Senate Medicare Expansion Proposal 'Worth Consideration,' Says House Majority Leader

By Meagan Wiseley, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-M.D.) told reporters Tuesday that the proposed expansion of Medicare being discussed in the Senate is "an idea worth consideration."

"I think [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid obviously is trying to get his caucus to a place where he can get 60 votes to pass a health reform bill," he said. "I congratulate him for the extraordinary Herculean efforts that he is making to bring 60 votes together to get something done in the Senate."

The expansion would allow individuals from the ages of 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare and would also create a non-profit funded healthcare plan for those who are not covered through their employers.

Hoyer also said Congress is currently working on job creation legislation, using left over TARP money for infrastructure projects and job creation. He said depending on the components of the bill, it could cost between $75 billion and $150 billion.

"100 billion, 150 billion, 75 billion, those are all figures that are being talked about, depending on what the component parts are," he said. "And I don't think anybody feels that this package will be the only package in terms of jobs that we'll look at over the next two or three months."

'Party Of No' Creating Hurdles For Americans Says Hoyer

By Leah Valencia - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) chided Republican leadership Monday, claiming the minority party has acted irresponsibly by using obstructionism to slow down the legislative process.

“No one expects Republicans to roll over for President Obama," Hoyer said during his remarks at The Center for American Progress. "But the ‘Party of No’ strategy is so disappointing because the history of Congress is full of loyal oppositions that shared responsibility for governing in trying times and shaped some of the most important legislation of their eras."

The Majority Leader said using such tactics lessens the overall effectiveness of Congress, saying that in the Senate the use of filibuster has turned from a rare tool “of passionate oppostiton” into a “routine hurdle." Hoyer added that 70 percent of all major bills face filibuster tactics as compared to only eight percent in the 1960's and 70's.

"The hard choices that are being forced on our country demand engagement from both parties," Hoyer said. “It is almost impossible for one party to take them on alone.”

Hoyer noted past Republican legislative work on Medicare and Social Security bills to demonstrate the merit of bipartisan partnership.

"It is not asking too much for today’s Republicans to rise to those examples," he said. "The history of constructive minorities shows how much more we should expect and demand of them."

The Leader said he would welcome Republicans into debates on today’s key issues such as health care and climate change for the good of constituents nationwide.

“It's easy to say that Democrats actually want extremism to be the face of the opposition...that we would be happy for the 'Party of No' to keep saying no, but that's not true.” Hoyer said. “When we say no to the work of legislating, we do real harm to the institution of Congress and our nation's future."

Democrats In House, Senate Claim Competition Essential To Driving Down Health Costs

By Ravi Bhatia, Talk Radio News Service

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Or.) and Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) and Jim Cooper (D-Tn.) said Tuesday that infusing the health insurance market with competition would be the best way to bring down health care costs for most Americans.

“We’ve got to open up the exchanges to a broader array of people, both employers and employees,” Wyden said at a panel discussion hosted by The New Republic magazine. “That’s how we’re going to respond to people making $66,000 a year who are going to look at the [Senate] Finance Committee Bill and say that it’s not going work for [their families].”

The discussion occurred the day after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that the current draft of the health care bill will include a public option with an opt-out provision for individual states. In theory, giving Americans the option to choose a government-run health care plan would drive down the costs of private insurers by creating competition. The Health Care Exchange would allow those who already have insurance to upgrade to better plans then the ones they already have using the program, further encouraging insurance companies to lower prices and raise their coverage quality standards.

“As these bills are being drafted, only ten percent of the people in America will ever be allowed to shop for any option, whether it's public or private,” Cooper said. “In other words 90 percent will be stuck with what they’ve got. So why don’t we allow people to upgrade to get a better deal?”

Cooper added, “As far as the public option is concerned, I’m for one, we can have a good one, we can have one that’s affordable for the individual family and for the system as a whole, but all this effort is for naught if we can’t get 60 votes in the Senate.”

On Tuesday, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), who is often considered the one Republican who might vote in favor of health care reform legislation, responded to Reid’s announcement, saying that she would not support a bill that includes a public option. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) also announced Tuesday that he would block Reid’s plan as long as it includes a publicly funded insurance plan.

According to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the House may introduce their health care bill by the end of this week.

Hoyer Blames GOP For Afghanistan Problems, Senate For Short Work Weeks

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) responded to the apparent impatience shown by Congressional Republicans over the adoption of an Afghanistan war strategy, explaining that under GOP leadership, Afghanistan was woefully under-resourced.

“We have more people [there] than [House Minority Leader John] Boehner and his party put in Afghanistan over the last five or six years,” said Hoyer during a pen and pad session withe reporters. “We’re doing much more than they did.”

While the Majority Leader has been hesitant to tell reporters where he stands on Afghanistan, he did credit the surge in Iraq as a successful maneuver, a possible hint to the final position Hoyer will push for.

The Majority Leader also touched upon recent concerns that the House has been meeting for shorter hours, a sentiment that Hoyer sympathized with. However, Hoyer explained that the House’s slim work-weeks are a result of inactivity in the Senate.

“We have sent a lot of work to the ... Senate,” said Hoyer. “We’re waiting for them to get back.

“This is not a criticism of Harry Reid,” Hoyer added. “Senator Reid has the most frustrating job in government.”

Hoyer: We Took Our Eye Off The Ball In Afghanistan

By Justin Duckham-Talk Radio News Service

Prior to the White House’s scheduled meeting Tuesday afternoon with Congressional leadership, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) declined to tell reporters if he would support sending more U.S. forces to Afghanistan.

“I intend to give my advice and counsel to the president first,” said Hoyer during a pen and pad session. “I have some views and I’ll probably express them sometime in the future after I meet with the president.”

However, the Majority Leader did offer his explanation for the origin of the troubled military situation in Afghanistan.

“This is an effort that ... we should have succeeded on years ago. We took our eye off the ball. We under-resourced the effort that had almost unanimous support,” Hoyer said.

The Majority Leader refused to speculate over whether Congress would be behind a troop increase, stating that while there is support for the action in the House, he was not sure if it is the majority’s opinion.