[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 153 (Thursday, September 22, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8104-H8105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. FERGUSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the purpose of inquiring of the 
Democratic Caucus chair the schedule for the week to come. I yield to 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries).
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague for 
yielding.
  The schedule next week: On Wednesday, the House will meet at 12 p.m. 
for morning hour; 2 p.m. for legislative business, with votes postponed 
until 6:30 p.m.
  On Thursday, we will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and 12 p.m. for 
legislative business.
  On Friday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business.
  Next week, we will be considering a continuing resolution, very 
important, to fund the government. We know the fiscal year concludes on 
September 30. It is something that we have to get done.
  It is also our expectation that we may consider legislation to reform 
the STOCK Act. And then we will also consider bills under suspension of 
the rules. A complete list of suspension bills will be announced by the 
close of business tomorrow.
  Of course, additional legislative items are possible.
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, we have seen movement in the Senate. I 
understand that there is activity over there. Does the gentleman have 
an update on when we might see that legislation in the House? But more 
importantly when we might see legislative text?
  Mr. JEFFRIES. The Senate has apparently moved for cloture on Tuesday. 
So, one, it is our expectation that we are going to have an opportunity 
to vote to make sure that we fund the government beyond September 30.
  In terms of legislative text, the negotiations are ongoing. I think 
everyone is working in good faith. I am thankful for the leadership on 
our side of Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro.
  We have a responsibility to make sure that we keep the government 
open, and we intend to keep that responsibility.
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleague if he is aware of any 
other additional authorizing text that may be attached to the 
continuing resolution.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Well, there are ongoing negotiations in good faith. 
There have been several exigencies that have arisen; but I don't have 
visibility into the actual, precise nature of the negotiations right 
now.
  As I mentioned, on our end, certainly they are being handled by 
Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro; but I know those negotiations are progressing. 
We expect that an agreement is going to be reached, hopefully, in the 
next few days. Then, of course, the gentleman will have an opportunity, 
as will all Members, to review the legislative text.
  Mr. FERGUSON. One final thing. Leader Hoyer made an announcement this 
summer that we were going to try to close votes in a timely fashion. As 
we have just seen, it is virtually impossible to do it with proxy 
voting because these four votes took almost 2 hours to complete.
  Given that the business community is getting back to normal, we are 
seeing workers return to work. We are seeing businesses return to 
normal operations, and given that the President proclaimed that the 
pandemic is over, does the gentleman also expect to end proxy voting 
next week when the current covered period ends?
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Well, that is a decision that ultimately will be made 
by the Speaker, in consultation with other members of leadership, but 
being guided by the public health professionals. The Capitol Physician 
has guided the decision up until this point in terms of the public 
health emergency that we have been under and what the appropriate 
protocols are to make sure that we are being responsible.
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, I think America expects Congress to lead, 
and we are seeing, again, across the Nation, people get back to their 
lives, get back to normal. Certainly, there are many safe precautions 
that have been taken.
  But clearly, showing up to work is something that Americans expect 
Congress to do, and I just cannot think of a reason why Members of this 
body--while we get on airplanes and fly back and forth to our districts 
every week. I see so many of our Members on both sides of the aisle 
attending events and speaking at various functions and, certainly, they 
are not campaigning remotely. I can't think of a reason why we wouldn't 
do away with proxy voting and show up here in the people's House in 
person.
  Mr. Speaker, I would love to see if my colleague from New York has 
any insight into that.

                              {time}  1700

  Mr. JEFFRIES. Well, I think the gentleman raises a very important 
observation that the American people expect us to lead. I think during 
the 117th Congress, that is absolutely what has been done.
  We have led by passing the American Rescue Plan; saved the economy 
from perhaps collapsing into a recession, if not worse; put shots in 
arms, money in pockets, kids back in school. We have led by passing the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, creating millions of good-
paying jobs, fixing our crumbling bridges, roads, and tunnels.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman asked the question. I am just responding.
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time.
  We are failing miserably in American energy independence, with the 
rise of home heating costs and fuel. We see what has happened to our 
neighbors in the European Union. We see the rising costs. Certainly, 
Americans are worried about that, the rising cost of rent, the out-of-
control inflation, the excessive government spending. I mean, we have 
that.
  But more importantly, we have our communities that are less safe 
because of the crisis at the border. The fentanyl crisis that is 
hitting every single community.
  I don't know that we have been leading.
  I want to, Mr. Speaker, go back to the specifics of the question that 
was asked here in terms of leading by showing up to work. I want to see 
if there is any kind of rational reason why we shouldn't show up in 
person to work.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I think, one, we have been operating under 
a public health emergency. But in the constraints of that, again, 
following

[[Page H8105]]

the guidance of the public health professionals, that is how we have 
been operating.
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, I think he has yielded the time to me, so 
I can yield it back to him at the appropriate time.
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time.
  The President ended the pandemic, declared that it was over. If that 
is the case, shouldn't we be going back to normal, Mr. Speaker?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Mr. Speaker, again, we are going to follow the public 
health guidance.
  Out of courtesy, we are having this colloquy, but we can't have a 
colloquy if the gentleman is dissatisfied with my answers and such that 
he is consistently not permitting me to respond. I will be happy to 
respond to any questions if we are going to have a colloquy.
  I think what is clear, if the point is, are we leading, correct, we 
are leading. As I mentioned, we are leading on the American Rescue 
Plan. We are leading on infrastructure investment. We are leading on 
standing up for our veterans, leading on public safety, leading on 
passing gun safety legislation, leading on----
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time.
  Clearly, we see some of these important issues differently. Just 
sticking to the main question of proxy voting and why Members of 
Congress should not show up to do their job. American businesses are. 
We can campaign in person. Certainly voting in person seems reasonable 
to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the caucus chair, for his time 
today and for setting the schedule, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.

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