[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 29153]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          MUST DO LEGISLATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I had a long meeting last night with the 
Speaker of the House and Senate Members, which lasted several hours. It 
is very clear that next week is going to be a very difficult week. The 
following week is going to be very difficult--important but difficult.
  The reason I mention this is we had the obligation, procedurally, to 
vote this morning at 1 a.m., but we were able to work that out as a 
result of a unanimous consent request, which was very helpful. It 
avoided the necessity of our working this weekend. We only have one 
weekend left until Thanksgiving. I hope we can work everything out.
  I don't think we can. I have a very busy, difficult schedule next 
weekend, but I am not sure I am going to meet the obligations I have 
already committed myself to--I want everybody else to understand--
including parades and other events on Veterans Day. What do we have to 
do? We have to send appropriations bills to the President. At least the 
Labor/HHS bill, which is now tied in with the VA military 
construction--we need to send that to the President. We have a time 
schedule to do that.
  We have to do the Defense appropriations bill. It is something we 
have to consider getting to the President as soon as possible. We have 
to do a continuing resolution. There is some talk about doing a bridge 
fund for Iraq. Chairman Byrd is talking about marking up in a week or 
10 days the supplemental appropriations bill. We have numerous other 
things. It is very difficult.
  Monday is not a vote day, so we have 4 days next week. So I say, with 
all sincerity, I am going to call our Presidential candidates and let 
them know they better look at their schedules because these are not 
votes you can miss--Defense appropriations; the first appropriations 
bill, Labor/HHS, with benefits for veterans tied into it, which we need 
to do before Veterans Day; the CR, which funds our Government; and 
whatever we decide to do with the bridge funds or the supplemental 
appropriations bill.
  So everyone should be alerted to the fact that they better have their 
schedules somewhat loose for this coming weekend and, I repeat, Monday. 
There is always a way, it seems, to try to work out some of these 
difficulties. I hope we can find a way to not do it next Saturday, 
Sunday, and Monday, but we have to be prepared.
  The things I have talked about doing are not things we can do some 
other time. We have to do them before we leave for the Thanksgiving 
holiday.

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