[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 4, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H999-H1000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. WESTMORELAND asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida 
for the purpose of announcing next week's schedule.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I thank my good friend from Georgia for 
yielding.
  On Monday, the 9th of February, the House will meet at 2 p.m. for 
legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday, 
the 10th, the House will meet at 12:30 p.m. for morning hour and at 2 
p.m. for legislative business. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the 
House will meet at 10 a.m. for legislative business.
  We will consider several bills under suspension of the rules. The 
complete list of suspension bills will be announced by the close of 
business on Friday.
  We also expect to consider S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management 
Act of 2009; and in addition, pending Senate action on H.R. 1, the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we anticipate House action on 
that legislation.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, as to the public 
lands omnibus bill, I want to note for the gentleman: The bill that he 
has announced for next week, the public lands omnibus bill, is a bill 
that actually contains 130 separate bills, and it authorizes $10 
billion in taxpayer spending. Given our current economy, I would think 
that Congress should engage in the same belt-tightening that so many 
Americans, our constituents, are having to do every day.

                              {time}  1630

  Next week, we'll consider an almost $1 trillion stimulus and a $10 
billion massive lands bill, and at some point in the near future, we're 
going to have to understand that we are going to have to streamline the 
amount of spending that we're doing.
  I'd like to ask the gentleman, will there be a bill on the floor next 
week to offset at least some of the massive spending the Congress is 
considering? And I'd yield to the gentleman for the response.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  As the gentleman knows, we're very focused on fiscal discipline, and 
we're very concerned about our ever-increasing deficit. Now, we look 
forward to working with Chairman Spratt and our new President on a 
budget that's going to reduce spending and bring down our deficit, and 
we look forward to working with the gentleman and his colleagues on 
fiscal issues in the future.
  As you well know, among other things, our goal continues to be to 
find a balance for the need for action during an economic crisis with 
our desire to go through the legislative process.
  I could go at length with my good friend regarding how we got where 
we are, but in anticipation of the need to continue the rest of the 
business of the day, I'll leave it at that.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Thank you. And reclaiming my time, I'd like to 
remind the gentleman that is a history lesson, and I think the people 
of our country and our constituents right now are looking to the future 
and what we're going to be doing in the future. And in particular, the 
history that you're talking about about the past administration and the 
past Congresses, let me just remind my friend that we're spending about 
$100 million a minute in this Congress, and so I'm glad to hear that 
the gentleman from Florida, my friend, is aware of the amount of money 
and the amount of deficit and the amount of debt that we're piling up.
  And I'd like to remind the gentleman, also, that just down the road 
we will be considering a $410 billion omnibus spending bill and likely 
another supplemental of the amount of work that was not done in the 
last Congress about coming up with these appropriation bills, and we're 
having to do it in one bundle, and I think the American people 
certainly have a concern about that spending.
  But let me comment on something that my friend from Florida said, and 
that was the bipartisanship here. And like our new President, your 
fellow Democrats in Congress and you have often spoken optimistically 
about bipartisanship and about including Republican ideas in the 
stimulus. Well, I'd like to remind my friend that only 4 percent of 
Republican ideas were even considered on the floor of this House, the 
people's House, a house for open debate about such issues, especially 
of the importance of the type of spending that we've been doing. And of 
the few Republican amendments adopted in committee, the majority of 
those were either dropped or altered before the bill ever got to the 
floor, and to me, that's not acting in a spirit of bipartisanship.
  And worse yet, the Speaker is yet to meet with the Republicans to 
hear our ideas. President Obama has had about three meetings with our 
leadership and listened to our ideas, but yet, the Speaker of this 
body, the body we're a part of, has not even met with Republicans yet 
to get some ideas.
  So you've announced that we're moving the convening time next week 
from Tuesday to Monday and this will ensure that negotiations on a $1 
trillion spending bill occurs while most Members are not even going to 
be in town.
  I'd like to ask the gentleman, what opportunities will Republicans be 
given next week or anytime in the future, but especially next week, to 
increase tax relief in the bill and cut wasteful spending before the 
stimulus is voted on again? And I'd yield to my friend from Florida to 
answer.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding. You have 
raised two issues at least that give me an opportunity to express the 
views of the leadership.
  As I said before, our goals continue to be to find a balance between 
the need for action while we have this economic crisis and our desire 
to go through the legislative process. The leadership has urged our 
colleagues in the other body to complete action on the recovery bill in 
a timely fashion, even if it means they have to work through the 
weekend.
  In addition, we've scheduled an additional day, as you point to, of 
legislative business next week so we can begin the process of 
conferencing with the Senate.
  Also, I would remind the gentleman that the Appropriations, Ways and 
Means, and Energy and Commerce Committees all held full markups.
  Per the gentleman's request during our last colloquy, the Rules 
Committee, as I'm sure the gentleman knows that I'm privileged and 
honored to serve on, waived PAYGO points of order and made a Republican 
substitute in order. In addition, Chairwoman Slaughter of the Rules 
Committee put out a call for amendments.
  Speaking of bipartisanship, there was an evenly balanced number, at 
least 6-5. There were six Democratic amendments made in order, four 
Republican amendments, and one bipartisan amendment were considered 
last week on the floor.
  Now, we're going to continue to listen to Republican ideas throughout 
the conference process and look forward to working with the gentleman 
and his colleagues.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. I reclaim my time, and I'd just like to say to the 
gentleman, I know that there was over 200 amendments offered.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. 206.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. 210 amendments offered, and about 95 of those were 
Republican, and so if I'm hearing

[[Page H1000]]

the gentleman correctly--and I will yield for an answer--only four of 
those were worth having a vote on the floor?
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. No. Thank you for yielding. As I indicated 
to you, there were substantial markups. For example, the Appropriations 
Committee met for over 8 hours, and Republicans as well as Democrats 
had an opportunity to offer their amendments.
  You understand and your colleagues understand the process, and I can 
make this anecdotal and personal. My amendment was not made in order, 
and I serve on the Rules Committee. I would hope that the gentleman 
would understand the dynamics of the process.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Reclaiming my time, and I certainly do understand 
that and the rules process that y'all so patiently sit in. But I also 
understand the committee process and the part of process that the 
American people expect us to go through, and these bills did go through 
Ways and Means and I know the Energy and Commerce.
  But I do know that in the Energy and Commerce Committee there were 
several amendments voted on in Energy and Commerce that were Republican 
amendments that passed and that the amendments were stripped out of the 
bill before it ever got to the Rules Committee before it ever got to 
the floor.
  And I'd love to yield to the gentleman to see if he has some type of 
recollection that that did happen and to find out how these things got 
taken out of a bill that was passed through that committee.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. If the gentleman will yield, I am certainly 
not aware of that, and I speak constantly with the majority leader, and 
I'm not of the mind that the majority leader is aware either.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Well, reclaiming my time, I would hope that my 
friend would check into that for me so if we have this colloquy again 
we can do that.
  And let me say that I'd like to tell the gentleman, that where the 
President has set an example, the congressional Democrats have not 
really followed that as far as acting bipartisan.
  And one last question that I'd yield to the gentleman for an answer 
is you mentioned that there would be a conference on H.R. 1 if it comes 
back from the Senate this weekend perhaps. I don't know if the other 
body's going to work this weekend or not, but let's say they do and 
there's a conference that's set up for Monday on H.R. 1. Are there 
going to be any Republicans included in that conference committee?
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. As is always the case, first, coming from 
the other body, as you well know, they're in the process now of dealing 
with a substantial number of amendments that are being offered by 
Republicans and Democrats. I can't speak to the conferencing numbers 
and to its breakdown as it were.
  What I do know is that a conference is going to be scheduled, and on 
yesterday I personally visited Members of the Senate, and I have it on 
good information that they are going to work through a substantial 
portion of the weekend, and I suspect that those committees that are 
the committees of germane jurisdiction will contemplate the ideas of 
Republicans and Democrats in the conference.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Well, reclaiming my time, could the gentleman just 
tell me if there will be one Republican on the conference committee?
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I cannot speak for those that are the Chairs 
and/or the appointment of members of the conference committee.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Well, reclaiming my time, I hope that our 
leadership in this House would work in a bipartisan manner, and even 
though we've been shut out of the process so far, if there is a 
conference committee, that we would at least be included.
  And with that, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Florida.

                          ____________________