| 00:00:00 | HAVE BEEN HERE. |
| 00:00:03 | I DON'T HAVE ANY INTENTION OF SITTING AROUND FOR ANOTHER WEEKEND WAITING FOR THE PERSONS WHO HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE THE DECISION TO COME AROUND. |
| 00:00:16 | IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THE -- THAT THE CHAIRMAN FROM THE OTHER BODY IS NOT PREPARED TO MAKE ANY MOVEMENT WHATSOEVER IN NEGOTIATIONS. |
| 00:00:26 | IT IS ALSO OBVIOUS THAT IT IS THE LEADERSHIP OF BOTH CAUCUSES THAT IS MAKING THE DECISION ABOUT WHAT THE CONTENTS ARE IN THESE BILLS, AND SO FAR AS I KNOW, THEY ARE GOING TO BE ROAMING AROUND THE COUNTRY AGAIN, WHICH IS THEIR RIGHT, PER FORMING THEIR DUTIES ON BEHALF OF CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION. |
| 00:00:52 | BUT I'M NOT ABOUT TO, AGAIN, NOT GO TO MY OWN DISTRICT, WAITING FOR MEETINGS THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN. |
| 00:00:59 | WE HAVE BEEN ASKED -- WE ASKED THAT PEOPLE BE PREPARED TO MEET AT 10:00 MONDAY MORNING. |
| 00:01:06 | WE LAID AN OFFER ON THE TABLE. |
| 00:01:11 | WE ARE GIVING YOUR SIDE AND IN BOTH THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE CHAMBERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND TO IT. |
| 00:01:16 | WE HAVE ASKED AND SENATOR STEVENS HAS INDICATED THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO MEET ON MONDAY TO DISCUSS THIS. |
| 00:01:22 | MY QUESTION WOULD BE WHEN WILL THE SPEAKER AND THE MAJORITY LEADER AND THE MAJORITY WHIP IN THIS HOUSE AND THE MAJORITY LEADER ON THE SENATE SIDE AND THE MAJORITY WHIP ON THE SENATE SIDE BE AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK SO THAT WE CAN, IN FACT, GET THESE DECISIONS MADE? |
| 00:01:40 | YOU AND I KNOW THAT IF WE COULD WORK OUT A DEAL BETWEEN THE TWO OF US, WE WOULD HAVE IT DONE IN AN HOUR. |
| 00:01:45 | WE KNOW THAT. |
| 00:01:47 | BUT EVERY TIME WE TRY TO GET A DECISION OUT OF THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE, WE GET VETOED BY SOMEBODY, AND THE -- YOUR SIDE IN THE HOUSE MADE AN OFFER TO US OF SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS EARLIER IN THE WEEK. |
| 00:02:02 | THAT WAS TAKEN OFF THE TABLE TONIGHT BY THE SENATE CHAIRMAN OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE. |
| 00:02:06 | THAT'S NOT A WAY TO NEGOTIATE. |
| 00:02:08 | I DON'T THINK THE GENTLEMAN FROM FLORIDA WOULD NEGOTIATE THAT WAY. |
| 00:02:12 | AND WE DIDN'T APPRECIATE BEING STIFFED ON IT THIS EVENING. |
| 00:02:16 | SO WE ARE -- WE WILL BE PREPARED TO MEET ANY TIME THAT YOUR LEADERSHIP IS IN TOWN IN BOTH CHAMBERS SO THAT WHEN WE GET STIFFED AGAIN WE CAN GO TO SOMEONE ELSE WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE SOME MOVEMENT. |
| 00:02:30 | I HOPE IT'S BY MONDAY, BUT I FRANKLY WOULD BE SURPRISED IF EVEN THEN WE GET MOVEMENT FROM THEM. |
| 00:02:35 | MR. |
| 00:02:36 | YOUNG: IF THE GENTLEMAN WOULD YIELD FURTHER, THE PRINCIPALS THAT ARE NECESSARY TO CONCLUDE THIS AGREEMENT ON THE LABOR-H. |
| 00:02:43 | H.S. BILL WOULD BE AVAILABLE TOMORROW OR SATURDAY. |
| 00:02:46 | MR. |
| 00:02:47 | OBEY: WOULD YOU NAME THEM, PLEASE? |
| 00:02:48 | MR. |
| 00:02:49 | YOUNG: SAY IT AGAIN. |
| 00:02:50 | MR. |
| 00:02:51 | OBEY: WOULD YOU NAME WHO WOULD BE AVAILABLE TOMORROW. |
| 00:02:54 | MR. |
| 00:02:55 | YOUNG: THE GENTLEMAN KNOWS WHO THE PRINCIPALS ARE |
Mr. OBEY. As the gentleman well knows, we have stayed here for three weekends waiting to find someone to negotiate with. And as the gentleman also well knows, no one with the power to make decisions on the issues has been here.
I do not have any intention of sitting around for another weekend waiting for the persons who have the authority to make the decisions to come around.
It is obvious that the chairman from the other body is not prepared to make any movement whatsoever in negotiations. It is also obvious that it is the leadership of both caucuses that is making the decision about what the contents are in these bills.
And so far as I know, they are going to be roaming around the country again, which is their right, performing their duties on behalf of candidates running for reelection. But I am not about to again not go to my own district waiting for meetings that will not happen.
We asked that people be prepared to meet at 10 o'clock Monday morning. We laid an offer on the table. We are giving their side and both the Senate and the House Chambers an opportunity to respond to it, and we have asked and Senator STEVENS has indicated that he would like to meet on Monday to discuss this.
My question would be, when will the Speaker and the majority leader and the majority whip in this House and the majority leader on the Senate side and the majority whip on the Senate side be available next week so that we can in fact get these decisions made? You and I know that if we could work out a deal between the two of us we would have it done in an hour. We know that. But every time we try to get a decision out of the Committee on Appropriations, we get vetoed by somebody on your side.
The House made an offer to us of several billion dollars earlier in the week. That was taken off the table tonight by the Senate chairman of the subcommittee. That is not a way to negotiate. I do not think the gentleman from Florida would negotiate that way, and we did not appreciate being stiffed on it this evening.
So we will be prepared to meet anytime that your leadership is in town in both Chambers so that when we get stiffed again, we can go to someone else who has the authority to provide some movement. I hope it is by Monday, but I frankly would be surprised if even then we get movement from them.