[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 7842]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           ORDER OF BUSINESS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, here is where we are. We are unable to 
clear any short-term extension, and the current law expires at midnight 
on Sunday. So the Senate will be back in session Sunday afternoon--a 
week from Sunday--on May 31, with one more opportunity to act 
responsibly and not allow this program to expire.
  This is a high-threat period. We know what is going on overseas. We 
know what has been tried here at home. Do we really want this law to 
expire?
  We have 1 week to discuss it. We will have 1 day to do it. So we 
better be ready next Sunday afternoon to prevent the country from being 
in danger by the total expiration of the program we are all familiar 
with.
  Unless there is objection, and I understand there is not an 
objection, we will pass the highway extension on a voice vote tonight 
and we will be back in session Sunday a week.
  Mr. REID. Will my friend yield for a question?
  Mr. McCONNELL. I yield for a question.
  Mr. REID. We would be happy to cooperate in passing a surface 
transportation bill by voice, but I do say this--and I mentioned this 
to my colleague away from the microphones. For those of us living in 
the West, we cannot get back on a Sunday afternoon. I think it is very 
difficult for us to get back here on a weekday before 5 o'clock, so I 
would hope on a Sunday we wouldn't be expecting the Senate to come in 
session before 5 o'clock because we can't get here.
  I am protecting the western part of my caucus, which is pretty big, 
but I am not going to agree to anything unless we can come in at least 
after 5 o'clock.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Well, as my friend the Democratic leader knows, I 
would be happy to work with him on that. He also knows I just tried to 
get a short-term extension of a variety of different lengths in order 
not to put us in this position, but we are left with this option only.
  We will work with the Democratic leader about the actual time, but 
the law expires at midnight Sunday a week. I doubt if there are many of 
us comfortable with that--maybe a handful--but we need to act 
responsibly here on behalf of the American people.
  Mr. REID. I agree.

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