Hoyer Remarks at Press Conference with House Democratic Leadership on President Trump's State of the Union Address
Press Types
Press Release
For Immediate Release:
January 31, 2018
Contact Info:
Mariel Saez 202-225-3130
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined the House Democratic leadership at a press conference on President Trump's State of the Union address. Below is a transcript of his remarks:
“Thank you very much. I think the [bills brought to the House] Floor reflect the deep disappointment; not only that we had last night with the President’s speech, but what we had with the last year of the President’s performance.
"We spent all year of 2017 not on jobs bills, not on infrastructure bills, not on positive ways to lift up America. We spent the first three-quarters of the year taking steps to undermine the health care of all Americans and to increase the price of premiums for those who were lucky enough to have remaining coverage. We then spent the last three months forging and passing a tax bill that advantages, as the Leader said, the one percent and gives about 17% of all the resources that we’re going to borrow, $1.5 trillion, to those working men and women that the President talked about last night and that the Speaker talked about on the Floor.
"President Trump tried to put a fresh coat of paint on a failing presidency. It didn’t work. Americans see through the rhetoric and understand the reality. The President has made our country less safe, less strong, and less proud over the past year. Not less proud of our country and its basic principles, but less proud of our failure to give to the rest of the world the leadership that they need and crave – where we have lost respect throughout the world. I don’t know what polls the President is looking at or who he’s talking to, but anyone who’s traveled anywhere in the world knows that there is less respect for America and less trust in America which is dangerous.
“His speech was clearly not a unifying speech. He appealed to his partisan base, instead of reaching across the aisle. His immigration proposal betrays family values and uses DREAMers as a bargaining chip to harm other families. Millions and millions of Americans saw me sitting to the President’s left and [Senator] Dick Durbin sitting to his right and Republicans and Democrats sitting around the table [at the White House]. And Senator Grassley and Senator Feinstein said we need to make sure that the DACA protectees are protected. Senator Grassley said they didn’t do anything wrong, and they came to this country, let’s deal with them first. Let’s protect them first. And the President said 'yes.' He didn’t mean yes.
"Last night, he talked about putting a bipartisan proposal forward. I don’t know a single Democrat in America, not one, that believes what he offered was bipartisan, or that he was doing what he said he would do and protect the DACA folks first. Now he has put in, and I’m pleased at that, an expansion to 1.8 million people and a path to citizenship. That’s what he said he would do. We’re glad that he did it, but we’re surprised that he did what he said because he coupled that with a draconian proposal that was, in his own words, to be in the second phase of negotiations.
"And his infrastructure proposal that he made last night, not a single comment on how he was going to pay for it. And, very frankly, 12 months later than he said he was going to put it down.
“He also made false claims; he took credit for others’ successes. He took credit for job creation under President Obama, when in fact 2017 was the lowest job growth in six years. He made claims about his tax bill that have been debunked. Instead he’s given tax cuts to the wealthy, the upper one percent. I tell people that the average person of which Speaker Ryan talked, is going to get $1,082, and the person at the 1% is going to get $1,198. You say that’s pretty close. The $1,082 is in a year. The $1,198 is in one week.
“And he claimed he is restoring our standing in the world. I can’t understand where he’s getting his facts from, or his information from, but he must be reading fake news because all over the world we are seeing a reduction in confidence of the leadership of the United States.
"The President’s speech was a disappointment and a missed opportunity. The American people deserve better. Let’s hope they get better in the year ahead.
“I now yield to my friend, the Assistant Leader, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.”
“Thank you very much. I think the [bills brought to the House] Floor reflect the deep disappointment; not only that we had last night with the President’s speech, but what we had with the last year of the President’s performance.
"We spent all year of 2017 not on jobs bills, not on infrastructure bills, not on positive ways to lift up America. We spent the first three-quarters of the year taking steps to undermine the health care of all Americans and to increase the price of premiums for those who were lucky enough to have remaining coverage. We then spent the last three months forging and passing a tax bill that advantages, as the Leader said, the one percent and gives about 17% of all the resources that we’re going to borrow, $1.5 trillion, to those working men and women that the President talked about last night and that the Speaker talked about on the Floor.
"President Trump tried to put a fresh coat of paint on a failing presidency. It didn’t work. Americans see through the rhetoric and understand the reality. The President has made our country less safe, less strong, and less proud over the past year. Not less proud of our country and its basic principles, but less proud of our failure to give to the rest of the world the leadership that they need and crave – where we have lost respect throughout the world. I don’t know what polls the President is looking at or who he’s talking to, but anyone who’s traveled anywhere in the world knows that there is less respect for America and less trust in America which is dangerous.
“His speech was clearly not a unifying speech. He appealed to his partisan base, instead of reaching across the aisle. His immigration proposal betrays family values and uses DREAMers as a bargaining chip to harm other families. Millions and millions of Americans saw me sitting to the President’s left and [Senator] Dick Durbin sitting to his right and Republicans and Democrats sitting around the table [at the White House]. And Senator Grassley and Senator Feinstein said we need to make sure that the DACA protectees are protected. Senator Grassley said they didn’t do anything wrong, and they came to this country, let’s deal with them first. Let’s protect them first. And the President said 'yes.' He didn’t mean yes.
"Last night, he talked about putting a bipartisan proposal forward. I don’t know a single Democrat in America, not one, that believes what he offered was bipartisan, or that he was doing what he said he would do and protect the DACA folks first. Now he has put in, and I’m pleased at that, an expansion to 1.8 million people and a path to citizenship. That’s what he said he would do. We’re glad that he did it, but we’re surprised that he did what he said because he coupled that with a draconian proposal that was, in his own words, to be in the second phase of negotiations.
"And his infrastructure proposal that he made last night, not a single comment on how he was going to pay for it. And, very frankly, 12 months later than he said he was going to put it down.
“He also made false claims; he took credit for others’ successes. He took credit for job creation under President Obama, when in fact 2017 was the lowest job growth in six years. He made claims about his tax bill that have been debunked. Instead he’s given tax cuts to the wealthy, the upper one percent. I tell people that the average person of which Speaker Ryan talked, is going to get $1,082, and the person at the 1% is going to get $1,198. You say that’s pretty close. The $1,082 is in a year. The $1,198 is in one week.
“And he claimed he is restoring our standing in the world. I can’t understand where he’s getting his facts from, or his information from, but he must be reading fake news because all over the world we are seeing a reduction in confidence of the leadership of the United States.
"The President’s speech was a disappointment and a missed opportunity. The American people deserve better. Let’s hope they get better in the year ahead.
“I now yield to my friend, the Assistant Leader, Jim Clyburn of South Carolina.”