Press Release
Throughout the month of May, we celebrate the long history of the Jewish community in this country and the many contributions its members have made to building America, defending its freedom, and enriching our national life. For over 350 years, since the first Jewish immigrants found refuge on our shores, the American Jewish community has played an important and significant role, drawing on the ancient Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam – “repairing the world” – helping to make our union a more perfect one in each generation. We are particularly grateful for the many Jewish Americans serving in uniform in Afghanistan and around the world, and we also salute the daily work of Jewish organizations in communities from coast to coast that bring food to the hungry, shelter to the homeless, and comfort to the sick.
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate the contributions of a diverse community. These include a storied history of military service and countless achievements in science, education, business, sports, and the arts. The Asian Pacific American community brings something unique and important to the American story, and I join in celebrating its contributions throughout the month of May as we mark Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. May we continue to be enriched as a nation thanks to our Asian and Pacific Islander American communities for generations to come.
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today after the House passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act:
As someone who was proud to cosponsor the original Violence Against Women Act in 1994, I commend the Senate for taking action to reauthorize this landmark legislation. The Senate bill, which contains provisions strongly supported by law enforcement and advocates for victims of domestic violence, passed with a strong bipartisan vote of 68-31, while a substitute amendment that would have imposed barriers to services for certain groups of victims failed. It is now up to the House to act on this bipartisan bill.
WASHINGTON, DC - House Democratic Whip Steny H.
“People want to see Congress work. They have seen gridlock. They have seen the fact that the Republicans are a deeply divided party within themselves. They can't pass a highway bill that Speaker Boehner made his principle priority over the last two months. So I think when the Speaker is saying one-in-three [chance of losing the House], you can bet that he's trying to low ball that. He knows he has a big challenge. He does have a big challenge. We have some 64 districts in which we have very, very good challengers. Many of those they have outraised incumbent Republicans. They are doing well in the polls. I think we're going to take back the House. I think the American people are going to want to see change from gridlock.”
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer discussed politics and the need for a balanced deficit reduction plan on Politico Live today.
Sixty four years ago, the State of Israel was born from the hope of generations and from the ashes of the greatest tragedy to befall the Jewish people. Today, Israel has achieved a thriving economy, a strong national defense, and an important role as a member of the community of nations. Its existence itself is a powerful symbol of the Jewish people’s resolve never again to allow the persecution of its sons and daughters.
After months of pursuing a partisan highway bill that went nowhere, I am pleased my Republican colleagues have finally moved to go to conference on a highway bill. The bipartisan Senate compromise bill passed with a vote of 74-22 over a month ago and ought to serve as the basis for any bill reported out by the conferees. We must come together quickly and pass a final bill in order to create economic opportunities and prevent the loss of thousands of construction jobs at a time when that industry has been hit hard by the recession. I continue to urge Republicans to embrace the compromise Senate bill so we can make real progress toward advancing our recovery and investing in our long-term competitiveness.
House Republicans are reversing course after clearly feeling pressure to take action to maintain student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent for another year. However, I believe there are ways we could do so without eliminating important public health funding, such as ending unnecessary subsidies for big oil companies making record profits.