Emails, Leslie Tisdale, press secretary & foreign policy legislative assistant, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Sept. 4 and 8-9, 2015
From: Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin) [mailto:wgselby@statesman.com]
Sent: Friday, September 04, 2015 11:36 AM
To: Tisdale, Leslie
Subject: Austin reporter
Leslie:
Could you email me a copy of Rep. Doggett’s prepared remarks from this event in San Antonio?
Thanks.
g.
4:16 p.m.
Sept. 4, 2015
This was pretty impromptu, but here’s a San Antonio Express News article that details some of what he talked about. If you have a specific topic on which you want his reaction, I will seek a response.
Leslie Tisdale
Press Secretary & Foreign Policy Legislative Assistant
Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
From: Selby, Gardner (CMG-Austin)
Sent: Friday, September 04, 2015 4:19 PM
To: 'Tisdale, Leslie'
Subject: RE: Austin reporter
…
My interest: Exactly what did Doggett say about the agency funding measures being delayed?
g.
9:42 a.m.
Sept. 8, 2015
Good morning.
Trying again here. I’d be happy to visit with the congressman about what he said and what he based that on.
g.
1:03 p.m.
Sept. 8, 2015
I don’t have his precise words, but, as SAEN reported, we expect a continuing resolution and an omnibus appropriations bill. Republicans fearful of a floor vote about the Confederate flag, pulled one appropriations bill from floor consideration and have declined to present any more. He did refer to any display of the “Stars and Bars” at a federal facility of which one example is gift shops. I can get you background on this Confederate flag question or attempt to respond to any other specific question that you may have.
Leslie Tisdale
Press Secretary & Foreign Policy Legislative Assistant
Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
10:21 a.m.
Sept. 9, 2015
If you are seeking verification that Republican fear of voting on the Confederate battle flag has been a major factor in delaying action on the appropriations bills, I include several articles to that effect as well as some original debate on three related amendments to the Interior appropriations bill so that you can see the full context in which this issue arose.
You will note from one of these articles that there was a Democratic offer to break the deadlock by permitting a vote on the Voting Rights Act. The Congressman did not address that offer in his speech but certainly supported that approach. To the best of our knowledge, Republican leadership never responded.
Normally, we would have considered at least some of these six remaining appropriations bills before the August recess. There was certainly ample time available in the Floor schedule to do so.
If you are asking about the federal gift shop portion of the sentence, as I indicated previously, he referred to any display at a federal facility; gift shops were one example.