Hoyer Discusses Delaying Consideration of the GOP Tax Bill Until Senator-Elect Doug Jones Is Sworn Into Office on CNBC
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Press Release
For Immediate Release:
December 13, 2017
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined CNBC's Squawk on the Street this morning to discuss the need for Republicans to delay the consideration of their tax bill until Senator-Elect Doug Jones is sworn into office. Below are excerpts from the interview and a link to the video:
“I think that would be very appropriate [to delay the vote on the tax bill]. As a matter of fact, Mitch McConnell thought it would be very appropriate after Scott Brown was elected on January 19th of 2010. The day after, Senator McConnell said there ought to be no more votes on the ACA until Scott Brown was seated. The theory being that we had a new Senator, the public had spoken. He pointed out in Massachusetts, we point out in Alabama. Neither one of our home states, if you will. So it should be delayed. Chuck Schumer is absolutely right. We have a new Senator, a new voice that has been elected in Alabama, and that voice ought to be heard on arguably one of the most important pieces of legislation – I think one of the worst pieces of legislation – that we have considered in a very, very long time that will cause the country great harm. So I think McConnell was right in 2010. I think Schumer is right in 2017 and we ought to follow both of their advice.”
“I certainly hope we can defeat this tax bill. It is a terrible tax bill. A terrible tax bill for working people; a terrible tax bill in blowing a hole in the deficit and the debt. And if offered by Democrats this tax bill would have received no Republican votes. On the debt issue alone, $1.7 trillion is added to the national debt, which our children are going to have to pay. And in the process, it raises taxes on 72 million Americans and gives the resources that – Speaker Ryan talked about struggling Americans, the resources don't go to struggling Americans. The resources go overwhelmingly to the richest people in our country and the corporations. We need a tax reform bill… This is a bill that has not seen the light of day, that has not had any hearings, that has not had any witnesses come before, and most economists believe, a, it will not be paid for and will leave at least a trillion dollars debt. And secondly, it will not have the positive effect on the economy that its proponents argue. So it's a bad bill, it ought to be defeated.”
“We need tax reform. We can work on tax reform in a bipartisan way. We need to bring down the corporate rate to make it more competitive. So there are many things on which we can agree but this bill is a bad bill. And I think no Republican is voting for it on the basis of policy, but on the basis of politics.”
“I think it's a bad bill, bad policy, and bad for the country. I would hope at least one or two Republican Senators would come to that place… I haven't lost hope that good sense will prevail any more than I lost hope in the voters of Alabama that they wouldn’t use good sense to vote for decency and good order and common sense in the United States Senate race, which they did last night. I still have hope that the United States Senate will do the same.”
“I think that would be very appropriate [to delay the vote on the tax bill]. As a matter of fact, Mitch McConnell thought it would be very appropriate after Scott Brown was elected on January 19th of 2010. The day after, Senator McConnell said there ought to be no more votes on the ACA until Scott Brown was seated. The theory being that we had a new Senator, the public had spoken. He pointed out in Massachusetts, we point out in Alabama. Neither one of our home states, if you will. So it should be delayed. Chuck Schumer is absolutely right. We have a new Senator, a new voice that has been elected in Alabama, and that voice ought to be heard on arguably one of the most important pieces of legislation – I think one of the worst pieces of legislation – that we have considered in a very, very long time that will cause the country great harm. So I think McConnell was right in 2010. I think Schumer is right in 2017 and we ought to follow both of their advice.”
“I certainly hope we can defeat this tax bill. It is a terrible tax bill. A terrible tax bill for working people; a terrible tax bill in blowing a hole in the deficit and the debt. And if offered by Democrats this tax bill would have received no Republican votes. On the debt issue alone, $1.7 trillion is added to the national debt, which our children are going to have to pay. And in the process, it raises taxes on 72 million Americans and gives the resources that – Speaker Ryan talked about struggling Americans, the resources don't go to struggling Americans. The resources go overwhelmingly to the richest people in our country and the corporations. We need a tax reform bill… This is a bill that has not seen the light of day, that has not had any hearings, that has not had any witnesses come before, and most economists believe, a, it will not be paid for and will leave at least a trillion dollars debt. And secondly, it will not have the positive effect on the economy that its proponents argue. So it's a bad bill, it ought to be defeated.”
“We need tax reform. We can work on tax reform in a bipartisan way. We need to bring down the corporate rate to make it more competitive. So there are many things on which we can agree but this bill is a bad bill. And I think no Republican is voting for it on the basis of policy, but on the basis of politics.”
“I think it's a bad bill, bad policy, and bad for the country. I would hope at least one or two Republican Senators would come to that place… I haven't lost hope that good sense will prevail any more than I lost hope in the voters of Alabama that they wouldn’t use good sense to vote for decency and good order and common sense in the United States Senate race, which they did last night. I still have hope that the United States Senate will do the same.”