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Hoyer Remarks at a "Rally for a Stronger American Future"

October 12, 2015

WASHINGTON, DC –Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) delivered the following remarks today at a “Rally for a Stronger American Future,” where he joined House and Senate Democrats and NDD United Co-Chairs,Emily Holubowich and Joel Packer, to urge House Republicans to work with Democrats on a bipartisan agreement on appropriations that raises sequester caps on both defense and non-defense priorities. Below is a transcript of his remarks:

“I am so pleased to be here. Emily [Holubowich of NDD United], thank you very, very much for your leadership. Joel Packer, thank you very much for your co-chairing NDD [United] – non-defense discretionary spending – so important to our national security. I am very pleased to be here with all of you. This is not so much a rally as it is as a thoughtful presentation, saying that if we’re going to be a strong country, we need to raise these [sequester] caps because we need to invest in a strong country on both sides of the budget – both on the national security/defense side but also on the [non-defense] – education, health care, environment, infrastructure – side.

“We’re here to send a strong message by Democrats in the House and Senate and by Americans across the country that sequester – that’s a complicated word that I tell people starts with ‘S,’ which stands for stupid – must be replaced. The sequester harms our economy and our national security.

“Now, we’re all Democrats standing on this platform, but let me quote a Republican, a conservative Republican from Kentucky, the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee [Hal Rogers]. Now, it ought to be [Ranking Member] Nita Lowey being the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, but, unfortunately, that’s not the case right now. And what did Hal Rogers say about sequester? He said it was unrealistic and ill-conceived. That’s Hal Rogers, not any of us, that’s Hal Rogers, who has the responsibility as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee to try to come up with a responsible appropriations process. He cannot do it [under sequester level funding]. Nita Lowey cannot do it [under sequester level funding].

“Sequestration is most harmful to those who are most vulnerable – seniors, children, low-income families, the sick, the homeless, and the hungry. But it also harms our ability to plan a defense budget that protects our nation and denies us a chance to prioritize investments in our future. The way we can end sequestration is through a budget agreement that provides equal sequester relief to both defense and non-defense. That is not pie in the sky. That is what we did with Ryan-Murray. We’ve done it. We ought to do it again for America’s sake, for our families’ sake, for our children’s sake, for our future’s sake.

“Now, as you know, some Republicans are insisting we turn off just the defense sequester. But this would mean even deeper cuts to critical programs that all of you know are so important to our national security, to our national health, to our national education.

“I am proud to stand with NDD United and with my colleagues from the House and Senate to demand – not to request – to demand that we get on a rational, workable policy, contrary to the policy that Hal Rogers says the Republicans are now on and have been on. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues here. I thank all of you who are standing here. I see a number of organizations that are represented [who are] so very critical…

“Now is the time to act. We, frankly, maybe have thirty days. We’ve done a CR until December 11, but, frankly, I think we have less time than that. We ought to by the end of this month have a 302(a) allocation, that is defense and non-defense spending caps that are reasonable, rational, and will help America, not hurt America. We must keep up the pressure. We must keep up the pressure for Congress to act. And I want to thank each and every one of you for keeping the faith, keeping focused, keeping your voices and your hands and your hearts engaged in a better America.”