The Office of Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer - Federal Employees

Hoyer Statement on President Obama's Nomination of Dan Tangherlini as Administrator of the General Services Administration

aott — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:15:15 +0000

For Immediate Release:

May 22, 2013

Hoyer: Let's Have A Vote On A Balanced Alternative To The Sequester

aott — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:18:44 +0000

For Immediate Release:

May 22, 2013

Wed, 2013-05-22

Transcript:

“Mr. Speaker, as the sequester's effects continue to place our economy and national security at risk, the news that 650,000 civilian defense workers will be forced to take unpaid leave ought to alarm all Americans who are concerned about our military readiness and national security. These furloughs will affect thousands who live in my district and thousands who live in the districts of every member here.

“After Congress voted earlier this month to end furloughs for air traffic controllers that had caused flight delays, one would have expected there would be an unanimous outcry for the rest of the sequester to be replaced. The best way to do that, of course, Mr. Speaker, is with a big and balanced agreement. But, instead, Republicans in this House don't seem interested.

“It's not just Democrats who are taken aback by their silence. Republican Senator and former presidential nominee of the Republican Party, John McCain, said on May 14, just a few days ago, about these furloughs for civilian defense employees – and I quote: ‘Nobody seems to care. It's amazing. It's one of the most amazing things I have seen in the years I’ve been in the Senate.’ So said John McCain.

“Democrats continue to call for the sequester to be replaced with a balanced approach to deficits that restores fiscal discipline, preserves our ability to pay for our military readiness, and invests in a strong economy. The sequester on its own is not a solution. It has been, however, Republican policy all along that's now in effect, because they refuse to compromise in a bipartisan way to find a real solution.

“If you go back to July of 2011 and look at the Republican offer of the ‘Cut, Cap and Balance’ bill, you will see that sequestration is in there. It is the alternative that Republicans put forth as policy – 229 Republicans voted for that policy. Well, they got what they wanted.

“On April 27, a report in The Hill said – and I quote: ‘GOP leaders in the House said they have “no plans” to bring up fraud legislation to replace sequestration, according to a leadership aide.’ The men and women who are hard at work supporting our troops and protecting our nation are said to be furloughed for 11 days this year. An unfair, unplanned, undeserved pay cut while, frankly, the leadership of this House sits idly by and takes no action to replace the sequester.

“The same thing goes for the other terrible effects sequestration could have: 70,000 eligible children kicked off Head Start; 10,000 teachers' jobs at risk; retirement disability claims delayed; 4 million fewer Meals on Wheels for seniors; 125,000 less rental assistance vouchers; 2,100 fewer food safety inspectors. Surely if those were on the Floor for a vote – most of us wouldn't vote for them, but that's what's happening as a result of the sequester.

“We know, Mr. Speaker, what the Republican plan is for these defense cuts. To pass appropriation bills in the House that shift those cuts so that domestic programs – those education, Head Start, food safety, that I’ve just mentioned, basic biomedical research – are cut more deeply than the parties agreed to in the Budget Control Act in 2011. We also understand, Mr. Speaker – and everyone recognizes – that the domestic cuts Republicans want to impose instead couldn't even pass the House, let alone make it through the Senate or survive a certain veto.

“So, again, Mr. Speaker, we have only one reasonable option before us, and that is to work together to set our differences aside for the good of our country and to achieve real compromise. A big, balanced, bipartisan approach that replaces the entire sequester is the only way to protect our defense workers against these furloughs and end the uncertainty that they and their families are facing.

“Let's have a vote, Mr. Speaker, on a balanced alternative. Not another vote to repeal health care reform that's not going anyplace. Not another vote to roll back the rights of workers. Not another vote to strip away safety standards or environmental protections. Let's stop wasting time and get to work on the most pressing challenge we face and make the tough choices necessary to restore fiscal stability and invest in our economy and in our national security.”

Hoyer Joins House Democrats in Urging Confirmation of Tom Perez

aott — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:05:04 +0000

For Immediate Release:

May 16, 2013

Hoyer Thanks John Berry for His Service and Leadership

aott — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:44:39 +0000

For Immediate Release:

April 17, 2013

Hoyer Thanks John Berry for His Service and Leadership

aott — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:39:19 +0000

For Immediate Release:

April 17, 2013

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a wonderful individual who has served our country in government service for many years and spent the last four overseeing our federal workforce as the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. I am speaking of my dear friend John Berry, who retired last week as Director of the Office of Personnel Management.

Wed, 2013-04-17

Transcript:

“America, Mr. Speaker, is blessed with a federal workforce composed of hard-working, talented, and dedicated men and women. Too often, however, their contributions are overlooked or even denigrated by those who would use our federal employees as an easy target to attack the institution of government. John Berry made it one of his central missions at OPM to stand up for federal workers’ achievements and remind the American people of the true value we get from recruiting and retaining the best public workforce in the world.

“He came to OPM with plenty of experience fighting for federal employees and their families. When he served for ten years as my Legislative Director, John was instrumental in crafting the Federal Employee Pay Comparability Act and making sure Congress passed it into law. Mr. Speaker, that was a bipartisan law, and it was President George Bush, the first, who signed that piece of legislation into law in 1990. On that undertaking – and in many others – John Berry made a real difference for the more than 62,000 federal workers and everyone else who call my district home.

“Just as we look to our federal workers to watch out for us, our federal employees have looked to John to watch out for them – to make sure that they have a safe work environment, that their paychecks arrive on time, and that the benefits they earn are the ones they receive.

“Under President Clinton, John served as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary for Law Enforcement at the Treasury Department, overseeing the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. And he later moved to the Interior Department, where he was Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management, and Budget. Essentially, the manager of the Department of the Interior.

“Before coming to OPM, John spent nearly a decade working on conservation as Director of the Fish and Wildlife Foundation and then arguable the job he perhaps has enjoyed most, he became Director of the National Zoo. At the National Zoo, he was so successful at turning around a faltering institution that after he left, they named a lion in his honor. John indeed was a lion: a lion on behalf of the federal employees, a lion on behalf of good government, a lion on behalf of integrity.

“Those who know John can attest that he is not only a true leader and effective manager but also an incredibly warm person with an unfailingly positive outlook. Mr. Speaker, John Berry will be greatly missed by all who serve our country in its civilian workforce, and I wish John and his partner, Curtis, all the best as he begins the next phase in his career.

“I hope my colleagues will join me in thanking John for his service; for his leadership; for his insights; for his inspiration; and for being an example to all of us of a positive, constructive, supportive, and successful career in federal service. Mr. Speaker, our country has been the beneficiary of his character, integrity, and extraordinary ability. We wish him well in all that he will be doing and I'm sure it will be extraordinarily productive, and of service to our country, as he moves on from federal service at the OPM to a new challenge and a new career.”

Hoyer Statement in Recognition of John Berry’s Service as Director of OPM

aott — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:55:37 +0000

For Immediate Release:

April 12, 2013

Hoyer Remarks at Office of Personnel Management Ceremony Unveiling "Civil Service Wall of Honor"

aott — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:48:02 +0000

For Immediate Release:

April 11, 2013

Two Weeks Until Sequester, and Republicans Waste Even More Time Attacking Federal Employees

aott — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 23:27:22 +0000

For Immediate Release:

February 15, 2013