President Obama Unveils Fiscal Year 2017 Budget, GOP Pushes Partisan Messaging Bills

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP  

Earlier this week, President Obama unveiled his Fiscal Year 2017 Budget, a plan that reduces the deficit while laying out a vision for how we can give every American a fair shot at economic security. It’s outrageous that Republican leaders declared last week that, for the first time in modern history, they wouldn’t provide the Administration with the opportunity to present the President’s Budget to the House and Senate Budget Committees. Their actions are disrespectful to the President and calls into question whether Speaker Paul Ryan is serious about fulfilling his promise to complete the budget process. If President Obama’s top budget representative had been allowed to testify, he could have discussed how the President’s budget replaces the ill-conceived sequester cuts and makes critical investments that strengthen national security and that will help give every American access to the tools that will help them get ahead in a changing economy.

While House Republicans refused to invite the Office of Management and Budget Director to testify on the President’s budget, they passed legislation this week requiring the Treasury Secretary to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee about the status of the national debt. It is hypocritical that House Republicans wouldn’t allow the OMB Director to present the President’s budget, which reduces the deficit, yet passed this bill. It’s also ironic that Republicans claim to be so concerned about the debt, yet added to it significantly by enacting fiscally irresponsible, unpaid-for tax cuts in December. It is deeply disappointing Republicans wasted time with this unserious bill on the Floor that is more about political messaging than taking action to address the deficit.

Finally, this week I attended the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee’s hearing on the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. My Democratic colleagues and I heard from public health experts and local officials about the dangerous public health situation. While I was pleased that the House passed a bipartisan bill that requires the Environmental Protection Agency to disclose to the public within twenty-four hours anytime it uncovers evidence of serious lead or other waterborne pollution exposure, Congress must do more to help Flint recover from this crisis. I will be urging both parties to work together to provide the community with the resources it needs and help uncover the truth of how the crisis came about.

Sincerely yours,

Steny H. Hoyer

P.S. Please invite your friends and family to sign up for this newsletter to learn about what House Democrats are doing to lead America in a new direction. You can also get the latest updates and join the conversation on my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

DEMOCRATIC NEWS UPDATE

On President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 Budget:

• Hoyer Statement on President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 Budget
• FACT SHEET: President Obama’s Fiscally Responsible Budget Invests In Our Future, While Republicans Continue to Struggle with Internal Division

Hoyer Statement on House Passage of Flint Water Bill

Hoyer Statement on the Obama Administration’s Efforts to Combat the Zika Virus

Hoyer Statement on North Korean Missile Launch

Hoyer Statement on the Supreme Court’s Stay of the Clean Power Plan Rule