Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) spoke on the House Floor today in support of the National Manufacturing Strategy Act (HR 4692), which is part of Democrats’ new “Make it in America” agenda.
THE LONG-TERM unemployment rate is at a record level. So is the federal deficit. Both of these are serious concerns. But it is possible -- in theory, anyway -- for Congress to be both compassionate and prudent. In the short term, lawmakers should resolve the logjam that has allowed federal benefits to lapse for more than 900,000 unemployed. In the longer term, they should heed the example of House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), who gave a brave speech this week not only setting out the fiscal challenge but offering specific, credible suggestions for savings.
Both on and off the job, we ought to set high standards for safety for ourselves, our families and the communities in which we live. June is “National Safety Month,” and it is an appropriate time to think about steps we can all take to be safer in our homes, places of work and on the road. The following home safety tips are provided by the Home Safety Council, which is dedicated to educating and empowering families to make their homes safer.
Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (D-Md.) and staff from the office of Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) met last week with Prince George’s and Montgomery County officials leading the development of the Prince George’s-Montgomery County Gang Initiative.
Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, chairman of the Governor’s Subcabinet on Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), announced new funding, new partnerships and new initiatives to support BRAC jobs coming to Fort George G. Meade in Anne Arundel County, including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with all public, private and governmental parties to develop a Transportation Demand Management Plan for Fort Meade.
On this Memorial Day, we continue to be engaged in hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and young men and women will pay the ultimate price while wearing the uniform of our nation. Let us honor the memory of the 4,400 Americans who have died in Iraq and more than 1,000 who have died in Afghanistan. We also honor the sacrifices of our wounded: nearly 32,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 5,700 in Afghanistan.
Not to be overlooked are the men and women who serve America as federal, state and local government employees to provide vital services on which we rely. They are our teachers, our postmen and women, our police officers, our local government workers ensuring our trash gets picked up and our streets are paved, and federal civilian employees who work side-by-side with military personnel to keep our nation safe and secure.
After losing three-quarters of a million jobs per month, on average, during the last three months of the last administration, our economy is creating jobs again. It was announced this week that the economy added 290,000 jobs in April – 231,000 in the private sector - which is good news for our recovery from recession and shows that employers and workers are starting to have some confidence in the economy.
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer speaks at the topping-off ceremony for the new explosives development facility at Indian Head Division Naval Surface Warfare Center. Officials at Indian Head Division Naval Surface Warfare Center celebrated the new explosives development facility currently under construction at a topping off-ceremony Friday.
U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer met with senior citizens at the Richard R. Clark Senior Center in La Plata on Friday to explain how Medicare benefits will be impacted by the recently passed health care reform bill and to answer questions.U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer met with concerned senior citizens in La Plata on Friday to explain how the health care reform bill will impact their Medicare insurance coverage.
The House voted to ensure that veterans and their families get the care and support they need and deserve after they put their lives on the line defending our country. The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act will reform and improve veterans’ health services by supporting wounded veterans and their families and caregivers, expanding care for female veterans, improving mental health services, and increasing access to health care for veterans in rural areas.
As governments and consumers continue to push businesses for more environmentally friendly products and practices, manufacturers are trying to respond by balancing the benefits and challenges of going green.
Federal, state and local leaders pledged to protect the Anacostia watershed through a $2.7 billion restoration plan unveiled at a pre-Earth Day event Monday.
In 1919, Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Eisenhower took part in the Army’s first coast-to-coast truck convoy. The trip from Washington, D.C., to the Pacific, on a still-primitive system of roads, took 62 jarring, muddy days; and the young officer sputtered into San Francisco convinced that America deserved better.
The youth of today face the challenge of entering a job market that has become increasingly service-oriented, technology driven and globally competitive. When considering what path to take after high school, students have an appealing option in our nation’s United States service academies. An education at one of these prestigious institutions ranks among the best in the country and offers qualifying young men and women the opportunity to develop the leadership skills, technical abilities and character discipline that employers desire while simultaneously serving their country as a member of the armed forces.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, right, answers questions from area farmers and agricultural interest groups Thursday at a meeting with Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance, left, and U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, not shown, at the Prince George's County Soil Conservation District office in Upper Marlboro.
The grand opening of the College of Southern Maryland’s new clinical simulation lab was held Wednesday, March 31. The lab is designed to enhance training for nursing students and professionals in the southern Maryland Region. The lab provides a “real life” experience where students receive both direct instruction and simulated situations to which they respond and receive instructor feedback.
Most people don’t realize that tax cuts are the biggest individual piece of the Recovery Act, giving 95% of Americans – and 2.1 million families in Maryland one of the largest tax cuts in history. As you file your 2009 income taxes, you may qualify for a series of other generous tax cuts – for example, you could save money for attending college, making energy-saving home improvements, purchasing a home for the first time, or buying a new car.
U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-5th) held a roundtable discussion with Bowie State University students March 30 to discuss how the recently passed health care and student aid laws will affect college students and their families.
The debate on health care reform has been filled with partisan attacks on everything from imaginary “death panels” and “socialism” to criticism of parliamentary procedures. But there’s one topic critics love to avoid: what’s actually in the bill.
Entering its 23rd decade, the U.S. Census is the longest-running national census in the world. Every ten years, as long as we have been a nation under the Constitution, the United States has taken a census of everyone who lives here. The Founding Fathers ordered regular census-taking because they understood that, in order to govern ourselves fairly, we have to know how many people live here, and where.
“Never in my decades in Congress have I seen a public so outraged by deficits and debt. But this moment of historic awareness is also a moment of historic opportunity. We can waste it in opportunism, in slogans and symbolic solutions—or we can rededicate ourselves to the painful, unglamorous, and indispensible work of fiscal discipline. We can choose to hang together, in the words of Ben Franklin—or we will hang separately."
Each March, we remember and celebrate the enormous contributions made throughout America’s history by the women of this nation. I was pleased to join my colleagues in Congress in 1987 to proclaim the first annual “Women’s History Month.” In the 23 years since, American women of all races, classes, and ethnic backgrounds have continued to build on this legacy of achievement, pushing past obstacles to a future of even greater equality, opportunity, and success.
When President Obama took office, the country was facing the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. The job market was losing 750,000 jobs a month and unemployment was climbing fast. The economy was contracting at a rate of over 6 percent – the worst in decades. Foreclosures were at record levels and home prices had plummeted by thirty percent. And the decline in home prices, stock values, and retirement plans cost American households over $10 trillion dollars in lost wealth.
In his State of the Union Address last week, President Obama spoke about the reality of the hard times that facing our country, as well as the determination and optimism that have helped America overcome hardship in the past--the same qualities that are essential to our recovery today.
President Obama took office facing an economic crisis on a scale unseen since the Great Depression. Wall Street greed, fiscal irresponsibility during the previous Administration, and regulatory neglect all combined to crash our economy; but since then, the President and Congress have been determined to repair the damage. Our efforts have made real progress, but damage of the kind we saw last fall can’t be undone in a year; an unemployment rate of 10% means that millions families continue to struggle.
As we observe the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I hope that Americans will use this opportunity to recommit themselves to service in their communities, in honor of a man who gave his life to service.
For many, this time of year reminds us of what is truly important in our lives – the health of our friends, the well-being of our neighbors and the love of all those we hold dear. It is a special time of year, and it is encouraging to hear stories of the tremendous goodwill exhibited by our community. Unfortunately, the holiday season also brings increased risk for families both in terms of fire and theft, but it is also one of the deadliest times of year on America's highways, as the number of drunk drivers rises at a particularly disturbing rate.
Millions of Americans have felt the effects of the near-meltdown that jeopardized our economy last fall. But while those results are all too concrete, the causes are almost vanishingly abstract, expressed in a jargon that few Americans ever imagined had such power over their lives: phrases like “credit default swap” or “unregulated over-the-counter derivatives.”
This year, President Obama took office facing the worst economic crisis in generations. 2008 saw the largest job losses since the end of World War II and the worst housing market since the Great Depression. Faced with that tremendous challenge, the President and Congress responded with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, an aggressive plan to jumpstart our economy and create jobs.
The House passed the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Act (H.R. 3961) to permanently reform Medicare’s physician payment system and place it on more sustainable footing for physicians and beneficiaries.
The winter holiday season is upon us, and I would like to extend warm wishes to everyone in Maryland’s Fifth Congressional District to have a safe and happy holiday. This is a time when we celebrate the traditions of the holidays with loved ones – families reunite, gifts are shared, many people partake in preparing and sharing meals, and make plans to attend parties and gatherings to celebrate the season.
The most common question I hear in discussions about health insurance reform is what impact it will have on individuals and their families. The answer is – whether you currently have health insurance or not – the reforms in the Affordable Health Care for America Act which passed the House last week will benefit you in a number of ways.
On this Veterans Day, we continue to be engaged in hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan, and young men and women will pay the ultimate price while wearing the uniform of our nation. Let us honor the memory of the 4,300 Americans who have died in Iraq and nearly 900 who have died in Afghanistan. We also honor the sacrifices of our wounded: more than 31,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 4,300 in Afghanistan.
As we look back on the Recovery Act's first eight months, its success in averting catastrophe is clear. We are not out of the woods yet and much more work remains to create good jobs and lower unemployment, but there are positive signs that the recession is over, and that the economic policies pursued are starting to work.
For more than four decades, Medicare has meant dignity and peace of mind for America’s seniors—the peace of mind that comes from knowing that, no matter what, their health care is covered.
In addition to the standard measures we take every year to prepare for and prevent the spread of seasonal influenza, we face a unique flu challenge this year with the H1N1 virus.
Why do so many schools have auditoriums? Why do they have athletic fields? We take features like those for granted today, but there was a time when a school building with anything more than classrooms and chalkboards was considered wildly unorthodox. But, more than a hundred years ago, educators came to realize that schools can be more than simply places for instruction: they can be the center of their communities.
Health insurance reform is essential for our families, our businesses, and our country. Our families are being strained by skyrocketing premiums. If we do nothing, the average Maryland family can expect to spend nearly $25,000 per year on health care premiums by 2016, up from $12,000 now.
One of the most overlooked facts in the health reform debate is that small businesses and their employees will be among those who have the most to gain with reform - and the most to lose under our current system. The reality is that the current health care system is unsustainable for American small businesses. Let's look at the facts.
Last week, I took tour of an oyster sanctuary in the Patuxent River to see how efforts are working to restore the population of this critical shellfish in our waters. I was also present when the sanctuary was laid five years ago, and I must report that I was very impressed with the progress we are making and give great credit to the Oyster Recovery Partnership for coordinating this important effort in our state.
Across the State of Maryland, residents can be found spending their summers backpacking along the Appalachian Trail, fishing at Point Lookout State Park, biking on the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, taking in the view of wild horses galloping across the beach at Assateague State Park, or partaking in a number of other exciting outdoor activities.
The First of July marked the 43rd anniversary of one of the greatest domestic policy achievements in America since World War II: the enactment of Medicare. Today, when Medicare is such an integral part of so many lives, it is hard to imagine how bitterly it was opposed.
In recent years, America's fiscal story has been one of steady decline -- from record surpluses to record deficits. In 2001, the federal government had a projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion. Today, we are looking at a fiscal year 2009 deficit of $1.7 trillion.
The 111th Congress had a strong start and accomplished a great deal in the first five months. In a recent op-ed in Roll Call, Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein wrote: "This Congress has been as active and productive as any I can remember. The number of major bills passed and enacted into law, the serious, sustained activity in areas of broad, complex and critical importance, all are truly impressive."
This month, the House made significant strides in its efforts to rebuild the economy to immediately help families and provide for long-term growth. Some of the most important legislation passed and signed in recent days includes the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act.
This is a transformative time for America's energy policy. That's not because the problems are new-in fact, they date back decades, decades during which we ignored the carbon content of our energy sources. We have put our environment at risk and deepened our dependence on foreign fuel sources. What makes this moment transformative is a window of political opportunity.
Last winter, President Obama took office facing challenges unparalleled in recent memory-particularly an economy in steep decline. Since then, he and the Democratic-led Congress have taken a wide range of measures to end this historic recession and return our economy to prosperity.
In 1970, an ad was published in The New York Times to publicize the first Earth Day. It stated, "Earth Day is a commitment to make life better, not just bigger and faster; to provide real rather than rhetorical solutions. It is a day to re-examine the ethic of individual progress at mankind's expense.
Congress's debate on the federal budget this week provided a vital opportunity to confront the severity of our country's fiscal condition. For years under the previous Administration, we put off a reckoning, and now our nation is constrained by trillions in debt and billions in interest payments.
It’s the principle behind every clearance sale: The less a product is in demand, the less it sells for. It’s why you can find the cheapest winter coats in March and the cheapest new cars at the end of a model year. So why can’t we extend the same principle to the most basic commodity of all—electricity?
Throughout the month of February, Americans come together to celebrate Black History Month. In this historic year, when we swore-in President Barack Obama to serve as our nation's 44th President, we all have reason to be proud of the rich diversity of our nation.
This week, Congress debates President Obama’s plan to restore our economy and stop the hemorrhaging of American jobs that has pushed national unemployment to its highest level in 16 years. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, more than three and a half million American jobs have been lost, half of those coming in the last three months. Last month alone, the economy lost almost 600,000 jobs – that’s the equivalent of losing one out of every four jobs in the State of Maryland.
President Obama and the new Congress took their oaths of office in one of the worst economic climates in recent memory. In the last year alone, the United States shed 2.6 million jobs-the worst year since 1945.
Out economy is not stable. Working families are suffering. We have lost millions of homes to foreclosures. Unemployment is at its highest level in years. Small businesses and individuals are having trouble accessing credit. Retirement accounts have been chipped away.
Around this time of year, millions of prospective college students around the country are busy with reading brochures, filling out applications and making important decisions about where to go to school.
Nearly 40 years ago, an assassin’s bullet prematurely ended the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, when the civil rights leader was only 39 years old. Today, his dream lives on; and as we, as a nation, remember his birthday, we must reinvigorate our efforts to become the unified America he envisioned nearly four decades ago.
This week, the President acknowledged what middle class families struggling to make ends meet already know: the economy is unstable. While the President’s attention on the economy is welcome, we need real action to support middle-class families and restore the health of our economy for all Americans.
January is National Blood Donor Month and serves as an opportunity to remind the millions of eligible donors across the country, and particularly those in Southern Maryland, that the need for blood donations is always present and that giving blood is an easy way to make a significant contribution and even save a life.
The first session of the 110th Congress came to a close just over a week ago, marking the completion of the first full year under the leadership of the Democratic majority. As we mark the end of one year and prepare for the beginning of a new one, I, like many Southern Marylanders, have found this holiday season to be a time for both reflection and resolution.
For many, this time of year reminds us of what is truly important in our lives – the health of our friends, the well-being of our neighbors and the love of all those we hold dear. It is a special time of year, and it is encouraging to hear stories of the tremendous goodwill exhibited by our community. Unfortunately, the holiday season also brings increased risk for families both in terms of fire and theft, but it is also one of the deadliest times of year on America's highways, as the number of drunk drivers rises at a particularly disturbing rate.
The winter holiday season is upon us and I would like to extend warm wishes to everyone in Southern Maryland to have a safe and happy holiday. This is a time when we celebrate the warm traditions of the holidays with loved ones – families reunite, gifts are shared, many people partake in preparing and enjoying lavish meals, and make plans to attend parties and gatherings to celebrate the season.
With increasing energy prices burdening more Maryland families and our dependence on foreign oil undermining our national and economic security, it is long past time that we have a bold new energy policy for America.
In November, 2006, the American people demanded a New Direction: to make America safer, to help restore the American dream, and to restore accountability and fiscal responsibility to the people’s government.
Last week, the House passed a major tax bill to provide immediate relief for 23 million Americans at risk of paying the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) – a tax originally designed to ensure fairness in our tax system, but which every year threatens to hit more taxpayers who were never intended to pay the tax.
“Already, in the first eight months of the 110th Congress, the new majority has followed through with our pledge to honor the nation’s commitment to our veterans,” stated Rep. Hoyer. “For the first time in years the Congress has provided the VA with the requisite funding to fulfill our nation’s obligation to America’s servicemen and women, their families, and our veterans. These proud men and women to which we owe so much have fulfilled their duties bravely and honorably, and they deserve nothing less than the support of a nation that recognizes the heroic deeds they have undertaken to protect and promote the freedoms all Americans enjoy.”
This week, the House passed two major measures aimed at helping American workers and small businesses: the Small Business Contracting Program Improvements Act (H.R. 3867) and the Trade and Globalization Assistance Act (H.R. 3920).
This past Saturday, October 27th, our nation observed the 85th annual Navy Day. This is an important time to acknowledge the hard work done by the members of the U.S. Navy, as well as the inspiring actions taken by those who serve at the naval bases in our area - Patuxent River Naval Air Systems Command, Indian Head Surface Warfare Center, and the Special Communications Requirements Facility at St. Inigoes. I would like to take the observation of ‘Navy Day’ to salute their efforts and to acknowledge the vital roles and important military capabilities performed at these three facilities.
Thirty-five years ago, our Nation codified an enhanced commitment to protecting and improving the quality of water in our lakes, rivers, streams, estuaries and wetlands by enacting the Clean Water Act. That 1972 legislation spelled out ambitious programs for water quality improvement that have since been expanded and are implemented today by industries and municipalities.
From toys tainted with lead paint, to collapsing cribs, to dangerous food products sold in grocery stores, in recent weeks many major companies have been forced to recall dangerous products from the consumer market.
This Sunday, I had the honor of speaking at the 26th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service to pay tribute to those firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. On this occasion, we memorialized 91 fallen firemen and women, their deaths a grave testament to the dangerous and sometimes fatal nature of the fire service.
Have you flown recently and been frustrated by flight delays, cancellations or simply a lack of information? Maybe a better question is when have you flown and not been frustrated?
It is the reward of hard work and prudent saving that millions of Americans are able to realize the American Dream of owning a home. In recent years, the housing boom has given way to a surge in homeownership, which has been fueled in part by easy credit obtained through the subprime mortgage market.
On this, the sixth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, our nation pauses once again to remember the innocent men, women and children who senselessly perished that dark day.
While many Marylanders enjoy a long Labor Day weekend, and mourn the end of summer with perhaps one more visit to the beach, it is also appropriate that we take time this weekend to recognize the intended significance of this important holiday.
Each August, we have the opportunity to mark the greatest expansion of democratic rights in our nation’s history – the day American women were afforded the right to vote. August 26, 1920, observed as Women’s Equality Day, marks was a milestone in human progress – and one that marked neither beginning nor end in a struggle that is far older than United States itself.
Each of the many individuals and organizations concerned with the future of the Chesapeake Bay are all too aware of the serious environmental challenges we face in restoring this magnificent estuary. Over the past two decades, federal, state, and local partners have worked together to produce modest restoration gains, but stronger actions must be taken to reduce the region’s nutrient and sediment loads to the Bay watershed.
From making historic investments in the Chesapeake Bay to ensuring that more children in Maryland receive the high-quality education they deserve, the 110th Congress has been working non-stop over the past seven months making progress for the American people on the toughest challenges we face.
Any Marylander who travels across a bridge on their way to work or school as I do was no doubt disturbed by the collapse of an interstate highway bridge in Minneapolis last week that claimed the lives of at least five people and injured dozens more. In the aftermath of this great tragedy, our primary focus should be to understand why this happened and to take measures to ensure an incident like this is not repeated in the future.
Seventeen years ago - on July 26, 1990 - the first President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, hailing it as "the world's first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities." That day was one of my proudest in public service, and I know others who helped lead the fight on the ADA feel the same way.
On Tuesday, July 24, millions of Americans nationwide will receive a long-overdue pay raise when the first phase of the federal minimum wage increase takes effect. Workers currently receiving the $5.15 an hour rate will see their hourly wage increase by 14 percent to $5.85. The 70 cent raise this July will be followed by two more 70 cent increases in July 2008 and July 2009 to reach the new federal minimum wage of $7.25.
In 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law, launching the greatest government led initiative in our nation’s history to invest in higher or continuing education. The original law enabled 7.8 million veterans of World War II to participate in education or job training programs and is credited for its redeeming impact on the post-war national economy and in building a sustained American middle-class.
Across the State of Maryland, residents can be found spending their summers backpacking along the Appalachian Trail, fishing at Point Lookout State Park, biking on the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, taking in the view of wild horses galloping across the beach at Assateague State Park, or partaking in a number of other exciting outdoor activities.
Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) today announced the inclusion of $57.7 million for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) consolidation project at White Oak, Maryland in the FY08 Financial Services Appropriations bill which passed the House of Representatives today.
On July 4, we celebrate the anniversary of the day our nation claimed its independence and a new era of democracy and freedom began. Two-hundred and thirty one years later, we find ourselves engaged in a new battle for independence – energy independence – that holds serious consequences for the future economic, environmental, and national security of our nation.
In January of this year, new rules went into effect requiring United States airline passengers traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda to show a passport upon their re-entry into the country.
On June 17th, I join fathers, grandfathers, and even great-grandfathers like myself, across our state in celebrating Father’s Day. This Father’s Day it is especially appropriate to recognize those fathers who have sacrificed precious time away from their families on active duty in our nation’s military, while thanking all fathers for their commitment to their families and for playing a vital role in the lives of their children.
Forty-four years ago, President John Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act and called it the first step in addressing “the unconscionable practice of paying female employees less wages than male employees for the same job.” At that time, women earned 59 cents for each dollar earned by a man.
While driving the roads of Southern Maryland, you have no doubt noticed the recent spike in gas prices. They are high and rising, and squeezing the pocketbooks of the average Maryland driver who is currently paying $3.16 a gallon on average for regular gasoline – more than double the cost when President Bush took office, and up nearly 89 cents a gallon in the last seven weeks.
Though they have fallen, they will never be forgotten, and on this Memorial Day we honor them as well as all the servicemen and women, throughout our history, who have given their lives serving others before serving themselves.
Last week, our nation commemorated National Police Week as well as the 26th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day, to honor the memory of our nation's officers who have fallen in the line of duty and to thank those who carry on their legacy, serving as protectors in communities across this nation.
Mothers’ Day is a time for sons, daughters, husbands and grandchildren to reflect upon and celebrate all the wonderful contributions our mothers have made. This holiday also calls us to ensure that mothers are provided with the tools and resources that will help them raise healthy children.
It goes without saying that America is a nation with significant transportation needs that are driving our ever-expanding appetite for energy, and correspondingly, our over-reliance on petroleum products and foreign sources of oil.
In almost every public poll that asks Americans what domestic issue most concerns them, health care is almost always listed among in the top three. As a matter of public policy, health care dominates the debate, both in the state of Maryland and in Washington.
May 7 - 13 is Public Service Recognition Week - an annual week to highlight the dedication and commitment of the more than 20 million public employees throughout the United States. In 1988, Congress passed a proclamation declaring Public Service Recognition Week. From its initial beginnings, Public Service Recognition Week has grown in size and scope. This year it will be celebrated in all fifty states and in over 1400 cities.
President Kennedy stirred the imagination of our nation and inspired a generation to "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." One of the great sons of Maryland, Sargent Shriver, took Kennedy's words, and answered that clarion call to a life in public service and has become one of the greatest public servants in the history of our nation.
Concerned about increasing environmental degradation and the political indifference to act, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for an “Environmental Teach-in” to be held on April 22, 1970. Twenty million people across the county answered his call to action to participate in the inaugural Earth Day, initiating what has become a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment.
Concerned about increasing environmental degradation and the political indifference to act, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for an “Environmental Teach-in” to be held on April 22, 1970.
Over the last six years, the President and previous Congresses - after enacting the most reckless fiscal policies in American history - have turned a projected surplus of $5.6 trillion into record budget deficits and additional debt of more than $3 trillion. The total debt currently held by the United States is rapidly approaching the $9 trillion mark, with the individual share of that debt for each American nearing $30,000.
Imagine what it would be like to lose a child on account of a toothache because your insurance coverage lapsed and you didn’t have access to the basic health services that may have saved his life. It’s hard to imagine such a scenario could happen in the 21st Century in the most prosperous and resource-rich nation on the planet - but it did. Furthermore, it happened right here in Maryland.
The youth of today face the challenge of entering a job market that has become increasingly service-oriented, technology driven and globally competitive.
With spring just around the corner, you may be preparing to get out the broom and sweep away the dust and cobwebs that accumulated in your house over the winter. For Democrats in Congress, we have just begun the housekeeping necessary to attend to unfinished business and important priorities left unaddressed by the previous Congress.
Members of Congress and the American people are deeply disappointed and justifiably concerned about the deplorable conditions that wounded American service men and women have been forced to endure upon returning from combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thirty years ago, during an unprecedented national energy crisis, President Carter said: “With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge our country will face during our lifetimes.” Because our nation has too often failed to make the hard decisions needed to move toward energy independence, President Carter’s admonition is as relevant today as it was back then. We simply cannot ignore our addiction to foreign sources of oil any longer.
Recently, a group of energetic science and engineering high school students from the Fifth Congressional District visited my Washington office, bringing with them a special guest - a basketball-shooting robot named Pedro.
The first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, a mother and grandmother, convened the 110th Congress by announcing: “For all of America’s children, the House will be in order.” Both the Speaker’s words and the image of her surrounded by children that day represent the new Congress’s promise and commitment to protect and provide for all of our nation’s children.
$28,861- As of this week, this is the average share of the national debt belonging to every man, woman, and child in America; the total amount of debt our nation holds is $8.7 trillion. How did we dig ourselves into this giant hole, and more importantly, how do we get ourselves out?
U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) was presented Oct. 27 with the Javits Wagner O’Day Champion award for his efforts to aid the employment of people with disabilities.
Democrats of the 110th Congress elected Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Dist. 5) as their new majority leader despite attempts by newly-elected House speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to strong-arm party members to support her top pick, Rep John Murtha (D-Pa.).
St. Mary's County, in far Southern Maryland, has all of the ingredients for a Republican stronghold: farms, outer suburbs, affluent retirees and a strong military presence. It has consistently supported Republicans for president and governor in recent elections.
WASHINGTON - A program that fights drug trafficking in designated regions throughout the U.S. named Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., as its Legislator of the Year on Friday in Greenbelt.
Only in Washington could a $248 billion budget deficit be touted as good news. But that is exactly what President Bush and Republicans did last week. The Grand Old Party is clearly in a state of denial on the deficit...
The 5th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks reminded us that our volunteer and career firefighters sacrifice a great deal to protect our communities and it is our duty to provide them with the equipment and training that they need to keep their departments running safely and efficiently...
This week, Americans celebrated the 23rd anniversary of American Business Women’s Day. In the 1940’s, working women were making new inroads to the business world by changing the face of industry and providing positive economic impact...
If I were to offer sage words of advice to any foreigner wanting to place himself or herself on the fertile soil of these United States, it would be to perhaps choose Canada or gear up for harsh treatment by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (or whatever it's been rebranded in these post-9/11 days).
In 1882, the first Labor Day festivities celebrated the creation of the labor movement and the social and economic achievements of the American worker.
With traffic on the minds of voters, some of Southern Maryland's elected officials gathered Tuesday to announce federal funding for several road and parking projects.
The St. Mary’s River drains the central county including Lexington Park, and it has seen its share of environmental problems. However, the river is still deemed relatively healthy by those who have been monitoring its water quality for years now.
Monday marked the 71st anniversary of the Social Security program’s inception. For the last 71 years, Social Security has provided dignity, safety, and security to millions of retiring Americans, as well as to disabled Americans and children whose families experience devastating tragedies. This program has been one of the most popular and successful in American history. Preventing the privatization of Social Security that President Bush and Congressional Republicans have been advocating is one of the key elements of Democrats’ plan to lead America in a new direction.
U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer recently met with 5th Congressional District student Cassie Wilson, who was his nominee for the 2006 Summer Congressional Page program.
Moriah Morgan’s drawing of a familiar St. Mary’s County scene is hanging in the U.S. Capitol, right alongside other works of art by students from throughout the country.
Nearly two months after Maryland seniors were forced to enroll in Medicare Part D or face a lifetime penalty, news about the failures of this confusing law continues to pour in.
Last week, the House of Representatives was set to enact H.R. 9, the bipartisan, bicameral Voting Rights Act Reauthorization, which strengthens and renews the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act for another 25 years and reaffirms an enduring principle of our democracy: that every citizen is guaranteed the right to vote. Then, in an unexpected and disappointing development, House Republicans pulled the bill from consideration.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) has sponsored a resolution that would allow about 60 underage, unlicensed drivers to cruise down Constitution Avenue Northwest at speeds exceeding the legal speed limit in unregistered, driver-constructed vehicles.
Paying tribute to Charles County's natural landscape and wildlife, officials have launched a new branding campaign they hope will draw businesses and tourists to the county.
Like an afternoon tent revival, people crowded onto a small Broomes Island beach to hear the teachings and preachings at what some would call the church of Bernie Fowler.
Prince George’s County could face significant setbacks in replacing its outdated radio system if the federal Department of Homeland Security sticks with its plan to reduce the National Capital Region’s grant money by 40 percent.
WASHINGTON -- Several congressmen from the Washington area aren't happy with the Department of Homeland Security's plan to cut the region's anti-terror funds.
An effort by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to clean up the Anacostia River took a step forward last week when the House passed an appropriations bill that includes $400,000 designated for restoration efforts.
After years of waiting for funding for the project, work began last week to deepen the channels of St. Jerome Creek in Ridge, as a crew of 20 men from North Carolina have been working there day and night.
On Monday, I hosted a town hall meeting in Waldorf to discuss the looming prescription drug deadline. My Democratic colleagues and I have requested that the Bush Administration extend the penalty-free enrollment deadline for the new Medicare prescription drug law from tomorrow to January 1, 2007, so that seniors can have more time to navigate this confusing and complicated law.
Senior citizens have less than one week to enroll in a highly scrutinized federal prescription drug program before incurring lifetime penalties that would likely hurt those it aims to help.
Reps. Steny H. Hoyer and Benjamin L. Cardin met this week with seniors at Victoria Park Apartments in Waldorf to discuss the Medicare prescription drug program and the looming Monday deadline to sign up for the benefit.
Congressman Steny Hoyer threw a banquet Monday to honor Southern Maryland’s teachers and administrators that were selected as the most distinguished educators from their county.
This week we pay tribute to some of the most important individuals in our nation: our educators. Teachers hold the future of America in their hands. They teach our children to read, to write, to calculate, to sing, to paint, to listen, to question, to work with others, and to think for themselves. Most of us owe our teachers a great debt, not only for our education in the classroom, but for inspiring and encouraging us to be and do better. I hope Marylanders will join me in honoring our teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our communities.
Pleasant weather may have been the biggest blessing on Saturday, April 29, as hundreds of volunteers from many local organizations and churches were dispatched throughout Calvert County to perform repair work at various homes for the county’s annual Christmas in April project.
While driving the roads of Southern Maryland, you will inevitably notice the recent spike in gas prices. They are high and rising, squeezing the pocketbooks of the average Maryland family. This week families are paying $3.00 a gallon on average for regular gasoline -- double the cost when President Bush took office, and up nearly 70 cents a gallon in the last seven weeks.
Prince George's County officials expressed outrage and frustration Friday about a story line on the ABC television show "Commander in Chief," depicting Hyattsville as a backward, crime ridden community.
President George W. Bush’s plan to suspend the introduction of ethanol-laced gasoline is ‘‘too little, too late,’’ said one petroleum industry official.
On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day, 25 million people joined around the country to demand a safer, cleaner and healthier world. The impact of that first Earth Day was astonishing. In rapid succession, and with large, bipartisan majorities, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Superfund Act.
U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) marked National Small Business Week on April 11 by holding a roundtable luncheon in Clinton with representatives of the chambers of commerce from his district, which includes Anne Arundel, Prince George’s, Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s counties.
WASHINGTON -- Volunteers spread over 241 sites in Maryland, Washington, Virginia and West Virginia collected more than 131 tons of garbage Saturday during the annual cleanup of typical and unusual trash from the Potomac River watershed.
Last month, a tragic fire fueled by fierce winds battered downtown Solomon’s Island largely destroying two of the island's landmarks, the Lighthouse Inn and Bowen's Inn.
The staff of Zekiah Technologies Inc. gave U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer a glimpse of its defense contracting work when he visited the firm’s La Plata headquarters March 10.
U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer visited the Richard R. Clark Senior Center in La Plata Friday morning to help seniors wade through the new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan — which he said is more complicated than it needs to be.
U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, whose district includes northern Prince George's County, presented the county State's Attorney's Office with a check for $260,000 to combat illegal gun activity and gangs in a ceremony Monday at the Laurel Municipal Center.
Funding math and science teacher recruitment and training programs at the earliest education levels is imperative for keeping America competitive, the Maryland state superintendent of schools told House lawmakers Thursday.
While most Laurel residents were sleeping through the Feb. 11 snowstorm, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center technicians struggled in the dark to save an endangered species program.
President George W. Bush’s 2007 budget proposal includes more than $9 million in budget cuts to the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), including the closure of two BARC labs.
President Bush has proposed slashing $25 million from Chesapeake Bay programs and deals a staggering blow to cleanup efforts, a bay watchdog group said this morning.
Things that have been found floating in the Potomac River: a vintage Chevy. A giant plastic hot dog. A tombstone from 1878. A $50 check to the Internal Revenue Service.
While the issue of Iraq continues to produce a wide range of views across our nation, I believe that most Americans are united on two fundamental propositions. First, we want our nation – and our coalition partners – to succeed in helping the Iraqis establish a democratic government that respects human rights and abides by the rule of law, and to succeed in helping the Iraqis stand up security forces that can maintain order and protect their citizens.
The tobacco barns that have come to be the primary symbol of Southern Maryland's agricultural heritage -- and that have descended into varying states of vine-covered, weather-beaten degradation -- now may be restored with the help of $200,000 in federal grant money.
With an infusion of $250,000 announced by Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) Nov. 18, the Renaissance Square project in Hyattsville can now make a major step forward.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year of 1918, the world celebrated the end of World War I, and in recognition November 11th became known as Armistice Day.
Earlier this year, Americans celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
A "brainstorming" document mistakenly made public last week on Capitol Hill included a proposal to sell one of Charles County's historical gems: the Thomas Stone National Historic Site...
A congressional proposal to sell the Thomas Stone National Historic Site in Port Tobacco and 15 other national parks across the country for commercial and residential development has infuriated the Sierra Club, historical preservationists and elected officials...
The federal deficit is an issue that seems remote and removed from the everyday lives of most Americans. However, the cost of the recovery effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is bringing the deficit out of the halls of Congress and into the pocketbooks of American families...
As the summer driving season ends, and the winter demand for heating fuel begins, the effects of record-high oil and gasoline prices on American families are set to go from bad to worse...
The commission charged with trimming and consolidating the nation’s military bases expected to submit its final report to the White House today, with Maryland likely to gain a significant job boost...
Southern Maryland stands to make substantive gains in this year’s round of base closings. The strong team effort between the Navy and the communities “outside the gate” at Indian Head, Pax River, and St. Inigoes, combined with the valuable work that the people at these installations perform, helped guarantee this success...
This Sunday will mark the 70th Anniversary of one of America’s most successful and most popular programs: Social Security. Democrats created this program in 1935, recognizing that older Americans deserve integrity and independence in retirement, and that children and disabled Americans need security in the face of disastrous and tragic family events...
This week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a revised estimate for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 budget deficit – and it ought to concern all Americans...
The celebrations planned for Independence Day this year are both numerous and heartfelt, and justly so. While this is a day of fireworks, of barbecues and picnics, of friends and families, it is also much more. It is an opportunity to reflect on our nation, our history, our progress, and our future. Americans can wish a happy birthday to our country, to the principles on which it is founded, to the spirit of freedom that vitalizes it. It is also an opportunity to remember that independence is rarely easy, that it is an honor as well as a privilege, and that sometimes, as happened at the birth of our nation, it is necessary that we fight for it.
On May 24, the House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2006 Energy and Water funding bill which included $1 million for the Oyster Recovery Project, which is coordinating the revival of oysters in the bay.
Last week, the President visited Calvert County to tour Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant. As a strong supporter of Calvert Cliffs, and a proponent of nuclear power, I am pleased that the President was able to tour this facility. However, I am deeply disappointed that he has failed to lead our country toward energy independence by establishing a real, forward looking energy policy.
Father’s Day is a wonderful time for many fathers and families all across the nation to celebrate father’s and the role they play in shaping the lives of their children.
Both on and off the job, we ought to set high standards for safety for ourselves, our families and the communities in which we live. June is “National Safety Month,” and it is an appropriate time to recall the steps we can all take to be safer in our homes, places of work and on the road.
The release of the BRAC recommendations on Friday was the crescendo of a multiyear, multifaceted effort by Rep. Steny Hoyer and Del. John Bohanan to preserve Southern Maryland’s military installations and the thousands of jobs that fuel the regions economy.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy designated May 15th as Peace Officers’ Memorial Day, and the week in which May 15th falls as National Police Week. This week, we recognize Police Week from May 15 through the 21st.
NASA's decision to delay launch of the shuttle Discovery by two months may have given the Hubble Space Telescope a new lease on life - delighting the telescope's boosters.
Across the state, government officials, businesses, community leaders and volunteer alliances have spent at least a year making the case for why their particular base should be spared or expanded in the next BRAC.
Calvert County officials formally dedicated Huntingtown High School during a ceremony Saturday, seven months after the school opened its doors for the first time last fall.
Students at the Laurel College Center may have two new choices for bachelor's degrees by next fall as the number of colleges involved in the center jumps to five, a Howard Community College official said.
Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Dist. 5) of Mechanicsville announced April 22 that a $20,403 federal Fire Grant will go to the Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department.
Military communities nationwide are bracing for the Department of Defense to release the list of defense facilities it wants to consolidate with other bases or close completely, a process known as base realignment and closure, or BRAC.
This Friday is April 15, the annual deadline for filing federal income tax returns – a duty of citizenship that provokes anxiety, confusion and even anger in many taxpayers every year.
From nearly the moment that the Arlington County portion of Interstate 66 opened in 1982, various planners and officials have fought to widen it based on the simple argument that more lanes are needed to alleviate daily traffic jams.
Governors took their pitch for Chesapeake-related cash to Congress—and at least one congressman took the issue to the White House—as leaders continued their scramble in March to secure federal support for the Bay cleanup.
ANNAPOLIS -- Top Democrats are pushing a plan to move up next year's primaries by three months to June 2006 to avoid leaving the party's Senate and gubernatorial nominees battered and broke with just two months before the November general election.
Congressman Steny Hoyer joined with several veterans from across the state here to discuss various issues regarding military retirees and their families.
Southern Maryland's farming leadership assembled in Charlotte Hall this week to share concerns with Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) about the loss of estate tax exemptions, the high price of fuel and, like elderly residents in other fields, the fate of Social Security.
Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer called on NASA Tuesday to go ahead with plans to send a robot to service the Hubble Space Telescope while officials from the space agency said such a mission likely won't happen due to proposed budget cuts.
Our tax system confounds millions of Americans each year and treats many taxpayers unfairly. That’s why as April 15th quickly approaches, and as Maryland families across the state are preparing their taxes, I wanted to make sure you knew of a useful service provided by the IRS, the Taxpayer Advocate Service.
Last week the House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2006 House Republican budget, which contains harmful cuts to federal investments in Maryland that the state would be forced to absorb.
President Bush's plan to add private stock and bond accounts to Social Security never made much sense to Beverlie Ludy. For that matter, all the talk she was hearing of an "ownership society" smacked of a greedy, "me-first" attitude she didn't like.
Portions of the $3.38 billion that the state of Maryland could receive from a new federal transportation bill will go to much-needed construction and improvements on roads in Prince George's County.
COLLEGE PARK - With President Bush flooding cable TV screens with town meetings around the country peddling his approach to Social Security reform, the Democrats are finally moving to fill the vacuum on their side, in their fashion.
Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, the studious liberal who became Maryland's longest-serving senator and who acted as quiet counsel to Democratic leaders through times of impeachment and scandal, announced yesterday that he will not run for reelection when his fifth term ends in January 2007.
County fire departments coping with aging equipment and staff shortages will get some much-needed relief with more than a half million dollars in federal fire grants announced Tuesday.
Last Sunday, I walked the crest of the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama as I have for many years now, to join in commemorating the infamous “Bloody Sunday” civil rights march and to pay tribute and join in recognizing the unspeakable hardship and indefensible prejudice that African Americans have had to overcome throughout our nation's history.
It is increasingly clear that the proposal by President Bush to privatize Social Security – the most successful government program in American history – is opposed by a solid majority of the American people. And, as I discuss below, Americans are opposing privatization for good reason.
Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) criticized President Bush for eliminating funding in his proposed fiscal 2006 budget for the Oyster Restoration Project, which is coordinating the revival of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
This week the Peace Corps celebrates its birthday and has designated Peace Corps Week as an opportunity for former Volunteers to share their knowledge and experiences with their communities in the United States. Volunteers take this opportunity to educate Americans back home about the people with whom they lived and worked.
On Saturday, February 12, I attended the 24th Annual Black History Month Breakfast, held in Clinton this year, that I have hosted every year since I was elected to Congress to recognize the critical role African Americans have played in the founding and developing of our country.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and 46 co-sponsors are pushing a bill that would increase the amount of money the federal government pays toward employee health insurance premiums.
Early this month, the President presented his budget proposal for fiscal year 2006 to the Congress. I believe that the budget is an illustration of where we are willing to invest the funds collected by our citizens to enhance the programs and services provided to our people. And, it is a reflection of the interests and values of our country.
On Monday, January 17, we will commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a minister, a civil rights leader, a father, a Nobel Laureate. Dr. King led the fight to reform America’s ideas of equality and civil rights – and to dispel the notion that the American dream was only limited to Americans of a certain color or background.
Three years ago, on January 8, Democrats and Republicans joined together to pass the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act to give every American child the opportunity for a quality education.