Legislative Program

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. This is a very critical vote. The government is shut down. We think the government should not be shut down.

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Mr. HOYER. And the gentleman says he doesn't think we should go home. Very frankly, there is nothing we can do, because the majority leader has said he will not do anything unless the President of the United States gives him leave to do so, and the President of the United States wants to keep the government shut down.

This was not a small vote, and I will tell you, had it been on our side, you would have heard us demand a vote.

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Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, we are going to have a colloquy in just a few minutes and we can go through that.

The problem is--and I say this honestly, and I think most Members know--if I thought you had asked for a vote and the Speaker had not recognized that vote--I was sitting right here. I was not distracted, and I was surprised that a vote was not asked for because I understand that most, if not all, of you were not for opening up the government.

The fact of the matter is that a vote was not asked for. We have now gone through business, and we put ourselves in a very difficult position. But I cannot agree to a proposition where I have told Members: No, you can go catch your plane. Some had 1:30s, and they left right at the dot of 1. I don't know whether they are going to make it.

And, you know, we are in a bad situation, but I cannot agree to a unanimous consent that is going to require our Members to come back from wherever they are. I don't know that they are on planes yet, but they are going to be on them shortly.

And both sides have that problem. I think you probably have that problem anyway. And, very frankly, I am absolutely convinced the outcome would be no different.

The problem is so many of your Members wanted to vote against the proposition--I understand that--and I would like to give them that opportunity. I am not in a position to do so, and I feel badly about that, but that is the position I made.

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Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, we are going to be in session next week. We are going to be back here. It was a recess week. The reason it is not a recess week is because the government of the American people is shut down. We have tried now nine times--this was the ninth time--to open up the government.

Nobody was surprised. Everybody knew. It was debated on the floor. I spoke on it for, I think, 8 or 9 minutes myself, so there was no confusion, should not have been confusion on the floor. And I think a vote should have been demanded. It was not, and I am not in a position to agree to a unanimous consent. But I am in a position to tell you, there will be at least two or three votes next week on opening up the government.

My presumption is those of you who have voted against such motions in the past will do so again. So it will not be as if you don't have an opportunity to vote on this same proposition. It was not a complicated proposition, and I regret, Mr. Speaker, that I am not in a position to try to cure the failure, in my view, because I didn't hear it, and I was, as I say, sitting here.

And the Speaker obviously didn't hear it either. I am absolutely convinced that the judge would not have--if he had heard a request, he would have honored that request for a vote. So we are where we are.

I would urge the Members--clearly, I will stipulate to the fact that almost all of you would have voted against the motion if a vote had been taken, and you can put that in the Record.

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