Congress
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer appears to be solidifying his position as the Democratic leader whom Republicans can deal with and trust next year.
Despite sharp divisions, Democrats and Republicans might be able to reach agreements in the 112th Congress on issues such as scientific research and education and even on overhauling tax policy, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said Monday.
House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) delivered remarks this morning at the National Press Club on the need for American leaders to look beyond two-year election cycles to address the challenges facing our country, including job creation, economic growth, and fiscal responsibility. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
Today Republican Leaders released the 2011 House voting schedule. Our nation will still be facing a number of critical challenges that we must confront together next year. We will work to address the top concerns of the American people during the next Congress, including creating jobs, growing the economy, and balancing the budget in the long-term. We hope Republicans will work with us on those issues.
I am pleased to announce that Rep. Jim Matheson will join the Democratic Whip team in the next Congress. He will join the current Whip team that is staying in place. Rep. John Lewis will serve as our Senior Chief Deputy Whip, and our Chief Deputy Whips will continue to serve our caucus: Rep. G.K. Butterfield, Rep. Joe Crowley, Rep. Diana DeGette, Rep. Ed Pastor, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and Rep. Maxine Waters.
Since the election last week, I have made clear my belief that it was important for my friend Jim Clyburn to continue serving our Caucus as the third ranking Member of our Leadership. It is my hope that happens when elections are held on Wednesday.
Over the past several days, I have talked to most of my Democratic colleagues in the House. I have received support from across the breadth of our Caucus to remain in the second ranking position of our Democratic leadership team. In order to defend and build on our Democratic accomplishments, unify our Caucus, and immediately begin the hard work of winning back the majority, I will be running for Democratic Whip.
Speaker Pelosi has announced that she will be running for Democratic Leader in the next Congress. In the days since the election, I have received an outpouring of support from Democratic colleagues who have told me that I should remain in our party’s leadership, so that our Caucus can hit the ground running with a strong, tested leadership team.
Today Minority Leader Boehner is giving a speech on Congressional reform, but it's not clear how he will answer a major question – why should voters trust that Republicans would do things differently this time? Today's Republican Leaders are not fresh faces and they plan a return to the exact same agenda as before. During their time in power, Republicans did not make government more open and transparent, and in fact allowed a culture of corruption to flourish.