able to get out of here with all of our work done on the appropriation bills without the need for a continuing resolution. Indeed, up until 2 days ago, I think we were on that track. But then something happened, because all of a sudden the flexibility which we thought we saw on the part of that side of the aisle and this side of the aisle all of a sudden seemed to disappear, and now we have heard disturbing rumors about the linkage of fast track legislation with the remaining appropriation bills. And I must say that I find it disconcerting to go into a conference on the State-Justice-Commerce appropriation bill today and to discover that the conferees are being told that they must begin the conference without knowing what the language is that we will be asked to vote on issues such as the census, for instance.”