Hoyer Discusses State of the Union on WJLA News Channel 8 and WUSA Channel

WASHINGTON, DC –Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) discussed the President's State of the Union address on WJLA News Channel 8 and WUSA Channel 9 last night. Below are excerpts and a link to each video.

Click here to watch his comments on WJLA News Channel 8.

"I thought it was a good speech. I thought he began the speech with, essentially:  look, we have common values, we need to have a common purpose, and we need to work together. And, look, the country is doing very well, he said. But there are too many people in the country not doing as well as the economy is doing, and we need to focus our attention on working Americans to make sure they have the same skills and opportunities and dollars in their pockets to succeed and do well for themselves and their families. It was a call to bipartisanship, but often both sides call for bipartisanship and neither practice it. I hope that we're all going to practice it."

"Let me give a proposition that I have. The American people, this past November, essentially voted their disgust – they're thinking that nothing can get done and these guys won't work together.  Yes, the Republicans won, but they won, in part, not because necessarily people agree with their proposition on the issues – because poll after poll shows that they agree with the President and the Democrats on many of the issues by a plurality or majority.  But they are very frustrated that government is not working, and, therefore, they voted for change – and change was the Republicans.  But the Republicans and the Democrats ought to get the message that what Americans want... all of us to do is work together to make this country better.  So the message is the same to both of us, and what the President said today was: we have common values, and we have a common purpose of making America better. Let's work together to do that."

Click here to watch his comments on WUSA Channel 9.

"I thought it was a good speech. I thought it was a speech that tried to bring us together, articulate common values, and that we have a common purpose and that common purpose is making America even stronger. He pointed out that America is very strong, has done better, in fact, than they have in Asia or in Europe in creating jobs, preventing a deeper recession, and, in fact, in creating growth... But he also pointed out that an awful lot of Americans who have not yet benefitted from that resurgence in our economy and that we need to focus on average, working Americans to make sure they can make it in America, as I say. He talked about manufacturing, which, as you know, I talk a lot about Make It In America. But I thought it was a speech that said to all of us – all 435 of us in the Chamber, the 100 Senators in the Chamber, and the American people – if we work together, we can do better for all of our people, not just some of our people."