[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 71 (Monday, May 11, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5303-S5304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                SCHEDULE

  Mr. REID. After leader remarks, if there are any, we will be in a 
period of morning business until 3:30. Following morning business, the 
Senate will proceed to the consideration of the credit card 
legislation. Under a previous order, Senators Dodd and Shelby will be 
recognized. Senator Dodd will offer the Dodd-Shelby substitute 
amendment. There will be no rollcall votes today.
  While we are talking about the schedule, I haven't had the 
opportunity yet to speak to the Republican leader, but I will as soon 
as we can work out a time to visit today. It appears that we have no 
alternative but to have votes next Monday. We have a number of 
nominations. I have to file cloture on all of them. It doesn't work out 
otherwise. There are certain things we have to do before we go. We have 
the credit card legislation. We need to do the supplemental 
appropriations bill. I am confident we can work something out on that. 
That should go fairly quickly. The only thing that I see that could 
cause some concern is the closing of Guantanamo. Senator McCain, 
Senator Obama, during the campaign, indicated they thought it should be 
closed. I agree with them. The issue is what we do with the prisoners 
who are there.
  What the House has done is just have nothing in the bill. What 
Senator Inouye and Senator Cochran have done, or they will do--I guess 
they will mark it up Thursday--Senator Inouye told me they were going 
to fence the money so it wouldn't be available until the President came 
up with a plan and that there be no prisoners brought to the United 
States during this fiscal year. But that looks like an issue that could 
cause a little bit of debate.
  I have laid out what the two issues are and how we are trying to 
resolve them, but we are going to have to have votes next Monday. We 
have a number of nominations. I have tried lots of different ways to 
get them done. But it appears the only thing we can do is file cloture. 
There are three we have to do.
  There is legislation that we need to complete because of what is 
happening in the financial world that deals with the Federal Deposit 
Insurance Corporation and calls for setting up a bipartisan 9/11-type 
commission to take a look at what has happened, what caused the 
financial breakdown. It is offered by Senators Conrad and Isakson. We 
need to finish that legislation before we go. That would just be a 
message from the House, which is amendable, but it would only require 
one cloture vote.
  So, anyway, I just wanted to alert everyone that unless we work 
something out in the next little bit, we will have to have votes on 
Monday. It was originally announced to be a no-vote day.

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