Hoyer Floor Remarks on the FY2021 NDAA Conference Report
For Immediate Release:
December 8, 2020
Contact Info:
Annaliese Davis 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) spoke on the House Floor today in support of the National Defense Authorization Act conference report for Fiscal Year 2021. Below are excerpts of his remarks and a link to the video:
“The names of those who fought violently to perpetuate slavery and who rebelled against the United States do not deserve the honor of being associated with [military] installations… [This bill] simply says what is the right thing to do: remove a name from a base on which an African-American sailor, an African-American soldier, an African-American Marine, an African-American Coast Guardsman [serve]. An African-American of whatever service, at whatever time should not have to serve on a base named for somebody who believed that person ought to be enslaved. I congratulate both the Chairman and the Ranking Member for making sure that language was kept in... This Defense Authorization conference report requires the military to remove the names. I think that's appropriate. I congratulate them for leaving that language whole. I had made it clear that I felt this bill needed to pass, but I felt if that provision were left out, it would be inappropriate to put it on the Floor.”
“This conference report will ensure that all federal employees can access 12 weeks of paid parental leave. That is now the practice… [of] many of the largest corporations in our country. Why? Because they believe it's good for their employees; they believe it's good for their children, and they believe it's good for America. We have now adopted that. I praise the committee for doing so. Some federal employees were left out last year when you did that. You have now included them. Today, we're fixing that and making sure that it applies to all federal workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, it's also important that we're able to include language in the conference report… to close corporate loopholes… eliminating loopholes which allowed dark money to enter the U.S. financial system from Russia and other malign actors. That ‘beneficial ownership’ provision is a major win in the fight against foreign kleptocrats and oligarchs seeking to undermine America’s security and from those who wish to do us harm.”
“We have an opportunity today to do right by our servicemembers and by the principles they uphold. Let us do so. Let us do so by passing this conference report… It is a bill essential for the defense of our values, our people, and our land. This bill needs to pass overwhelmingly."
Click here to watch the video.
“This conference report will ensure that our men and women in uniform can continue to protect our nation and meet global challenges. Now, I hope that President Trump does sign this bill. He ought to sign this bill. This is about our national security. It's not about partisanship. Taking issue with one provision or another in such a large and important bill is no reason to block the whole of it. That's particularly true when this bill will take a major step forward to right a historic wrong.”“The names of those who fought violently to perpetuate slavery and who rebelled against the United States do not deserve the honor of being associated with [military] installations… [This bill] simply says what is the right thing to do: remove a name from a base on which an African-American sailor, an African-American soldier, an African-American Marine, an African-American Coast Guardsman [serve]. An African-American of whatever service, at whatever time should not have to serve on a base named for somebody who believed that person ought to be enslaved. I congratulate both the Chairman and the Ranking Member for making sure that language was kept in... This Defense Authorization conference report requires the military to remove the names. I think that's appropriate. I congratulate them for leaving that language whole. I had made it clear that I felt this bill needed to pass, but I felt if that provision were left out, it would be inappropriate to put it on the Floor.”
“This conference report will ensure that all federal employees can access 12 weeks of paid parental leave. That is now the practice… [of] many of the largest corporations in our country. Why? Because they believe it's good for their employees; they believe it's good for their children, and they believe it's good for America. We have now adopted that. I praise the committee for doing so. Some federal employees were left out last year when you did that. You have now included them. Today, we're fixing that and making sure that it applies to all federal workers.”
“Mr. Speaker, it's also important that we're able to include language in the conference report… to close corporate loopholes… eliminating loopholes which allowed dark money to enter the U.S. financial system from Russia and other malign actors. That ‘beneficial ownership’ provision is a major win in the fight against foreign kleptocrats and oligarchs seeking to undermine America’s security and from those who wish to do us harm.”
“We have an opportunity today to do right by our servicemembers and by the principles they uphold. Let us do so. Let us do so by passing this conference report… It is a bill essential for the defense of our values, our people, and our land. This bill needs to pass overwhelmingly."