Hoyer Press Staff Blog
Blog posts from the press staff of Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer
Looks like Republicans have given up trying to hide their true priorities. While Americans and businesses are facing economic uncertainty, Republicans are now admitting that they’re slowing down the legislative process on purpose in the hopes of postponing debate on critical items until after the election, when they hope things will be more in their favor.
Yesterday, we highlighted some harsh truths former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida said at a breakfast with reporters, during which he pointed out that confrontation has become the new norm for Congressional Republicans. But as Dana Milbank points out in his Washington Post column, Jeb Bush’s statement has caused several other prominent Republicans to admit their discontent with their party’s style of governing.
There has been a lot of finger-pointing recently about who is responsible for our country’s economic health. While Republicans are busy blaming President Obama, this New York Times op-ed by Bruce Bartlett—himself an advisor to two Republican presidents—explains that the previous White House occupant, Mr. Bush, is actually more responsible for our country’s budget deficit.
By now, you have probably heard it plenty of times from us: Republicans continue to insist on confrontation over consensus, no matter the cost to our economy. We need a big, bold and balanced deficit reduction plan, but it takes two to tango. And the GOP is so allergic to compromise, House Republicans skipped town for another recess, with critical measures to keep our highways funded and student loan rates from doubling still unresolved.
We here in the Democratic Whip Press shop thought we’d pass along a few questions you may want to ask Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor at today’s press conference:
Just as we’ve been saying since the GOP released their Summer Agenda, today’s New York Times Editorial takes House Republicans to task for their misplaced priorities, taking up political bills instead of focusing on restoring our economy and creating jobs.
Today, Speaker Boehner suggested the possibility of a six month extension of the highway bill, after his own House Republicans have failed to coalesce around a bill, despite months of deliberations.
From Washington D.C. to Washington State, the public outcry over the GOP’s stall tactics on the highway bill continues to grow. Despite the fact that 28,000 construction jobs were lost last month, House Republicans continue to threaten to walk away from negotiations unless they get absolutely everything they want.
So far, House Republicans’ summer agenda is not drawing rave reviews.
Don’t look now, but the GOP appears to be taking baby steps away from their rigid refusal to include revenues as part of a balanced deficit reduction plan. Facing a “fiscal cliff” later this year, all solutions need to be on the table. But so far the GOP has exclusively focused on spending cuts and walked away from any sort of comprehensive deal.
Here’s what House Republicans AREN’T doing this week – focusing on jobs and preventing student loan interest rates from doubling:
Wanted to make sure you all saw the Make It In America bill on the House Floor tonight. H.R. 4041, the Export Promotion Reform Act, is bipartisan legislation introduced by Reps. Howard Berman and Don Manzullo. This bill would allow companies to increase exports of U.S. goods and services and add jobs for American workers.
In case you missed it while at your Memorial Day weekend barbeque, wanted to pass along this Washington Post piece about Republicans refusing to take Grover Norquist’s pledge. (Yes, there’s a theme building: here’s Politico’s piece that we sent around earlier this month that noted the same trend.)
Stop us if you have heard this one before: Speaker Boehner’s debt limit demands are unproductive at best and threatening our fragile economic recovery at worst.
If you only look at one chart today, this is it.
Here we go again. Norm Ornstein’s op-ed in Roll Call today slams Speaker Boehner’s threat to hold the debt limit hostage once again, calling it a sign of fiscal irresponsibility that will lead us right back to the shutdown threat and S&P downgrade from last year.
Wanted to make sure you all saw this op-ed in Roll Call today by Stan Collender on Speaker Boehner’s “exceptionally irresponsible” demands that he will allow the U.S. to default on its obligations unless he gets exactly what he wants.
In case you missed it in the hustle and bustle last week, Politico goes inside the House GOP Caucus and finds a number of Republican members who are finally ready to admit that revenues are necessary if we’re going to seriously address the deficit, and are rejecting Grover Norquist’s tax pledge.
Wanted to make sure you all saw this editorial in today’s New York Times about the unrealistic and unhelpful debt limit marker Speaker Boehner laid down yesterday.
You would think Republicans would avoid bringing our nation to the brink of default once again, but a year later Speaker Boehner is putting forward the same partisan strategy that resulted in our nation’s first credit downgrade.
Even though Speaker Boehner has spent the day blaming Democrats for our current deficit problem, the numbers—and the charts—tell a very different story. Today, TPM breaks down the real reasons for our exploding national debt. Here’s a hint: It isn’t the policies of President Obama or Congressional Democrats.
After waiting this long, it is clear to see: The GOP didn’t have a plan to “replace” the ACA back in January of last year and they certainly don’t have a plan now.
One would think that House Republicans would be focused on job creation and investments that support our economy. But instead, the House is voting on a Republican amendment offered by Rep. Schweikert that targets voting rights.
It is a rare day when we here in the Democratic Whip Press shop implore Republicans to heed the advice of conservative Senator James Inhofe. But as the impasse over the highway bill drags on, stranger things have happened.
Headlines this morning aren’t flattering for Senate Republicans after they blocked a bill to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling: