Both Senators and Representatives must ask the consent of their chamber if they wish to revise, or to extend, their remarks in the Congressional Record. This is because regulations of the Joint Committee on Printing, which supervises the Government Printing Office, limit revisions of the words actually spoken on the floor to grammatical or technical changes only. So, if Members wish to insert the full text of an editorial, article, or letter to accompany the statement they made on the floor, they must get permission to "extend" their remarks. If they wish to make permitted marginal changes to their statement, they must get permission to "revise" their remarks. Most Members, mostly out of habit, ask for permission to "revise and extend" their remarks simply to cover all possibilities.
