[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10923-10924]
[From the U.S. 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 to inquire of the majority leader the 
schedule for the week to come, and I yield to my friend, Majority 
Leader McCarthy from California.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour 
and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 
6:30.
  On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning 
hour and noon for legislative business.
  On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business.
  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 three bills that help modernize 
our energy infrastructure and fully utilize America's natural 
resources.
  First will be H.R. 2910, the Promoting Interagency Coordination for 
Review of Natural Gas Pipelines Act, sponsored by Representative Bill 
Flores. This bill would ensure better coordination between FERC and 
other agencies in the permitting of new pipelines, while improving 
accountability by requiring more public disclosures.
  Next would be H.R. 2883, the Promoting Cross-Border Energy 
Infrastructure Act, sponsored by Representative Markwayne Mullin. This 
important bill establishes a uniform and transparent process for 
constructing electric transmission facilities and cross-border 
pipelines.
  And third, H.R. 806, the Ozone Standards Implementation Act, 
sponsored by Representative Pete Olson, which streamlines the 
compliance process and ensures reasonable implementation of the 2015 
air quality standards.
  Lastly, Mr. Speaker, the House will consider H.R. 218, the King Cove 
Land Exchange Act, sponsored by Representative Don Young. This land 
exchange will provide the residents of King Cove a safe and reliable 
transportation route to necessary medical care.
  I look forward to passing these critical bills in the House.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, additional legislative items are possible in 
the House.
  Mr. Speaker, if I could take a moment and wish Chairman Thornberry a 
happy birthday tomorrow. I think passing his bill today was that 
birthday gift from all.
  I will notify Members of any changes to our schedule.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for that 
information.
  Mr. Speaker, I might say that that may be the most expensive birthday 
present anybody ever has gotten, when you mentioned Mr. Thornberry. The 
chairman has done very well, and I congratulate him on his work and on 
his bipartisan working together with his committee members.
  The majority leader and I have talked about this briefly, but, 
obviously, we now have on the schedule 2 weeks left to go to do our 
business. There is some discussion in the Senate, as the gentleman 
knows, about them meeting into August.
  Obviously, one of the problems with that is for, particularly, 
younger Members. A lot of Members here have children who go back to 
school the third week in August, so the first 2 weeks are not available 
to them.
  Can we give them some direction on whether or not we expect to be 
here past the scheduled adjournment date of July 31?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.
  As of now, I have no scheduled changes to what has been announced. I 
do want to notify the Members,

[[Page 10924]]

though, when the Senate sends us a healthcare bill, if we are still in 
session, we will move to the healthcare bill. If we are out, back in 
our districts, I would give them a notified time appropriate to come 
back and begin our work. We would not wait until the recess is over. We 
would begin work.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. 
Members ought to plan accordingly.
  Secondly, Mr. Speaker, the Appropriations Committee is marking up its 
bills, but we have not yet adopted a budget and, therefore, have no 
House-approved top line for discretionary spending.
  Can the majority leader give us any view as to whether or not the 
Budget Committee may be reporting, before we leave for the August 
break, a budget establishing an upper line for discretionary spending?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I have two good pieces of information I would take from there. The 
Budget Committee will be marking up in committee next week. 
Appropriations, as you know, because you were a member of it, I have 
never seen appropriations work like they have this year, knowing that 
we have a new administration, knowing that you get the budget late, but 
they have every single bill, all 12, out of subcommittee already. As of 
the end of the day, they will have seven out of full committee, and at 
the end of next week, they will have all 12 done through subcommittee 
and full committee.
  So I knew you would be excited. Those are concerns of yours.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader for his 
observation.
  I might say, if I can, the first year I was majority leader, which 
was in 2007, we passed all appropriations bills before the August break 
to the Senate, but I am pleased that the Appropriations Committee is 
moving forward, and let's hope that we can honor regular order.
  Does the majority leader expect us to consider each of the bills that 
the gentleman refers to as having been passed through subcommittee, 
some through full committee? Do we expect to consider those discretely 
one at a time on the floor?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, no decision has been made yet. Knowing that we are in a 
different situation with a new administration, there is an opportunity 
to do it differently but be able to make sure we take up all the bills. 
I will keep the gentleman notified of when decisions are made.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader.
  Mr. Speaker, in addition, one of the things, obviously, that I think 
both sides are concerned about, and Secretary Mnuchin has urged, and 
others have urged us to deal with, is the debt limit. We are not 
exactly sure when it will be necessary and when the administration will 
run out of extraordinary measures to ensure that we pay our bills.
  I have told the majority leader privately and I have said publicly to 
the press that assuming we have a clean debt limit extension, it would 
be my intention to urge my Members to support such a clean debt limit 
extension.
  Does the gentleman have any thought as to when we might be 
considering that?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding and for the 
question.
  Mr. Speaker, I do agree with the gentleman on the premise that it is 
responsible fiscal policy and it is important to our country's ability 
to succeed, that includes honoring the full faith and credit of the 
United States.
  The last information I was given, I believe this is public, is that 
the debt ceiling will not run out until October. There was conversation 
that that could have been earlier, but we will continue to work with 
you and Secretary Mnuchin to make sure we pass an extension.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, lastly, I would say that obviously I know the gentleman 
and I, and I think the overwhelming majority of Members of the House on 
both sides of the aisle, are very concerned that we ensure that 
sanctions on Iran's malevolent actions and Russia's actions, including 
involving itself in an American election, is an item of concern. I know 
the gentleman is working on it.
  Can the gentleman tell me what he thinks the schedule for that bill 
might be?
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend.
  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman knows, unfortunately, in the Senate, we 
had a constitutional challenge on a blue slip on the way they passed 
their bill. There is concern on this side that we want to make sure we 
move that bill in a very quick manner and do it correctly.
  I do believe that there is a bill that moved out of here that there 
is an addition that should be added, North Korea. That came out of here 
419-1, but I believe Iran, the work that Russia has done, and what 
North Korea has done, it would be a very strong statement for all of 
America to get that sanction bill completed and done and to the 
President's desk as soon as possible.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I share that view that 
we want to get this done as soon as possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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