But the correction in the date is not the issue. The issue is that it is being proposed that Tuesday, May 9, at 5 p.m. be the final deadline for any member of this committee to propose witnesses. I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with that.
I've never been on a committee where we put a deadline, because as our hearings go forward on legislation, many times it's almost invariable that members think of other people to whom we need to address an issue that no one had foreseen or thought about. So to simply exclude the possibility of continuing to propose witnesses as the hearings of this committee go on is wrong-headed. I don't think it's efficient or acceptable. We would be handcuffing ourselves.
When it was proposed, I understood that Tuesday, May 9, at 5 p.m. was the deadline for the different parties or members to propose the first series of witnesses, but there would continue to be the possibility of adding to those lists.