Congress

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP

If Congress fails to act, two weeks from today, the Republican policy known as sequestration will take effect. Sequestration's extreme, arbitrary, across-the-board spending cuts would severely damage our recovering economy and threaten our national security. For the past eight weeks, House Republicans have failed to bring a single piece of legislation to the Floor to prevent sequestration from happening.

With the deadline to avert the sequester fast approaching, Republicans have decided their best strategy is to… do nothing?

According to Politico, Speaker Boehner has given up trying to work on meaningful legislation and is instead “perfectly fine with sitting on his hands.”

“In his State of the Union address, President Obama laid out a bold plan to invest in manufacturing and create well paying jobs.

This evening, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) welcomed his State of the Union guests to the U.S. Capitol.

“I certainly think that we need to encourage business growth in our country, manufacturing in our country.

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP

This week, I was disappointed that House Republicans continued their agenda of political messaging instead of substantive legislation. Rather than spending time voting on a gimmick budget bill, House Republicans should have been working with Democrats towards a balanced solution to avert the looming sequester.

At this year’s issues conference, House Democrats discussed the challenges facing our economy, how to reduce gun violence, the need for comprehensive immigration reform, and ways to protect Americans’ voting rights.

"I was saddened to learn that Senator Harkin will be retiring at the close of the 113th Congress. He has been a tireless advocate for Iowa families and for opportunities for all Americans in his nearly four decades on Capitol Hill.