Newsroom
December 11, 2012 — Press Item
I am deeply disappointed that Republican legislators in Michigan today passed two so-called ‘right-to-work’ bills that erode the hard-won right of unions to organize workers for better wages and conditions. President Obama was right yesterday when he characterized this move as having nothing to do with economics and everything to do with politics. These bills represent the type of class warfare that puts profits before the needs of hard-working Americans; they will not grow our middle class or help families who have struggled throughout the economic downturn. By weakening the bargaining strength of labor unions, these bills undermine the relationships forged over many years in Michigan between labor and management, and in the past Governor Rick Snyder has called ‘right-to-work’ legislation divisive and inappropriate. I urge him to reconsider his stated intention to sign these bills into law.
Approaching the Fiscal Cliff: More Calls for Balanced Solution, Preventing Middle Class Tax Increase
December 11, 2012 — Press Item
As we get closer to the deadline to reach a solution to the fiscal cliff, a growing number of Republicans have publicly supported the idea of passing middle class tax cuts now to protect families and small businesses from a tax increase on January 1 while negotiations continue on higher tax rates for the wealthiest two percent in our country:
December 7, 2012 — Press Item
The history of America is the history of advancing civil rights, and this is the next step in that journey. By hearing these cases, the Supreme Court has the opportunity to ensure that every family is treated equally under the law. I am confident that the Supreme Court will rule that discrimination has no place in this nation, and will further the cause of civil rights for years to come.
December 7, 2012 — Press Item
For residents of areas affected by Hurricane Sandy, additional assistance to continue recovery efforts cannot come soon enough. The emergency aid package requested today by the Obama Administration will help communities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and neighboring states get back on their feet.
December 7, 2012 — Press Item
In a sign of continuing progress in our recovery, the Bureau of Labor Statistics report released this morning shows that our economy added 147,000 private sector jobs in November, causing the unemployment rate to drop to 7.7%. With thirty-three consecutive months of private sector job growth, more Americans are getting back to work. However, despite this month's strong gains, too many remain unemployed, and we have work left to do to solidify our economic recovery.
December 6, 2012 — Press Item
Today, the Senate ensured that U.S. companies will have better access to the Russian market when it passed H.R. 6156 by a strong, bipartisan vote of 92-4. By granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Russia, Congress has provided the President the tools needed to ensure Russia follows World Trade Organization rules and the market access commitments it has made. This will help create a level playing field for American businesses and workers seeking to export to the growing Russian market. In addition, this bill provides for tougher sanctions against those officials responsible for violating human rights and basic freedoms, including those involved in the tragic death of Sergei Magnitsky. I look forward to seeing President Obama sign this bill into law and take the steps it makes available to enforce fair trade rules that benefit American businesses and the jobs they create.
December 6, 2012 — Press Item
Today, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) traveled with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Congressman Gregory Meeks (NY-6) to visit Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York, which experienced significant damage from Hurricane Sandy. During the tour, Col. Kent Savre, Commander of the North Atlantic Division of the Corps of Engineers, and Col. Trey Jordan, head of the Corps’ New York Recovery Field Office and Commander of the Baltimore District, briefed Whip Hoyer and Congressman Meeks on the extent of damage and recovery efforts.
December 6, 2012 — Press Item
The executive order, signed today by President Obama, creating an Interagency Task Force on Commercial Advocacy will help American businesses compete more effectively overseas. This is an important step in the ongoing effort by this Administration to ensure a level playing field for American companies seeking to do business abroad and export their goods.
December 5, 2012 — Press Item
When I say everything needs to be on the table… I want everybody to put their cards on the table and tell me what they’re going to do. … Now there’s some things we are absolutely not going to do… we’re not going to voucherize Medicare, we are not going to privatize Social Security. We believe very strongly that we need additional revenues if we’re going to get our country on a fiscally sound basis.
December 5, 2012 — Press Item
“All I said yesterday was … we need a balanced package and we need to all come to the table honestly, realizing we have differences of opinion, but also realizing this is a math problem. It shouldn't be a philosophical problem or ideological or partisan problem, it's a math problem. We have to get America on a fiscally sustainable path and in order to do that, we’re going to have to have a balanced package. We’re going to have to look at additional revenues.”
December 4, 2012 — Press Item
Today, I signed the discharge petition filed by Rep. Tim Walz that would bring to the Floor an extension of tax cuts for 98% of Americans and 97% of small businesses. These middle class tax cuts were extended by the Senate in July, and the House ought to take action immediately to provide certainty to families and small businesses that their taxes won’t go up on January 1.
December 4, 2012 — Press Item
I am extremely disappointed that Senate Republicans blocked ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities today. Its ratification would enable the United States to play a leading role in helping other nations set policies that expand opportunities for their own citizens with disabilities. Modeled after the bipartisan Americans with Disabilities Act signed into law by President George H. W. Bush in 1990, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities represents a major step forward for individuals throughout the world living with disabilities and hoping for increased accessibility, equal opportunity, and greater independence. I was proud to have worked with former Rep. Tony Coelho and others, including former Republican Sen. Majority Leader Bob Dole, to pass the original Americans with Disabilities Act, and I strongly urge Senate Republicans to reconsider today’s vote and allow this treaty’s ratification.
December 4, 2012 — Press Item
Democrats remain committed to reaching agreement on a balanced solution to the fiscal cliff. President Obama’s proposal would cut the debt by $4 trillion over 10 years, ask our nation’s wealthiest to pay their fair share, and make strategic investments to create jobs and grow our economy. While Republicans have taken the positive step of putting a proposal on the table, it lacks the specifics needed to meet the challenge we face. Why didn’t they include specifics? Because their math doesn’t add up. A significant amount of revenue is needed, which can’t be reached by continuing tax breaks for the wealthy, as Republicans insist on doing.
