Tom DeLay

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. It is very difficult to say. Unfortunately, as these things happen, a lot of work is coming out of our Committee on Ways and Means. As the gentleman knows, the Committee on Ways and Means is very wrapped up in negotiations on the Medicare bill. They are also heavily involved in the energy conference, and they are just having a tough time getting all of this done. So we would hope we could do that bill some time next week, but we cannot predict that at this particular time, because next week is going to be heavily involved in the energy bill and the Medicare bill.

Mr. DeLAY. I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, the House will convene on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider several measures under suspension of the rules. A final list of those bills will be sent to Members' offices by the end of this week. Any votes called on these measures will be rolled until 6:30 p.m. On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will convene at 10 a.m. for legislative business. We plan to consider H.R. 1829, the Federal Prison Industries Competition in Contracting Act of 2003, as well as H.R. 2443, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2003. We also expect to appoint conferees on several measures and to have additional conference reports ready for the House's consideration. Finally, I would like to note for all members that we do not plan to have votes next Friday, November 7. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and will be happy to answer any questions that he may have.

Mr. DeLAY. I appreciate the gentleman yielding. As the gentleman knows, the CR we passed earlier today does go through next Friday, and, as we get closer to next Friday, we will sometime next week have to reassess the progress of the various appropriations conferences and determine what length of time a likely additional CR would have to run. We are going to spend a lot of time this weekend and the first of next week trying to figure out what the future holds. I do not expect us to have votes on Monday, November 10, or on Tuesday, November 11, which is Veterans' Day, as the gentleman has said. But on Wednesday, if we come back Wednesday, we would not have votes before 6:30 p.m. We do anticipate having votes that week, but I just cannot say how late into the week we would be considering legislation. I can say that we had hoped to finish the first session of this Congress by the first week of October, but, since that time, with the exception of the supplemental that we just passed, we basically have been waiting for the other body to catch up with us. I have repeatedly predicted that we will soon reach the end, but, since we have not, and I am very disappointed that it does not look like we will reach the end by November 7, maybe it is best I just stop guessing as to when we are going to end. But we will give Members as much advance notice as we can. For right now, I must say that Members should not make any pre-Thanksgiving plans.

Mr. DeLAY. Well, if the gentleman will yield further, we still hope to finish both of these bills before we complete the first session. There have been various discussions between both bodies, even though these discussions have not been formal in nature. At this point, I just cannot give a specific time frame for when these discussions will produce a recommendation for the conferees to consider and when the House would consider these final conference reports. There are very difficult discussions going on. We had hoped that we could vote on these two bills next week, but just the physical writing of the bill on Medicare would take 8 to 10 days. So that is why I say Members should not make pre-Thanksgiving plans.

Mr. DeLAY. I appreciate the gentleman yielding. The gentleman brings up many different issues, and I appreciate his concern. Let me just try to answer in this way. On the FAA reauthorization conference report, as the gentleman knows, there were formal conferences held during the whole process of that bill. Many issues were discussed with all the conferees. To be honest with the gentleman, I think it was unfortunate that a formal conference was not called on that bill this week, and I will work to make sure that we follow the rules of the House and formal conferences are held before those conference reports come back to the floor. But I must say that the gentleman knows that it is not unusual to have discussion groups, meetings with all kinds of different people as conference recommendations are being put together for a formal conference meeting. I can assure the gentleman that on the Medicare bill and on the energy bill, formal conferences will be held before those bills come to the floor in the form of a conference report. But just to make this place work, there has to be a lot of meetings, and there is a lot of time spent together with a lot of people to get these big bills put together. The gentleman said that no Democrats have been included in the discussions on the Medicare bill. There are Democrats being consulted in many different forums, including regular discussion groups, so there is Democrat input in the Medicare conference discussions.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield, that is consistent with what I said, in that formal conferences were held on that bill. In fact, the major contentious issue that we debated this week on that bill was dealt with in the conference, as I am informed, as an amendment. So there was discussion and debate on the conference report. What I was referring to was the process which was kind of an unusual process in its own right, of recommitting to a conference, making adjustments to the bill, and bringing it right back. Even with that and all of the discussion that has been going on about this bill, both in formal meetings and informal meetings, frankly, a formal conference should have been held before we brought that conference report to the floor.

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman will yield, I just have to correct the gentleman. There have been, I do not recall how many formal conferences have been called on the energy bill, but I know more than one has been called on the energy bill. I am on the conference on the Medicare bill. I have attended two formal conferences on the Medicare bill, and the House Democrats that are conferees have attended both of those formal conferences on the Medicare bill. As I have said many times on this floor when approached by the gentleman with his concerns, we are holding conferences with Democrats of this House, not conferences; we are holding discussions. I know the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and the chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce have informed me that there have been many discussions with the Democrats, including the ranking member. Not many, but there have been many discussions that include different groups of Democrats about what they would like to see in this bill, including the ranking member. I think, I could be corrected, but I think there was a meeting with the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means and the ranking member and other Democrats on the Committee on Ways and Means about the Medicare bill just this week. So whenever there is a formal conference, the conferees that have been appointed by the Speaker are invited to that conference, and there will be a formal conference before that Medicare bill comes to this floor, as in the form of a conference report.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday next.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, for morning hour debates.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, in the world today, few men live their lives as a model of courage and freedom with as much vigor as Chen Shui-bian. As President of Taiwan, Chen has been a stalwart champion of human rights and an ally of the United States in the war on terror. And during his visit to New York this week, President Chen will be recognized by the International League of Human Rights promoting and defending the inalienable rights of all men to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. With this resolution, the American people will welcome President Chen to our Nation and send a message with him back across the Pacific that the United States stands in solidarity with the people of Taiwan. And during his time in office, President Chen has revealed himself to be a true friend of the American people, and a vital ally in pursuit of our common interests around the world. I was honored to host President Chen myself in Houston in 2001, his first such visit to the United States, during which we took in an Astros game and had the chance to introduce him to Texas cuisine. And I know it did not compare with shark fin soup, but I think he liked it nonetheless. Mr. Speaker, Taiwan is an indisputable success as an ally and as a nation. America's solidarity with Taiwan and her people, the solidarity of freedom, will not be served by convenience nor threatened by bullying. Our brave friend President Chen leads an island of hope, Mr. Speaker, a light shining out from dark shadows of an oppressive tyranny. With this resolution we will tell the citizens of that shining island that we see their light on the horizon and know the sun of freedom is rising over the Pacific. I urge my colleagues to send that message of hope and solidarity to the people of Taiwan and vote for this resolution.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, the American economy in the third quarter of this year gave more indications than ever that we have finally pulled ourselves out of the so-called ``bin Laden slump.'' And thanks to the hard work, resiliency, and ingenuity of the American people, the economy is growing at higher than expected rates, creating jobs, and spurring new investment. The stock market is up. Jobless claims are down, and companies' earnings are roaring past projections, meaning that Americans saving for retirement are strengthening their retirement security. But perhaps the leading economic indicator in the United States today is the Democrat Party's desperate attempt to change the subject. Democrats' recent silence about the economy is understandable, for the rebound has not only taken away one of their principal political messages, it has also demonstrated the wisdom of President Bush's economic agenda, which we have passed over the last 3 years. But just as the economy has responded positively to President Bush's proposals to lower taxes, encourage investment, and instill fiscal discipline, it would react negatively to those policies if they were reversed. The budget-busting spending programs and crippling tax-hike proposals now in favor among the minority would spell disaster for the recovery. They would cost us jobs and stifle innovation, investment, and growth. The lost revenues would put a drain on the national treasury as we move forward to win the war on terror, maintain fiscal accountability, and meet the emerging needs of American seniors. Only through the kind of growth that our job-creation tax relief measures have spurred will we be able to afford all these priorities. There is much more to be done. But the most important item on the economic agenda is to check Democrat tax-and-spend plans to hamstring the recovery. Now that the economy is moving again, we have got to build on that momentum with a job-creating energy bill, fiscally responsible spending bills, and further success in the war on terror. We have made our Nation safer and stronger since 9-11, and thanks to the leadership of President Bush, that security has brought us renewed prosperity. And one does not need to take my word for it, Mr. Speaker. Just listen to the sounds of the Democrat silence.

Mr. DeLAY

Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, it is pretty simple. The House has voted for a bill which covers more families than the Senate bill, and we think that they ought to receive that child tax credit, and they ought to receive it on a permanent basis. The House has spoken, and the Senate does not seem to want to come together with the House and work out our differences.

Mr. DeLAY. If the gentleman will yield, I just want to correct the gentleman, in that the gentleman has been invited to any formal conferences that have been held and I am sure that to finish the work of the conference, formal conferences will be held on these bills so that Members can look at them and make determinations as to whether they will support them or not. If the gentleman is not being invited to formal conferences, let me know, and I will make sure that he gets the invitation.

Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, the House will convene on Tuesday at 12:30 for morning hour debates and 2 p.m. for legislative business. We will consider several measures under suspension of rules. A final list of these bills will be sent to Members' offices by the end of the week. Any votes called on these measures will be rolled until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the House will convene at 10 a.m. for legislative business. We may consider additional legislation under suspension of the rules, as well as H.R. 2443, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2003. Next week we hope to have the conference report for H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act for 2003 ready for consideration, as well as the Department of Defense authorization conference report. And in addition to that, there are four appropriations bills currently in conference that will be ready at any time. Members should also be aware that we will be in session next Friday, October 31, and expect to have votes that day. Finally, I would like to make all of the Members aware that we hope the following week, the week of November 3, will be our last week of the session. We expect our first votes of that week to occur after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, and we anticipate having votes through Friday, November 7. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I will be happy to answer any questions the gentleman may have.

Mr. DeLAY. I am pretty certain we are going to have votes on that day. If Members look at the conference reports and the fact that the present continuing resolution runs out on that day, if things do not go as we expect them, we could have some very important legislation on that day, although we understand that it is Halloween and Members want to be home with their families and want to trick or treat. And hopefully even if we work on that day, we can let Members out in time to go trick or treating.

Mr. DeLAY. I understand.

Mr. DeLAY. As the gentleman knows, any date is tentative at the end of any session; but we are working very hard. The Senate is working very hard. If we get the conference reports that I outlined in my opening remarks next week, then we really only have the Medicare conference report, the finishing of the appropriations process, and we hope that we can do all of that in the next 2 weeks.

Mr. DeLAY. I would hope there would be. I would hope that the Senate would realize that allowing the child tax credit to expire in just a couple of years is actually raising taxes, and would accept the House bill that makes them permanent.

Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, the Committee on Ways and Means is considering a markup in the very near future, and once the committee has completed its work, because this bill has been a work in progress and has taken longer than we thought it would take to mark it up in committee, we have not scheduled time for it. But obviously, it is a very important piece of legislation; and once the committee has completed its work, we will look for floor time to move it. But at this point we cannot give an exact prediction of whether it is next week or the following week.

Mr. DeLAY. A lot of people are working, conferees are working and have been working very hard. I anticipate all four that are eligible in conference, right now, could very well come to the floor sometime next week when they are finished, the Labor-HHS bill, the Interior bill, the Energy and Water bill and the Military Construction bill. These are very close to being settled. At least that is what I am being informed. I think those four bills could very well be voted on by next week.

Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, as the gentleman knows, we do not have to be in session for us to get our work done in conference committees or other committees. People are going to be working the rest of this week to finalize what will be submitted to formal proceedings of the conference committee on the energy bill, the comprehensive energy bill. The gentleman is correct in that it is a very complicated bill. Obviously we want to make sure that Members have enough time to review it so they can vote with some sort of understanding of what is in the bill. Obviously, I cannot predict when the final proceedings on the energy bill will be, but we will get to the Members as soon as we have the paperwork so they can look at the bill and be informed as to how to vote on it.

Mr. DeLAY. A lot of people are working very hard to try to get that very complicated piece of legislation put together. The chairman of the conference continues to work with the various parties interested in reaching a compromise by the end of this session. There have been several bipartisan, informal meetings since last week. I expect that there will be a few more before the end of this week. Hopefully, these meetings will produce a draft product that all the members of the conference can review at the next formal conference meeting. I would anticipate that that would start happening, probably next week or so. We really think it is important to improve and strengthen Medicare and provide the kind of health care that seniors need before we adjourn in this session. A lot of people are working very hard to accomplish that.

Mr. DeLAY. The gentleman knows that we have a strong disagreement as to whether the No Child Left Behind has been fully funded or not. From my perspective, it has been fully funded. I know the gentleman, and I think every Democrat voted against the bill because they wanted more funding. We have that disagreement. As far as what the conference is ultimately going to have, I am not advised. I could not tell the gentleman today if there has been any agreement on whether we are going to give more money than fully funding the No Child Left Behind.

Mr. DeLAY. As the gentleman knows, motions to instruct are not binding. Many times it is just an expression of how you feel that day. The House voted on that issue, put it in the bill, and it is in the House bill. It is a very controversial issue between the House and the Senate. It is one of the issues that the conference committee is struggling with. As far as I know, they have not come to any resolution on how to handle that issue as of yet.