Biography

View high resolution photo of Congressman Steny Hoyer.

Congressman Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland is a strong advocate of Democrats’ policies to strengthen America’s middle class, our economy, and our national security. As House Democratic Whip for the 113^th Congress, Congressman Hoyer is the second-ranking member of the House Democratic Leadership. He is charged with mobilizing the party vote on important legislation, acting as a liaison between Members and the Democratic Leadership, and coordinating strategy within the Caucus. He also plays a key role in shaping House Democrats’ legislative priorities and in delivering the Democratic message. Congressman Hoyer previously served as House Majority Leader from 2007 to 2011, and as House Democratic Whip from 2003 to 2007 and in the 112^th Congress.

Congressman Hoyer has helped lead efforts in Congress to invest in job creation and growing our middle class, and he is committed to helping all Americans find good jobs that won’t be shipped overseas.  Since 2010, he has spearheaded Democrats’ “Make It In America” plan, which is focused on rebuilding American manufacturing and bringing more well paying jobs to our shores. He made crucial contributions to the passage of legislation to expand access to affordable health care to all Americans, as well as new common-sense rules to rein in Wall Street excesses and protect consumers while upholding the free market.

Congressman Hoyer believes that fiscal responsibility is critical to ensuring that we have the resources to invest in our future, as well as protect important programs like Social Security and Medicare. To that end, he helped lead the restoration of the pay-as-you-go law, ensuring that our country pays for what it buys, and has been an advocate for a big and balanced approach to restoring fiscal discipline.

A voice for those who have been hit hardest by the economic crisis, Congressman Hoyer has fought to help people who have lost jobs through no fault of their own; keep teachers, police officers, and firefighters on the job; and encourage small businesses to grow and create jobs. He has been a longtime proponent of full-service community schools, whose range of services have been shown to improve academic performance and parental involvement in at-risk communities.

As an advocate of equal opportunity, Congressman Hoyer guided the historic Americans with Disabilities Act to passage in 1990, as well as the ADA Amendments Act in 2008 which strengthened the law. He was a lead sponsor of the Help America Vote Act in 2002, which was hailed as the most important voting rights legislation since the 1960s.  Over the past several months, as several state legislatures imposed new and discriminatory barriers to ballot access, Congressman Hoyer has helped lead an effort to protect every American’s right to vote and have those votes counted accurately. Furthermore, in 2010, he was a leader in successfully ending the outdated and discriminatory policy of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which has weakened our military by depriving it of the service of thousands of brave Americans willing to risk their lives for their country.

Congressman Hoyer is a respected voice on defense and foreign policy. He has worked diligently to ensure passage of the annual homeland security, intelligence, and defense authorization bills that are critical to our national security.

One of Congress’s leading champions of human rights, Congressman Hoyer served as Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, fighting for political and religious freedom during the last years of the Soviet Union. He led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Darfur in 2007 to call greater attention to the recent genocide and has continued to support a strong American role in defense of human rights.

Congressman Hoyer and his wife, the late Judith Pickett Hoyer, have three daughters: Susan, Stefany, and Anne; son-in-law Loren Taylor; grandchildren Judy, James Cleveland, and Alexa; and great-grandchildren Ava and Braedon.