Hoyer Says Sequestration Needs to Be Replaced
Posted by Congressman Steny Hoyer
Pax Leader II
Congressman Steny H. Hoyer released the following statement after the House passed a Continuing Resolution that will fund the government through Sept. 30.
Congress has a responsibility to keep our government running and serving the American people. While I am pleased that the Senate was able to reach a bipartisan agreement on improvements to the House version of the CR and fund our government through the end of September, I would have preferred an approach that fully replaced the sequester with a balanced mix of targeted spending cuts and additional revenues. Doing so would have allowed us avoid the harmful impact of this irrational process on Fifth District jobs and national security.
I would have also preferred a bill that would have provided a cost of living adjustment for our hardworking federal employees. Unfortunately, Republican lawmakers insisted on continuing the existing pay freeze on these middle-class workers, which is unfair and unwise policy that undermines our ability to recruit and retain the highly-skilled federal workforce that our nation deserves.
I hope that Congress will abandon these efforts that target our public servants, who work hard to ensure the safety and well being of the American people. We must focus on passing a budget for Fiscal Year 2014 that embraces a balanced approach to deficit reduction.
