Hoyer: Democrats Will Keep The House

By Sarah Mamula - Talk Radio News Service

Despite increasing doubt over the Democrats’ ability to keep their majority past November, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) remains confident.

“We will hold the House,” he stated firmly during his weekly briefing with reporters.

Hoyer and other Democrats are using a sound bite from Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, who said just days ago on Meet The Press, “We need to go back to the exact same [Bush] agenda.”  

Hoyer predicted the American public would not vote for the “Bush fail policies.”

“I don’t think that’s what the American people wanna do,” he said. “I’m convinced that they don’t wanna do that. They want [Democrats] to continue to create jobs and grow the economy.”

Hoyer promoted what he called the “Make It In America” agenda. According to the Majority Leader, the goal of the agenda is to encourage people to make goods and to expand manufacturing in the United States.

“If we make it in America, in terms of products, more people will make it in America in terms of opportunity and success,” said Hoyer. The agenda includes about 20 bills and would include tax benefits for companies, however, Hoyer stressed that exact numbers and dollars are yet to be discussed.

When asked about the biggest problem facing the Democrats this fall, Hoyer said it was inheriting “the worst economy in three-quarters of a century.”

He repeatedly spoke of the success the Obama Administration has had with a Democratic majority when it comes to addressing the struggling job market. “Over the last 6 months, we have had over 700,000 new jobs created as opposed to losing 786,000 jobs in…the last month of the Bush administration.” 

“The American public gets it. They know that President Obama inherited the worst economy of any president in their lifetime,” he added.

House Republicans Contend That H.R.2 is Not Bipartisan, Democrats Disagree

Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, for Talk Radio News Service



In Wednesday's statements prior to voting, Republicans led by Pete Sessions (R-TX) complained that they had been effectively shut out of any debate over the provisions of H.R. 2: Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. They said the 40 percent of House members who were Republicans and the 12 percent who are freshmen (Note: this appears to double count 22 out of 54 freshmen), were not included in the drafting of the bill’s provisions.

Democrats, led by Jared Polis (D-CO) countered that the original bill was co-sponsored by Republicans and the extension was passed twice with overwhelming bipartisan support already, only to be vetoed by then-president Bush. Since there are no substantive changes, they said, this bill is bipartisan.
Republicans stated that they want to pass an extension of the existing bill, but not an expansion.
The current version, they feel, invites fraud by removing the proof-of-citizenship requirement. It expands coverage to families with much higher incomes than before, up to 80 thousand dollars, by raising the qualifying threshold from twice the poverty level to three times that, and by waiving some forms of income from consideration. This, in turn means that the four million new enrollees will include about 2.4 million who are actually privately ensured now. S-CHIP should not compete with private insurance because public healthcare pays only 30-50 percent of market, making providers reluctant to see such patients, thereby reducing access and lowering quality.

Several states are using S-CHIP to cover adults, they added. The net effect, according to Steven King (R-IA), will be to raise the true cost from the projected $3.85 Billion to over $15 billion. Cigarette taxes are not going to be nearly enough to pay for that, especially if smoking rates continue to fall.
Sessions reminded Democrats of their own criteria for the bill, saying, "This is neither cost effective nor common sense."
Democrats said caring for children should be the nation's first priority. They pointed out that children born here are citizens regardless of their parents' status, and children have no say in their own socioeconomic circumstances.
Healthcare dollars are cost effective, they said, because they ensure healthy workers and help reduce the high costs of under-managed chronic disease and of avoidable emergency department visits. The younger we begin preventive care, the greater the return on the investment. Healthcare also generates high quality, lasting jobs.
In the words of Alan Grayson (D-FL), "Choose life."

The measure passed, with 30 Republican votes, 183 to 89.

Tire pumps & gas receipts: Republicans use their imaginations

"Pelosi challenged Republicans to use their imaginations. And they are," Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) said at a news conference held by House Republicans to discuss their party's ongoing floor speeches. He and others continued their call for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to call an emergency session of Congress to address America's high energy costs. Sessions went on to pull out a large tire pump, stating that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama (D-Ill.) suggested using the mechanism as a solution for America's energy problems. Sessions referred to a recent statement from Sen. Obama in which he stated that properly inflated tires and regular vehicle maintenance are important for maximizing fuel economy.

"This isn't a red problem. This isn't a blue problem. This is a red, white and blue problem," said Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), after showing a photograph of a Texas woman carrying a small bag filled with gas station receipts. From his pocket, he then pulled a handful of receipts he gathered from members of his district, and vowed to send each to Speaker Pelosi's office.

Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) said that when asking American citizens, who joined him on the House floor this afternoon, who they felt was OPEC's best friend at the moment, the crowd pointed to Pelosi's chair at the head of the room.