House Republicans Fail to Pass a Budget by Statutory Deadline

Leader's Report

For Immediate Release:

2016-04-15T00:00:00

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MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP

Today, House Republicans missed the statutory deadline to pass a budget, notwithstanding the fact that they made passing a budget a top priority this year. It’s unfortunate that division and dysfunction within their Party prevented them from passing a budget, and I am deeply disappointed that many of their Members are urging Republican leadership to abandon the spending levels Congress passed last year. As they move forward on appropriations legislation without a budget, I urge Republicans to stick to the funding levels we agreed to last year.

It is critical that Congress act soon to address the debt crisis in Puerto Rico. While I am encouraged that House Republicans have introduced legislation, the draft bill is very much a work in progress. I hope that, as negotiations continue, House Republicans will continue to work with Democrats to reach a bipartisan agreement. The people of Puerto Rico are American citizens and they deserve action.

Finally, I was proud to introduce the Information Technology Modernization Act on Monday. This bill is an innovative way to upgrade and modernize government IT systems while strengthening cybersecurity. The legislation would create the Information Technology Modernization Fund (ITMF), through a one-time investment of $3 billion into a revolving fund to be overseen by an independent review board. Government agencies would be invited to submit proposals to upgrade their IT systems to the review board, which will then select the highest-impact projects to receive funding in a rapid and transparent manner. Once an agency has completed its technology upgrade, it will repay its funding amount back to the ITMF over time using savings achieved from making its technology system more efficient. As a result, the initial $3 billion investment is expected to address $12 billion worth of projects in the first 10 years. I hope that Democrats and Republicans can work together to advance this legislation, and in turn, make government more transparent, secure, efficient, and responsive.

Sincerely yours,

Steny H. Hoyer

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DEMOCRATIC NEWS UPDATE

On the Information Technology Modernization Act:

Hoyer Statement on House Republicans' Failure to Pass a Budget

Hoyer Statement on Republican Legislation to Address the Debt Crisis in Puerto Rico

Hoyer Remarks at House Democrats’ Steering & Policy Committee Hearing on Poverty in America

Hoyer Statement on Equal Pay Day