House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D: MD-5th) met the press on at a luncheon at the Sir Walter Raleign Inn in Berwyn Heights on Monday afternoon. Hoyer spoke about the deficit “supercommittee” as talks broke down and about automatic budget cuts that would go in to effect.
When the panel was formed, a “trigger” was set for automatic budget cuts to kick in. Those across the board cuts would take effect in January 2013, after the election. During his comments, Hoyer said he did not think the automatic cuts that will go in to effect are not a rational option. Late Monday evening, President Barack Obama (D) threatened to veto any legislation that repeals the automatic cuts.
“Congress has not been very productive in my view, and that’s a view shared by 95 percent of America,” Hoyer said. “Unfortunately they have not addressed jobs, and the super committee is not appearing so super.”
Hoyer said the panel was in trouble from the start because Democrats took entitlement spending off the table and Republicans, who take an oath to Washington lobbyist Grover Norquist to never raise taxes, have taken revenue increases off the table. Hoyer said the Clinton tax rates should be reinstated while criticizing Republicans for wanting to make the Bush tax rates permanent. However, Hoyer also said it was a bad idea to raise taxes now and that any revenue increases should be deferred until 2013 if the economy starts to improve.
Hoyer also spoke about the #OCCUPYWALLSTREET movement that continues to grow. Hoyer said Congress was watching it, and said the movement reflects the genuine anger of the American people on a variety of issues. However, Hoyer disagreed with the assertion from overseas media outlets that #OCCUPYWALLSTREET would lead to a revolution like those that swept Tunisia and Egypt.
Hoyer also hit on his “Make it in America” campaign, and said that the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (also known as the Stimulus) did not go far enough and should’ve contained more infrastructure spending. Hoyer urged House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R: VA-7th) to schedule a vote on President Obama’s proposed American Jobs Act.
When talking about redistricting, Hoyer said he would back Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D: MD-4th) in her re-election campaign. With a major shakeup in Congressional districts in the north looking destined to happen, Hoyer also expressed confidence that the Democrats could unseat Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R: MD-6th) in the 6th district.
When asked why Democrats could not carry their messages as well as Repoublicans have in recent years, Hoyer stated that the “megaphone of the opposition is much louder” on the right and stating that right wing media outlets such as FOX News Channel have a much larger audience than left wing media outlets such as MSNBC and Current.
