Press Release

I join in congratulating Sylvia Mathews Burwell on her confirmation today as our next Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Congress has the responsibility to protect every American’s fundamental right to vote,” said Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer. “This law in Arizona, and laws like it, restrict the ability of people to register to vote, and disproportionally affect the poor, young people, and minorities. 

In the early hours of June 4, 1989, thousands of students and pro-reform activists who had gathered peacefully in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square were cruelly and forcibly suppressed by Chinese military forces using live ammunition and tanks – implements of war set upon civilians demanding freedom of speech and an end to government corruption. 

I am disappointed that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has invited Hamas, a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, to join a new unity government. 

Today’s announcement by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy of new proposed regulations to curb carbon emissions at our nation’s power plants is a bold step at a time when the world is looking to the United States to take the lead against the dangerous effects of climate change.

Sunday begins LGBT Pride Month, a time not only to celebrate how far we have come toward achieving the goal of equality for all but also for remembering how much work remains and rededicating ourselves to the task.

Secretary Shinseki has served our nation with honor and distinction. 

Gun violence is a problem Congress cannot ignore, and I am encouraged that Democrats and Republicans were able to come together today to pass an amendment offered by Rep. Mike Thompson that increases the funding available to states to maintain accurate and up-to-date records used in background checks.