Mister Chairman, opening the Dec. 3 agency hearing of the Appropriations committee, told the public the panel was signaling a fiscal problem by wearing red blazers and presented a new four-year forecast for education funding. “When we first started...we did the long term forecast,” he said, and that initial outlook showed “about $686,000,000 in the hole.” He said more recent estimates and recalibration of expenditures put the four-year shortfall at “$800,000,000 in the hole.”

The chairman said the committee will work “very diligently through this budget” and other Appropriations work to “get us into the black,” and added, “then we will be able to get rid of these red jackets.” The remarks were framed as a public-awareness effort to highlight the projected deficit and the need for corrective measures.

Shortly after the chair's remarks, an unidentified committee member moved that the committee “go into executive session, with regard to briefing that homeland security will give us.” The motion was seconded by Vice Chairman Pendergraft. Committee practice was clarified before the vote: members held a voice vote rather than a roll call. The chairman called for ayes, heard affirmative responses and announced, “Motion carried.” He then instructed Mr. Richards to take the committee into executive session for the homeland security briefing.

A brief, light-hearted aside occurred before the vote when one member referenced a PBS series and made a historical joke about "red coats," but the meeting proceeded directly to the executive session after the motion carried. No formal legislative action on education spending or specific deficit remedies occurred on the public record during this session; the committee moved to closed session for the homeland security briefing and did not take further public votes during the recorded segment.

The committee entered executive session following the voice vote to receive the homeland security briefing; no additional public outcomes or scheduled follow-ups were stated on the record in the available transcript.