Press Releases
April 18, 2012
Last month, the Senate passed a long-term transportation bill with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 74-22. Instead of following their lead and getting serious about compromise, Speaker Boehner and House Republicans have been unable to coalesce around a long-term plan of their own, potentially placing 2 million jobs at risk.
April 17, 2012
In announcing new steps today to crack down on price manipulation and to increase oversight of the oil market, President Obama is continuing his pursuit of an all-of-the-above strategy to combat rising gasoline prices. Among the steps laid out by the President this morning is ensuring that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has all the resources it needs to prevent illegal market manipulation. Doing so will contribute to our long-term energy security and help reduce costs to consumers. Yet, House Republicans passed a budget that slashes funding for the CFTC.
April 17, 2012
Today, on Equal Pay Day, we pause to consider that to earn the same wages as a man in 2011, a woman would have had to work from January 1, 2011 until April 17, 2012. It should be unacceptable in America today that women still earn only 77 cents to the dollar of a man’s wages for the same job. This is why Democrats enacted the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009 – the first piece of legislation signed by President Obama – and it’s why we continue to push for measures that will close the gender gap in wages and bring greater economic opportunities for women. It’s also why I am proud to be a co-sponsor, along with 177 other Democratic Members of Congress, of the Paycheck Fairness Act.
April 6, 2012
Today’s monthly jobs report confirms that our economy is recovering and that job opportunities are returning. In March our unemployment rate dropped again and is now at 8.2% after the addition of 121,000 private sector jobs - the twenty-fifth straight month of private sector job growth. This is a further sign that the policies implemented over the past three years by President Obama and Congressional Democrats are working. However, as long as millions of Americans are still looking for jobs, we will not stop in our push for Congress to pass further job-creating measures.
Hoyer Statement on Steering and Policy Committee Hearing on Gas Prices and Excessive Oil Speculation
April 4, 2012
“Today’s hearing was an opportunity for Members of Congress to hear from experts on the problem of rising gas prices that has affected so many middle-class families across the country. I commend the Steering and Policy Committee for drawing attention to the role of that excessive oil speculation plays in driving prices up for consumers. President Obama and Democrats in Congress will continue to pursue an all-of-the-above strategy to achieve energy savings and ensure affordable energy for future generations. I hope Republicans will join with us in this effort instead of continuing to insist on a drill-only approach that won’t lead to real solutions to the energy challenges we must meet in the months and years to come.”
March 30, 2012
Today the President determined that sanctions can be brought against foreign financial institutions conducting business with Iran’s petroleum sector, which will increase the pressure on Iran’s leaders to abandon their nuclear weapons program. As the President stated earlier this month, we do not have a containment policy with regard to Iran; rather, our aim is prevention, and every option remains on the table. I agree with this principle, and I applaud the President for his continued leadership as he works closely with our allies to prevent a nuclear Iran. The violent rhetoric against Israel by its leaders, the continued suppression of its people’s basic freedoms, and the support it provides for terrorist groups around the world and at Israel’s doorstep make it unacceptable for Iran to be allowed to reach such a capability.
March 30, 2012
Today I join in celebrating the life and legacy of César Chávez, whose co-founding and leadership of the United Farm Workers helped raise the voices of millions of Latino agricultural workers. He fought for their rights and stood up for the dignity of their work. Over the course of his journey, Chávez marched, fasted, wrote, and spoke truth to power to win safe and fair working conditions, better pay, freedom from discrimination, and wider opportunities for all workers to achieve the American Dream. As one of our civil rights giants, he continues to be a role model for young Latinos and all Americans who, when faced with adversity and wanting to improve their communities, draw strength from his example and legacy.
March 29, 2012
The Democratic Whip’s office has created the following online quiz to show how the Republican budget will impact seniors, the middle class, working families, and the most vulnerable by refusing to ask the wealthiest among us to contribute.
March 28, 2012
In order to achieve a big and balanced deficit reduction package, we must build a broad consensus. The budget substitute offered tonight by Reps. Jim Cooper and Steve LaTourette came to the Floor before that broad consensus could be achieved, which is why I voted against it. However, we must continue working to achieve a big and balanced deficit reduction solution in order to set our country back on a sustainable fiscal path. I continue to believe that the Bowles-Simpson model should be a basis for ongoing discussions in the effort to create the needed consensus.
March 28, 2012
Today’s introduction of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act is an important step forward in our continuing effort to prevent domestic violence and protect victims. I was proud to cosponsor the original Violence Against Women Act we passed in 1994, and I commend Rep. Gwen Moore for introducing this measure to reauthorize and expand upon that landmark legislation. Her bill will improve counseling and legal services for victims, provide additional tools to law enforcement to investigate domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, and extend additional health and safety resources to more of those affected. A similar measure has bipartisan support in the Senate. This comes at a critical time when many of the freedoms and legal protections for women have been under attack. As a nation, we must recommit ourselves to reducing – and eventually stamping out – violence against women and to improving the way we help its victims heal, seek justice, and move forward.
March 28, 2012
They have offered a budget that is somewhat a reprise of last year's. It savages Medicare, turns the guarantee into a higher cost, problematic benefit. We don't think that's what the American people want. Secondly, it makes again the tax disparities between our people even greater. It shifts resources from the middle class and poor to the wealthiest in America. It gives $150,000 additional tax cut to millionaires and doesn't say how you're going to pay for that, $10 trillion in additional tax cuts, which clearly means you're going to explode the deficit even more. They pretend they will cut out preference items. They also in that process severely undermine investments in our future, investments in education, investments in research, investments in growing jobs, investments in infrastructure. Clearly, with the result of diminishing the quality of our society in the long run, and don't get to balance.
March 26, 2012
After seeing the disastrous Republican budget put forward last week, which would end the Medicare guarantee and increase costs for seniors, destroy jobs, and cut taxes for the wealthy at the expense of the middle class, Americans want a budget that works for all of us. The Democratic budget proposal does just that by preserving the Medicare guarantee, investing in a strong economy, taking a balanced approach to setting us on a sustainable fiscal path, and asking everyone to pitch in toward investing in America's future. It is the right budget to meet the challenges we face.
March 23, 2012
Today marks the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, a law that is already delivering greater access to high quality care, stronger patient protections, and more predictable health care costs to American families and businesses – all while reducing the deficit. Today, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions – a protection that will extend to all Americans by 2014. They can no longer impose arbitrary caps on coverage, charge women higher premiums than men for the exact same policies, or drop people from their plans when they get sick. Medicare beneficiaries now pay less for their drugs and nothing for their preventive care, and their premiums have either held steady or outright declined.
March 23, 2012
Two years ago today, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. It was a major step forward in our efforts to provide access to affordable health care to more Americans. Today, millions of Americans are already seeing the benefits.
March 22, 2012
Today’s announcement by the President of an expedited review process for the southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline builds on the ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy for energy savings his Administration has pursued. Since the President was sworn into office, domestic production of oil and natural gas has increased, while the importation of foreign oil has fallen to less than half of what we consume. During the same period, 75,000 jobs have been created in the oil and gas sector.
March 22, 2012
“The tragic killing of 17-year old Trayvon Martin warrants a thorough investigation, and I commend the Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder for opening an investigation into his homicide. Americans from all walks of life are rightly appalled by his tragic death. Trayvon deserves justice, and his family and his community deserve answers. It is my hope that the Justice Department’s investigation will provide those answers and that appropriate action will be taken to punish any wrongdoing to the fullest extent of the law.
March 22, 2012
The American people say to every member of the House and Senate: when are you guys going to get together? When are you going to work together on behalf of the welfare of the country? On behalf of us. Not your politics in Washington, DC, but on behalf of us?
March 21, 2012
Two years ago, we passed a comprehensive health care reform package that is already lowering costs, expanding access, and contributing to deficit reduction. The Affordable Care Act was a significant moment when Congress once again took bold action to constrain the growth in health care spending and make insurance more accessible and affordable for all Americans. In the wealthiest country on the face of the Earth, we ought to make sure people can get insurance and have affordable, accessible health care.
March 21, 2012
I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding time. I'm proud to stand with her and with other Democratic members in support of the women's access to comprehensive, affordable health care. Access that was greatly expanded by the Affordable Care Act, which passed two years ago this week and which my Republican colleagues want to repeal.
March 20, 2012
Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member George Miller, Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, and Rep. John Tierney introduced the Workforce Investment Act of 2012.
March 20, 2012
The Republican budget introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan today is a repeat of last year’s budget: it once again ends the Medicare guarantee while protecting tax cuts for the wealthy. It slashes investments in innovation, education, and infrastructure, which puts our economic recovery at risk and threatens American jobs. It does not reduce the deficit in a responsible way, instead placing the burden of deficit reduction onto seniors, the middle class, working families, and the most vulnerable by refusing to ask the wealthiest among us to contribute.
March 15, 2012
I've had the honor of serving alongside Gary Ackerman in Congress for nearly thirty years, and during that time I have come to know him as a faithful public servant, a fighter for New York families, and a dear friend. As a public school teacher, Gary taught students the workings of our system of government and the value of justice for all. Later, as a community journalist, he helped bring people together and remain informed about issue affecting their neighborhoods. As a State Senator and U.S. Representative, Gary brought that same concern for his community, its families, and future generations to legislating.
March 15, 2012
Today, the President came to Maryland to reiterate his commitment to an all-of-the-above strategy to combat rising energy costs. He is right to say that there is no one silver bullet that will bring down the price of oil or gasoline, but that we ought to keep building on the gains we have made over the past three years in increasing domestic energy production and making investments in new vehicle, alternative fuel, and energy production technologies that harness power from solar, wind, and biofuels. This Administration has already made significant progress in reducing our dependence on foreign sources of oil, and we now import less than half the oil we consume. At the same time, millions of acres in this country are now open to new oil and natural gas exploration.
March 14, 2012
"After weeks of watching House Republicans attempt unsuccessfully to bring a highway bill to the Floor, today the Senate passed bipartisan legislation in the long tradition of working together on investing in our transportation infrastructure...
March 10, 2012
"I want to thank Jay Inslee for his years of service in Congress. He is a good friend, and it has been an honor to be his colleague in the House. Jay is a leader on clean energy issues, working for policies that create clean energy jobs and protect our environment ...
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Email Updates
Latest From the House Floor
On Wednesday, the House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for Morning Hour debate and 12:00 p.m. for legislative business.
First votes expected: 1:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Last votes expected: 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Continue Consideration of the Farm Bill.