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Speech: January 13, 2021

Hoyer Floor Remarks on Impeaching the President of the United States

Madam Speaker, for four years, Donald Trump has made no effort to hide his ambitions or his lacking in Republican principles.  He has allowed little constraint on his worst inclinations. 
Speech: January 13, 2021

Hoyer Floor Remarks Ahead of House Impeachment Vote

WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer delivered remarks on the House Floor this morning during Rule debate of the resolution to impeach Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol. Below are excerpts of his remarks and a link to the video:
 
 
Speech: January 4, 2021

Video: Hoyer Floor Remarks on Motion to Recommit Change in the 117th House Rules Package

WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) spoke on the House Floor today on changes to the Motion to Recommit in the 117th House Rules Package. Below is a link to the video of his full remarks:
 
Speech: December 21, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the Omnibus Appropriations and Emergency Coronavirus Relief Legislation

Madam Speaker, they say ‘good things come to those who wait.’ The American people have certainly been waiting and watching and hoping that Congress would not only be able to avert a shutdown, but also provide much-needed COVID-19 relief.
Speech: December 9, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on a Continuing Resolution to Keep Government Open

…The [continuing resolution] is a recognition of failure. It's not any one individual's failure. It's not a bad thing. It's that we have had trouble getting together and coming to an agreement.
Speech: December 8, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the FY2021 NDAA Conference Report

This conference report will ensure that our men and women in uniform can continue to protect our nation and meet global challenges. Now, I hope that President Trump does sign this bill. He ought to sign this bill.
Speech: November 19, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the National Apprenticeship Act

"Madam Speaker, two weeks ago, we learned just how divided our country is. Part of that division, I believe, comes from a broad lack of faith in government to deliver on what the American people need to get ahead in our economy. Americans want their elected officials to focus on reaching consensus on broadly popular initiatives that expand opportunity and connect people with good careers.
Speech: October 1, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the Updated Heroes Bill

Madam Speaker, the House passed the Heroes Act more than four and a half months ago. At the time, around 85,000 Americans had lost their lives to Covid-19. Today, that sad figure is at more than 205,000. The House did its job in May for the American people, yet the Republican Senate and President Trump have still not done theirs.
Speech: October 1, 2020

Hoyer Remarks at the House Rules Committee’s Members’ Day Hearing

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, I'm glad to be with you today, and I thank Mr. [Tom] Cole as well. I think the House is advantaged by the new relationship that you and Tom Cole as the Ranking Member have, and the fact that both of you care about the institution.
Speech: October 1, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on House Democrats Governing For The People

Madam Speaker, since the beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have fought for the people. From lowering health care costs, to raising wages by rebuilding America, to cleaning up corruption and strengthening democracy, House Democrats have passed major legislation and shown the American people what our priorities are.  At the same time, Republicans have also made clear what their priorities are – priorities the American people do not share.
Speech: September 29, 2020

Hoyer Remarks on the School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act

I thank my friend, the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee [Frank Pallone], and Mr. [Greg] Walden, the Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, for bringing this bill to the Floor. But most of all, I want to thank my friend, Phil Roe - Dr. Roe – from Tennessee, a medical doctor.
Speech: September 24, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on How President Trump and Republicans Are Failing the American People

Madam Speaker, this week, Democrats are coming to the Floor to highlight the work we have been doing over the past two years governing for the people – in sharp contrast with the way President Trump and Republicans have failed the people.
 
Speech: September 23, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act

Madam Speaker, the global climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time. We must confront climate change, and an essential part of that is investing in clean energy innovation. This alone is certainly not going be enough to address the climate crisis we face. But it is a critical step forward that we can and must take right now.
Speech: August 22, 2020

Hoyer Remarks on the Delivering for America Act

…84,631 deaths since [the] Heroes [Act] passed…. No action in the Republican-controlled and led United States Senate. So, don't whine to me about what you want on the Floor. Don't whine to me about ‘we could have done this,’ ‘we could have done that,’ ‘we could have done the other.’ ….
Speech: July 29, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on Legislation to Address the Child Care Crisis in America

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bills on the Floor today to protect child care workers from losing their jobs and to help more families afford the cost of childcare. They build on provisions we included in the Heroes Act in May.
 
Speech: July 27, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the National Museum of the American Latino Act

Madam Speaker, I rise as a proud cosponsor of this bill, and I thank Rep. José Serrano and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for leading this effort. Rep. Serrano, the Dean of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, has been one of the most effective and hardworking Members of this House, and he will be missed next year when he retires after thirty years representing New Yorkers. He has been – and will continue to be – a dear, dear friend. This is also a very meaningful day for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. I’m proud to join Rep. Serrano and the CHC on this bill and bring it to the Floor today.
Speech: July 24, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Madam Speaker, I rise to mark the thirtieth anniversary on Sunday of the Americans with Disabilities Act being signed into law. I was proud to be the lead sponsor of that legislation in the House.
Speech: July 22, 2020

Hoyer: John Lewis Represented the Best of Humanity

Some in my generation remember the song, Abraham, Martin, and John. And then, of course, there was Bobby. All four taken from us far too early in their lives. God blessed each of us, this institution, and this country with giving to John Lewis health for eight decades. He used that health and strength, mind and body to serve his God, his faith, his country, and his people.
 
Speech: July 22, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on Legislation to Replace Taney Bust, Remove Confederate Statues from the U.S. Capitol Building

Madam Speaker, the Capitol building is a sacred space for American democracy. It is where we write our laws, inaugurate our presidents, and say a somber farewell to great Americans who earned our respect, like Dwight Eisenhower and Rosa Parks. We cannot erase the difficult history and painful truth that this temple to liberty was built using the labor of enslaved people. But we can do everything in our power to ensure that how we use the Capitol today reflects our commitment to equality and justice for all.
Speech: July 22, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the Great American Outdoors Act

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman [Raul] Grijalva of the Natural Resources Committee for steering the legislation before us through his Committee and working with the Senate to get it passed through that body. I would also especially like to thank Reps. [Joe] Cunningham, [Mikie] Sherrill, [T.J.] Cox, [Xochitl] Torres Small, [Kendra] Horn, and [Jared] Golden for leading this legislation in the House, along with my good friend, Mike Simpson.
Speech: July 22, 2020

As Americans Speak Out in Support of Police Reform, Hoyer Shares their Stories on the House Floor

Madam Speaker, it has now been nearly four weeks since the House passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Leader McConnell and the Republican-led Senate, however, refuse to call it up for consideration or a vote. Meanwhile, the problem of racial injustice is not going away on its own.
 
Speech: July 22, 2020

Hoyer Remarks at Press Conference on Legislation to Remove Bust of Dred Scott Jurist, Confederate Statues from U.S. Capitol

good morning. Today will be a historic day in the Congress of the United States, and in our country. Today, the House is taking a long-overdue and historic step to ensure that individuals we honor in our Capitol represent our nation’s highest ideals and not the worst in its history.
Speech: July 20, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks Honoring the Life and Legacy of Congressman John Lewis

Madam Speaker, I have walked with John Lewis at least fifteen times across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where with courage and commitment he made a seminal difference in the life of our country. Many of us walked with him. As we followed in John Lewis’s footsteps, I suspect my colleagues saw, as I did, that the man we knew to be a veteran legislator and person of wisdom and experience still carried in his heart the same energy, optimism, and determined spirit that he bore in his youth.
Speech: June 30, 2020

Hoyer Remarks at Press Conference Following White House Briefing on Russian Bounties on U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

“Good morning. Thank you for being here. Sunday evening I received a telephone call from my former colleague, Mark Meadows, now the Chief of Staff at the White House, who asked me to put together a group of eight to 10 members for the purposes of having a briefing in the SCIF at the White House. I indicated to him I would consider that. I talked to the Speaker about it. Our view has been and always been if the White House asked you to come down for a meeting and to be briefed, you respond to that request.
Speech: June 29, 2020

Hoyer Floor Remarks on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act

Madam Speaker, last week in the middle of the worst pandemic in our lifetimes, the Trump Administration submitted briefs to the Supreme Court in support of a lawsuit by Republican-led states seeking to overturn the law that provides millions of Americans with access to affordable health care.