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Most befuddling for Congressmen was the question of when the President expected them to act on his tax proposals—now or next year. Only clue in his message was one sentence: "These complicated and difficult questions cannot adequately be debated in the time remaining in the present session of this Congress." Democratic leaders in both houses at first thought he did not mean this year. Radicals insisted he did. Twenty-two Senators headed by Wisconsin's La Follette signed a round robin declaring that Congress should stay in session until the new taxes are enacted. After five days of stewing President Roosevelt summoned Speaker Byrns, Vice President Garner, Senator Harrison, Majority Leader Robinson and Chairman Doughton of the House Ways & Means Committee to the White House. After nearly three hours' debate, Senator Robinson emerged to announce that the President had decided to push the tax program through this session of Congress. He proposed to attach it to a joint resolution extending certain "nuisance" taxes which must be passed this week to avoid their expiration.