WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) joined MSNBC's Morning Joe to discuss how Republicans are choosing to jeopardize Jewish lives in order to protect ultra-rich tax cheats by conditioning aid to Israel. Below is a transcript of his interview and a link to the video:
Click here to watch full interview.
On Supporting Israel, Ukraine, and Our Allies Around the World “In all of those instances, we should be sending a message of unity and decisiveness and resolve. We're sending exactly the wrong image with the bill [Speaker Mike Johnson] wants to put through the Floor. “I think we’re going to reject it. The Senate is not going to take it. The President said he is going to veto it. Why? Because it is making, first of all, aid to Israel conditional. I'm not for that. Secondly, it is sending a message that I’m sure Putin, Hezbollah, Hamas, Xi [Jinping], Kim Jong Un all like, of disunity in America and a lack of resolve in confronting both Ukraine and Putin and Hamas and supporting Israel. “So it's a darn shame, and it is what he said he wasn't going to do when he gave his first speech. We had one unifying vote, that was on the Israel resolution, support of Israel. Overwhelmingly, over 400 Members voted for that. Then shortly thereafter he comes with this decisive – I mean this divisive. And of course, what they’ve been showing the American people from the 15 votes on Speaker to the 23 days they’ve shut down government and showed themselves unable to come to consensus within their own party. They’re a party deeply divided, divisive, and dysfunctional.” On Working with Extreme, Far-Right Republicans “It's tough. But we have worked with Speaker McCarthy. We made a deal on the number for spending for this coming year. We made a deal on keeping the government open. And we made a deal, and over 300 people voted for Ukraine, over 400 people for Israel. “So we are much more united than the divided Republican party displays, not only to America – that's bad enough – but to our enemies and our allies throughout the world.” On Speaker Mike Johnson’s Ability to Keep the Government Open “Well I know what he says. We’ll see what he does. “He said in a letter that he sent out, before he was elected Speaker, if we cannot get these appropriation bills – which they know they can't get done at the numbers that they’re putting forward, because we're not going to vote for them, many of their party is not going to vote for them. “And the Senate is doing the opposite, keeping the deal that McCarthy and Biden made. So we’ll have to see what he does, but he said he would want to a [Continuing Resolution] until early January or April 15th. We’ll see.” Mika Brzezinski: “Alright Democratic Congressman, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, thank you so much for coming into the studio. It's nice to see you.” Congressman Hoyer: “Always good to be with you. I love your comments on what we're doing or not doing. America needs to be united. America needs to be strong. And we need to send a message of resolve to the rest of the world. ”
