Hoyer: Republican Leaders Need to Act on Export-Import Bank Reauthorization, Highway Trust Fund to Create Jobs and Build Confidence

WASHINGTON, DC – House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) delivered the following remarks today at a press conference with House and Senate Democratic leaders, where he discussed today’s King v. Burwell Supreme Court decision and the need for Republicans to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank and take action on the Highway Trust Fund:

“We’re all very happy about the Supreme Court’s decision. Some of you participate in my pen and pad [press conference]. Week after week after week after week, you said, well what is your alternative [if the Supreme Court ruled against the Affordable Care Act]? And my response was, the Court is going to find that we did what we said we were going to do. And that is what happened today. And America won, Americans won. The only people happier, I think, than we are, are our Republican colleagues because they’ve been saved from having to come up with an alternative that they do not have, and they’ve never had, notwithstanding all of their actions to repeal. They have never come up with a workable alternative. So, the Supreme Court served America today, and I congratulate them for that.

“I want to join with [one of] my good friends, Harry Reid. Harry Reid and I started out working on [Capitol] Hill a very long time ago. He was at George Washington Law School. I was at Georgetown Law School… I want to join my friend, Harry Reid, who has been around this place a long time. Harry Reid played a critical role in the passage of the Affordable Care Act, but the House was not at all sure that they wanted to go along with the product in the Senate. But for Nancy Pelosi, the Affordable Care Act would not be the law of the land. I was Majority Leader. I worked every day with her on the Affordable Care Act, and I tell you emphatically, but for Nancy Pelosi – Harry, you’re right – the Affordable Care Act would not have passed. Now but for Harry Reid it would have never gotten to us. So these two individuals, these two leaders were critically important. They took responsibility. It is time for the Republican leadership, that is proud of the fact that they control the House and the Senate, to show some leadership on behalf of the American people and not put at jeopardy jobs.

“There is no excuse for Export-Import Bank [reauthorization] not having passed. It enjoys, as [Senator] Roy Blunt said, majority support in the Senate and majority support in the House of Representatives. Roy Blunt said that, the former Majority Whip and Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. I have no doubt that Export-Import Bank [reauthorization] has the majority of votes, and has had for the last six months that we’ve been in this Congress.

“The highway bill also relates to jobs. And our Republican colleagues always talk to us about raising confidence, don’t undermine confidence, make sure that people are confident about our economy. Not passing a highway bill and funding a highway bill has left governors, mayors, county executives, county commissioners all at risk. And contractors and people who construct our highways and repair all of our highways and build our bridges. [Republicans] have left them with doubt as to when funding is going to be available, and that costs us confidence in the economy and it costs us jobs. So I would urge the Republican leadership – [who is] proud of its leadership [but] also needs to be proud of its products – bring Export-Import Bank [reauthorization] to the Floor as soon as we return [from the July district work period]. They should have brought it before we left, but as soon as we return. And have in July a product for us to consider [on highways] – or let’s take the Senate bill – just as we could take comprehensive immigration reform. I’m pleased to join the leadership here of the House and the Senate in saying, let us pass the Export-Import Bank [reauthorization] and the highway reauthorization. Let us create jobs and build confidence.”

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In response to a question on whether Republicans will feel consequences for not reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank:

“Speaker Boehener, the leader of the House, who can put any bill on the Floor that he wants to, [said] quote, ‘There are thousands of jobs on the line that would disappear pretty quickly if the Ex-Im Bank were to disappear.’ They know the consequences. They have a responsibility to act.”