[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 149 (Friday, September 7, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H7937-H7938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of inquiring of the 
majority leader the schedule for the week to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), 
my friend, the majority leader.
  (Mr. McCARTHY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, on Monday and Tuesday, no votes are 
expected in the House.
  On Wednesday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. 
for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.
  On Thursday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon 
for legislative business.
  On Friday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. 
Last votes are expected no later than 3 p.m.
  Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next 
week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business 
today.
  In addition, the House will consider H.R. 3798, the Save American 
Workers Act, sponsored by Representative Jackie Walorski. This package 
of bills will reduce unnecessary burdens on employers by restoring the 
40-hour full-time workweek, providing relief from the employer mandate, 
delaying the Cadillac tax until 2023, and saving small businesses time 
and money in compliance costs.
  Mr. Speaker, the House also plans to vote on the conference report to 
accompany H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and 
Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs Appropriations Act of 2019.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, additional legislative items are possible in 
the House, including WRDA, which represents a critical investment in 
America's infrastructure. As soon as items are added to our schedule, I 
will be sure to inform all Members.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his information. 
And the minibus that he referred to is what we refer to, I guess, as 
the first minibus. Has that conference report been completed at this 
point in time, Mr. Leader?
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Not at this moment, but I hope that it will be today. All the reports 
are there. It is just finishing a very few items, and I expect it to be 
done today.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that information. 
Mr. Speaker, we have some 7 days left to go, and, of course, next week 
is essentially one full day, and then we have 4, maybe 5 days the 
following week, depending upon what is necessary.
  I would ask the majority leader, does he contemplate us trying to 
effect a continuing resolution for those appropriation items which have 
not been addressed in the next 7 days? And if so, how long does he 
expect that continuing resolution to go?
  I yield to my friend.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his question. 
Just as I announced, next week, the House is expected to send the full 
year appropriations for three bills directly to the President's desk. 
And just this week, we entered into conference with the Senate on six 
additional bills. These nine bills make up 87 percent of the 
discretionary budget and represents the most appropriation bills in 
conference at any point in the last 20 years.
  I am encouraged by the work our committees are doing, and I believe 
that we are making good progress. As soon as further items are 
scheduled for the floor, I will be sure to inform the Members.
  But the gentleman's question is about a continuing resolution. I want 
to focus on appropriations, because we have never been at this point in 
the last 20 years, and I would like to get as many, if not all of them, 
done before we depart, and we can deal with the continuing resolution 
with whatever is left when that moment comes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I hope his optimism is 
met because I think that would be a better thing for us to do, so I 
appreciate that observation.
  Let me ask the gentleman as well, if we accomplish what he suggests 
that we might accomplish over the next 7 legislative days, there will 
still be a needed CR. Assuming we adopt a resolution which will fund 
all of government through a particular time, both because we passed 
appropriations bills, your point being that there are nine that are 
possible to pass with three remaining.
  The gentleman has scheduled, as of now, for us to be meeting the 
first 2 weeks in October.

                              {time}  1100

  Obviously, Members are very interested in whether or not that 
schedule will be kept or whether there is a possibility that assuming 
we do, in fact, fund government to some date, either through the year, 
the next fiscal year, or for a period of time, for those bills that 
have not passed and been signed by the President, does the gentleman 
still contemplate that we will be here the first 2 weeks in October?
  I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I have no changes to the schedule at this time, but I am always 
encouraged. If we get all of our work done, there wouldn't be a point 
to be here. But as of now, we don't have our work done, so we will need 
to finish the job.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that. I would hope 
that, for scheduling purposes for all Members, we could make that 
decision by the end of next week so that Members would have the 
opportunity to plan. I realize full well that it depends upon whether 
or not, in fact, we get the work done, which is why I was asking about 
the CR.
  In addition to that, the gentleman has mentioned a couple of bills, 
but the Violence Against Women Act, the farm bill, and the FAA, as the 
gentleman knows, expire on September 30. Does the gentleman expect us 
to be dealing with those bills in one form or another?
  I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  As the gentleman knows, in the farm bill, we are still in conference 
on that; and then additional items, I would like to deal with and get 
done before we depart, yes.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, so the gentleman's hope is to vote on these 
conference reports prior to the 30th of September?

[[Page H7938]]

  I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I continue to monitor the conference reports.
  I was talking to Chairman Conaway just this week, along with his 
counterparts over in the Senate. They are making progress. But as we 
know, I was hopeful that the first minibus, that we could have voted on 
that today. But I do think the conference will finish up for us to be 
able to vote on that next week.
  So as these come together, as soon as they are done, I would like to 
be able to vote and finish as much business as we can before the end of 
the year.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that observation.
  My presumption, therefore, is, if the conference cannot come to 
agreement, I would presume that we would have an extension on those 
three bills and others that might need that. Is that accurate?
  I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his question.
  I do not want to slow the conference for their work and others, but I 
would like to see us finish that. And, of course, we do not want those 
items to expire, so we would deal with that at the appropriate time. 
But as of now, if we can solve them and vote for the continuation, I 
would take that up first.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the information.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________