WASHINGTON — Arkansas’ U.S. Rep. Mike Ross canceled a planned final speech on the House floor Thursday, citing a busy legislative schedule.
“I may well put my remarks in the Congressional Record,” the daily chronicle of House and Senate proceedings, said Ross, a six-term Democrat from Prescott who is retiring after the current session of Congress.
Ross had planned to speak on the House floor Thursday morning, but changed his mind as his speech time approached.
His spokesman had blamed a scheduling change for the shift, saying “morning business” - a spot on the agenda where farewell speeches are allowed - had been canceled.
It hadn’t been.
Ross, who has operated without his own office and with few staff members since the November elections, later said he was the one who had opted not to speak. With the House debating key defense spending and “fiscal cliff” proposals, he said, televised goodbyes were a low priority.
“We’ve got a lot bigger fish to fry in the House than me giving a farewell speech,” Ross said.
The fiscal cliff is a combination of automatic spending cuts and tax increases that are set to go into effect in January unless Congress acts before then.
The congressman said he still might have an opportunity to give a farewell speech, but he wasn’t sure, adding that it is a custom for senators give exit speeches, but not all congressmen take the House floor for a special farewell.
“I’m not going to do it if it delays or adversely effects the debate on the fiscal cliff,” he said.
Scheduling a time to make a speech would be difficult, he said.
On Thursday afternoon, Ross said it wasn’t clear whether the House would work into the weekend, or take a break and reconvene after Christmas.
Ross’ term expires Jan. 3.
“The only thing certain with the House schedule right now is uncertainty,” he said.
Front Section, Pages 4 on 12/21/2012