OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

TRANSCRIPT

Whip Hoyer Welcomes the New Majority Leader in the Week's Colloquy
February 16, 2006

I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO SPEAK OUT OF ORDER FOR ONE MINUTE FOR THE PURPOSE OF INQUIRING OF THE MAJORITY LEADER FOR THE SCHEDULE OF THE MONTH TO COME. MR. SPEAKER, AM I RECOGNIZED? THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: YES. MR. HOYER: THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS TO MY GOOD FRIEND, JOHN BOEHNER, CONGRATULATIONS. ON HIS ELECTIONS AS MAJORITY LEADER. IT ISES A GREAT HONOR TO BE SELECTED BY YOUR COLLEAGUES -- IT IS A GREAT HONOR TO BE SELECTED BY YOUR COLLEAGUES, OF THE HOUSE, OF COURSE, BUT OF YOUR OWN PARTY TO BE ONE OF ITS LEADERS. JOHN BOEHNER HAS BEEN A LEADER IN HIS PARTY FOR MANY YEARS NOW . CHAIRMAN OF A MAJOR COMMITTEE, SPONSOR OF ONE OF THE HALLMARK PIECESES OF LEGISLATION THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION POINTS TO AS A GREAT SUCCESS. HE WORKED IN A BIPARTISAN FASHION ON THAT BILL. AND I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH HIM. I KNOW OUR SIDE OF THE AISLE LOOKS FORWARD TO WORKING WITH HIM. I WANT TO CONGRATULATE HIM ON HIS ELECTION. NOW, MR. LEADER, LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT A COUPLE THINGS THEN I'LL MENTION THE PATRIOT ACT. I KNOW WE ARE NOT SURE WHAT THAT STATUS IS. BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PIECES OF LEGISLATION, THREE PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT WE DO ANTICIPATE IN THE RELATIVELY NEAR FUTURE. I WONDER IF YOU MIGHT COMMENT ON THEM. I KNOW WE ARE NOT MEETING NEXT WEEK. WON'T BE BACK UNTIL THE 29TH -- 28TH OF FEBRUARY. BUT THE TAX RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE REPORT. I TALKED TO MR. RANGEL ABOUT THAT THIS MORNING. HIS UNDERSTANDING IS THE CONFERENCE IS ONGOING. MIGHT YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT THE TKS RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE REPORT -- WHEN THE TAX RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE REPORT, ACOUPLING IT IS APPROVED, MIGHT COME TO THE FLOOR? I YIELD TO MY FRIEND. MR. BOEHNER: I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE FOR YIELDING AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS OF SUCCESS. IT IS AN HONOR TO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN. AS SOME OF YOU CAN RECALL SOME WORDS THAT I SAID EARLIER WHEN I WON, I FELT LIKE THE DOG WHO CAUGHT THE CAR. I HAD MY TEETH ON THE BUMPER, MAYBE THEY ARE JUST AROUND THE BUMPER TODAY. BUT I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE FOR HIS KIND WORDS. THE HOUSE WILL HAVE A DISTRICT WORK PERIOD NEXT WEEK. BUT WHEN WE COME BACK AND IN THE WEEKS FOLLOWING UP TO THE EASTER RECESS, I WOULD EXPECT THAT THE HOUSE WILL DEAL WITH THE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET. I BELIEVE THAT THE HOUSE AND SENATE WILL RECEIVE TODAY A SUPPLEMENTAL SPENDING REQUEST FROM THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE ONGOING EFFORTS IN IRAQ AND THE -- MR. HOYER: MR. SPEAKER. I'M HAVING DIFFICULTY HEARING THE MAJORITY LEADER. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN IS CORRECT. WILL MEMBERS PLEASE TAKE THEIR CONVERSATIONS OFF THE FLOOR. MR. BOEHNER: WE EXPECT THE SUPPLEMENTAL WILL INCLUDE MONEY FOR THE ONGOING EFFORTS IN IRAQ AND THE WAR ON TERROR. AND WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE REQUESTS WILL INCLUDE MONEY FOR THE ONGOING EFFORTS IN KATRINA AND RITA AND THE CLEANUP EFFORTS IN THE GULF AREA. SO SOME TIME OVER THE NEXT MONTH OR SO, SIX WEEKS, WE EXPECT WE'LL BE TAKING THAT UP. WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT WHEN WE GET BACK MAYBE IN THE WEEK, THE FIRST WEEK WE ARE BACK, POSSIBLE MOTION TO GO TO CONFERENCE ON THE PENSION BILL. THE TAX RECONCILIATION CONFERENCE IS UNDER WAY. IT'S HARD TO PREDICT WHEN THEY WILL COME TO AN AGREEMENT, BUT I DON'T -- I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF IT WERE THE WEEK THAT WE CAME BACK. MR. HOYER: THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION. MR. LOORD, IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET IT -- MR. LEADER, IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET ITSELF, THE BUDGET RESOLUTION FOR 2007, WHEN IS YOUR EXPECTATION THAT THAT MIGHT BE ON THE FLOOR? WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT MIGHT BE MARKED UP IN COMMITTEE, THE FIRST WEEK IN MARCH. WOULD IT BE YOUR EXPECTATION IT WOULD BE ON THE FLOOR THE SECOND WEEK IN MARCH? I YIELD TO MY FRIEND. MR. BOEHNER: THAT'S A BIT UNCLEAR AS YET. THAT WOULD BE NICE IF WE COULD DO IT THAT SECOND WEEK IN MARCH, BUT I DON'T THINK -- I THINK IT'S TOO EARLY TO PREDICT EXACTLY WHEN IT WILL BE ON THE FLOOR. MR. HOYER: I THANK THE GENTLEMAN FOR THAT. THE SUPPLEMENTAL, YOU MENTIONED THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION. WE UNDERSTAND IT MAY BE COMING DOWN TODAY. HAS IT COME DOWN? I DON'T KNOW -- IT'S SUPPOSED TO ARRIVE TODAY. DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION AS TO HOW QUICKLY WE WOULD ATTEMPT TO CONSIDER AND MOVE THE SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION BILL? I YIELD TO MY FRIEND. MR. BOEHNER: CLEARLY SOMETIME IN THE COMING WEEKS, BUT I THINK THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE WILL HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL LOOKING AT THE REQUEST, GOING THROUGH ALL OF THE ITEMS IN THE REQUEST, AND I THINK WE'D LIKE TO HAVE IT THROUGH THE HOUSE BEFORE THE EASTER RECESS. BUT AGAIN, THEY'VE GOT AN AWFUL LOT OF WORK TO DO IN THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE. MR. HOYER: I THANK THE LEADER FOR THOSE COMMENTS. I WOULD SAY, MR. LEADER, NOT AS A QUESTION BUT AS AN OBSERVATION, AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A GREAT DEAL OF CONCERN ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE WITH REFERENCE TO THE PATRIOT ACT, THE PROVISIONS IN THE PATRIOT ACT, AND TO THE EXTENSION OF THE PATRIOT ACT. OBVIOUSLY, THE MAJORITY OF THE PATRIOT ACT IS IN PERMANENT LAW, BUT THERE ARE SOME PORTIONS THAT NEED TO BE RE-AUTHORIZE. . I DO NOT ASK YOU A QUESTION, BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS STILL UP IN THE AIR, BUT WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT AS SOON AS YOU MIGHT -- AS THE MAJORITY MAY HAVE A BETTER VIEW OF THE SCHEDULING OF THE PATRIOT ACT, THE SOONER YOU COULD INFORM US OF THAT -- MR. BOEHNER: IF THE GENTLEMAN WILL YIELD. MR. HOYER: I'LL BE GLAD TO YIELD TO MY FRIEND. MR. BOEHNER: THE SENATE HAS TAKEN UP THE RE-AUTHORIZATION OF THE PATRIOT ACT. WHEN THE SENATE COMPLETES THEIR WORK, IT WILL COME HERE, AND I THINK THOSE OF US IN THE HOUSE NEVER WANT TO PREDICT THE SPEED AT WHICH THE SENATE MAY OR MAY NOT MOVE THIS BILL. MR. HOYER: RECLAIMING MY TIME, I WILL TELL THE MAJORITY LEADER THAT I WILL NOT ASK ANY QUESTIONS TRYING TO PREDICT THE ACTIONS OF THE OTHER HOUSE IN THE FUTURE. AND I THANK HIM FOR HIS COMMENTS AND I YIELD BACK THE BALANCE OF MY TIME AND, AGAIN, CONGRATULATE THE LEADER ON HIS ELECTION. I YIELD BACK THE BALANCE OF MY TIME.