Hoyer Discusses Republicans' Failure to Address the Priorities of the American People and the GOP Tax Scam on CNN
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Press Release
For Immediate Release:
December 21, 2017
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined CNN's Newsroom today to discuss Republicans' failure to address the needs of the American people and fund the government. Below are excerpts from the interview and a link to the video:
On Republicans' Failure to Address the Priorities of the American People
“The only person who has talked about shutting down the government in the last four months has been President Trump, himself. He said that might be good for the government. It would be bad for the government and bad for the American people and we don’t want it. [Democrats] don't have the votes to shut it down or keep it open. The fact is that Republicans, as you've discussed just earlier in your program, have consciously shut down the government to try to take the government hostage to have the ACA repeal.”
“What [Democrats] are now confronted with is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition on a CR and on a supplemental. Both of which we think do not properly do the business of government. So, we may not vote for things that are jammed down our throat, but we don't want to shut down the government. We think the Republicans should not shut down the government. And if they want to do things purely on a partisan basis, which has been the fact we've been confronted with, then, frankly, it's their responsibility to vote for their partisan bills, and if they don't vote for their partisan bills the result may well be the shutting down of government, which would be a bad policy. But a policy which they pursued in the '90s and a policy they pursued just a couple years ago. We have no intention of wanting to shut down the government.”
On the GOP Tax Scam
“[Republicans] have $1.5 trillion of borrowed money… They talked how we needed to help working people. What did they do? Yes, they gave some tax relief to working people, 17% of that $1.5 trillion. 83% of that $1.5 trillion they gave to the top 1% of America. Our opinion is that is perverse. That's not helping working men and women by giving 83% of all the resources to the wealthiest in America… The overwhelming majority of the money was not used for the struggling family making $59,000 that Paul Ryan talked about on the Floor and that [Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin] Brady talked about on the Floor yesterday.”
On Republicans' Failure to Address the Priorities of the American People
“The only person who has talked about shutting down the government in the last four months has been President Trump, himself. He said that might be good for the government. It would be bad for the government and bad for the American people and we don’t want it. [Democrats] don't have the votes to shut it down or keep it open. The fact is that Republicans, as you've discussed just earlier in your program, have consciously shut down the government to try to take the government hostage to have the ACA repeal.”
“What [Democrats] are now confronted with is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition on a CR and on a supplemental. Both of which we think do not properly do the business of government. So, we may not vote for things that are jammed down our throat, but we don't want to shut down the government. We think the Republicans should not shut down the government. And if they want to do things purely on a partisan basis, which has been the fact we've been confronted with, then, frankly, it's their responsibility to vote for their partisan bills, and if they don't vote for their partisan bills the result may well be the shutting down of government, which would be a bad policy. But a policy which they pursued in the '90s and a policy they pursued just a couple years ago. We have no intention of wanting to shut down the government.”
On the GOP Tax Scam
“[Republicans] have $1.5 trillion of borrowed money… They talked how we needed to help working people. What did they do? Yes, they gave some tax relief to working people, 17% of that $1.5 trillion. 83% of that $1.5 trillion they gave to the top 1% of America. Our opinion is that is perverse. That's not helping working men and women by giving 83% of all the resources to the wealthiest in America… The overwhelming majority of the money was not used for the struggling family making $59,000 that Paul Ryan talked about on the Floor and that [Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin] Brady talked about on the Floor yesterday.”