Legislative Program
Floor Speech
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Mr. HOYER. I thank the gen tle lady for withdrawing her objection.
I have just been handed a--it may have been sent out earlier--a Members' advisory which says:
The House will be in session as necessary to consider a conference report on H.R. 3630, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011.
The House's request for a conference will be transmitted to the United States Senate this afternoon where it will await the appointment of their conferees. To be clear, H.R. 3630 will physically reside in the Senate by the close of business today.
It goes on to say, ``Members will be provided with at least 24 hours' notice prior to the House's next recorded vote.''
What I wanted to ask the majority leader is, does he expect his Members to go home this afternoon?
I yield to my friend.
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Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I would respond to the gentleman. As he has just read, we have sent out a notice electronically to all Members. Our intention is for the conferees to do their work. We have requested the Senate to do the same, appoint their conferees so we can iron out the differences so we can afford yearlong tax relief for the working people of this country.
Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, I understand the majority leader's position, but he didn't answer my question as to whether his Members intend to go home this afternoon.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I will say to the gentleman, it is very clear--I know he is holding the same piece of paper that I am--and it reflects the electronic message that went out to all Members. Our intention is for the conferees to go to work to iron out the differences, which are narrow, to ensure what all of us wants to happen--that we afford yearlong tax relief to all working people in this country.
Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the majority leader's observations. I don't think I got an answer to the question. But having said that, if in fact an agreement is not reached prior to, say, the middle of next week, is the House prepared to preclude the eventuality of 160 million people losing their tax cut? Are you prepared to preclude the possibility of 48 million people losing their Medicare benefits? Are you prepared to preclude 2.3 million people losing their unemployment insurance by acting on an overwhelmingly bipartisan agreement that was reached in the United States Senate?
I yield to my friend.
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Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, while there is clearly a difference in this House on a number of things, one of the things that I don't think we differ on is a lack of confidence that the Senate will do its job. I don't think we differ on that greatly because our experiences show us differently. So that what I'm asking the gentleman is that we do not put at risk the 160 million people who are expecting their tax cut to continue, the 48 million seniors who want access to their doctors, and the 2.3 million people who are going to go off unemployment, contingent upon whether the Senate acts as the gentleman wants it to. I will tell you my experience has not been great confidence that that will happen.
I will tell the gentleman further, we have tried to prepare for that contingency. We have introduced a bill with 170 cosponsors which adopts the compromise agreement so that we will give that certainty of which the gentleman speaks, allay the anxiety which we know exists, and give to those 160 million people the certainty that they will get the tax cut, the 48 million the certainty they will have access to their doctors, and the 2.3 million the certainty that they will not be kicked off the unemployment rolls so they won't be able to support themselves and their families.
I ask my friend if he will be prepared to bring that bill to the floor if in fact the Senate doesn't act.
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Mr. HOYER. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, 6 months ago the Speaker said that he thought the 1-year extension of the middle class tax cut was a short-term gimmick. He said that 6 months ago of the year extension. So we're somewhat concerned about the commitment to a 1-year extension. But that aside, let me say to my friend that one of the problems I'm worried about is, A, whether we can get this work done in the next 14 days because we know that even if we had a conference, they take a long time. There are very significant differences between us. In fact, we have compromised on something that you indicated in our colloquies about a week ago was very important, and that was the Keystone bill, which your side believes will create a significant number of jobs. That of course is in the bill that the Senate sent us, because even though the Democratic majority was not for it, they cared enough about the middle class tax cut to compromise.
Unfortunately, I will tell my friend, too often we have seen on this floor unwillingness to compromise, even on your bills. We had a CR on the floor on March 15; unfortunately, 54 of your Members walked away from that. On April 15, we had a continuing resolution to keep the government open; 59 Republicans walked away from that. On June 23, you left the Biden talks. On July 22, Speaker Boehner walked away from the debt limit negotiations with he and the President. On August 1, 66 Republicans walked away on the debt limit extension, which was your bill--not ours, your bill. On November 17, some 101 Republicans walked away from passing an appropriations bill which would keep three agencies funded. On December 16, 86 Republicans walked away from the bill to fund the balance of government. So I might say to my friend, it seems to me what we're doing today is walking away today from those 160 million people, walking away from those 48 million seniors, and walking away from those 2.3 million unemployed.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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