Legislative Program

Mr. CANTOR. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland, the majority leader, for the purpose of announcing next week's schedule.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman for that and would ask him if he could respond to some reports about several measures, perhaps, and the possibility of these measures coming to the floor next week, if he could give the House an update.

One would be the oil spill response legislation that's coming out of the Resources Committee, Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Ways and Means Committee; the small business taxpayer fund bill in the Senate; the FAA authorization bill from the Senate; the 9/11 compensation bill; and the Education and Labor OSHA bill relating to mining, if the gentleman could give us an update on those measures.

I yield.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman, and, Mr. Speaker, I would ask the gentleman if the Members should be prepared for a possible Saturday session next week.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, the majority leader announced two appropriations bills for floor consideration next week. I'd note, Mr. Speaker, that the fiscal year ends just over 2 months from now, and yet we're only now just beginning consideration of the first of 12 appropriations bills that fund the entire Federal discretionary budget. But I would ask the gentleman, Mr. Speaker, if he could tell us whether to expect those bills coming up for consideration on the floor under an open rule.

I yield.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I would ask the gentleman whether he could commit to the House that he would continue to advocate for an open rule. I know the gentleman has always been and joins me in wanting full and open debate in the House, whether it will be his position that these appropriations bills would come to the floor on an open rule.

I yield.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman.

Turning to the issue of the troop funding bill, Mr. Speaker, the Senate sent the House the troop funding bill supplemental about 2 months ago, and it appears that that body will be sending us back the exact same version of the bill next week. I would ask the gentleman, Mr. Speaker, is that his understanding of the bill, and is it his understanding that that is the bill that we can expect the House to be voting on?

I yield.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, that was going to be my question: When faced with the reality that the Senate will send us back the version that it did so 2 months ago, if faced with that, will the House be taking that bill up and then funding our troops before we adjourn for the recess in August?

I yield.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CANTOR. I am reminded by my counsel, Mr. Speaker, that, as the gentleman would probably agree, the Senate is nothing but predictable.

Mr. Speaker, as we are discussing the schedule for next week, I would like to announce the ninth YouCut vote which will take place on the House floor next week. Over 1.4 million votes have been cast to date at the Republican youcut.house.gov site.

I would say to the gentleman, four of your Members announced a series of proposed cuts this week. While the gentleman did not mention them in his schedule for next week, I would note that we have included one of their proposals in our five YouCut options for next week. The proposal offered by the gentleman from New Jersey, Mr. Adler, would terminate the Advanced Earned Income Tax Credit, saving $1.1 billion.

The additional options for the public to vote on this week under the YouCut program include the elimination of duplicative Federal PE programs, saving $790 million; the refocusing of the National Park Service on administering Federal parks, saving $238 million of taxpayer money; the termination of funding for the DOD Innovative Readiness Training program at a $200 million savings; and the prohibition of the use of taxpayer funds for political campaigns in foreign countries, savings of $23 million.

And so with that, Mr. Speaker, I would urge the gentleman's consideration, perhaps if not at our suggestion, the suggestion of his colleagues on his side of the aisle, that perhaps maybe we should endeavor to have a vote on the floor about actually cutting spending.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I would note that we are making some progress here if we are going to avoid pointing fingers and casting blame as to why we are where we are, in the spirit of trying to move forward together and addressing the real challenges that our constituents and the people of this country are facing.

I welcome the gentleman's desire to look for ways to cut spending. I would just reiterate that there are four individuals on his side of the aisle, Mr. Adler of New Jersey being one, having proposed a savings of $1.1 billion that will be part of the YouCut activities over the Web this week. Mr. Speaker, if that is the winning proposal, then the gentleman will have an opportunity to join us in putting that measure to a vote. So I look forward to that next week, Mr. Speaker.

Again, I thank the gentleman for his time.

Source