[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10821-S10822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, following the remarks of the two leaders, 
the Senate will proceed to a period of morning business until noon 
today, with Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 minutes each.
  Those three bills that were reported are three tax bills. I have been 
in touch with the distinguished Republican leader. Those are 
placeholders for purposes of our having the opportunity to get to the 
Detroit bailout, recovery plan, whatever we wish to call it.
  I talked to my staff; they were up virtually most of the night 
working with the Banking Committee from the House and the Senate, and 
there are two remaining issues that have been discussed with the White 
House. I am confident those matters can be resolved within the next 
hour or so. They are both important issues, but I think they can be 
resolved. That having been done, we will confer, Senator McConnell and 
I, and decide how we are going to proceed. I think it would be to 
everyone's advantage that we move first, but we will have to wait and 
see how. The House can do that if they choose to.
  We would hope they can complete work on this Detroit situation 
tonight or tomorrow. Then we have to wait for the White House to 
determine what, if anything, they are going to do with requesting the 
other money from the TARP money; that is, the bank bailout. That 
decision has not been made yet.
  Members, I have received calls, as I am sure my distinguished 
counterpart has, that people have obligations at home, there are a 
number of important foreign meetings people wish to be involved in that 
they have set on their calendars for longstanding periods of time. 
These are not pleasure trips, they are business trips representing the 
Senate. We hope to be able to complete work here as soon as possible. 
The problem is we have to wait and see how we move through this. The 
Senate, being the unique legislative body it is, and it has been, one 
or two people can slow things down quite a bit. We hope that is not the 
case. We know what we have to try to do. We need to do it as quickly as 
possible.
  So I hope that, in fact, can be done; that is, the legislation can be 
put before us and a vote taken.
  On the reading of bills, the second reading, I would object to any 
further

[[Page S10822]]

proceedings with respect to these bills. I do it en bloc.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered. The measures will be placed on the calendar under rule XIV.

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