Hoyer Wants to Restore Faith in America

House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer is working to find ways to renew the faith of the American people in their government.

Whip Hoyer said in a recent speech that many citizens feel that the American Dream has become out of reach for them and the government is the biggest road block. With that in mind, Whip Hoyer has created four major proposals to renew trust and confidence. Many of the ideas have been put forward by Democrats in the House during the “Make It In America: What’s Next” hearings last year.

Whip Hoyer says that to fully tap into our economic opportunities, government also must work. He said it is essential to ensure every voice is heard that government works so that all Americans can Make It In America.

The first of the proposals is Campaign Finance Reform. The only way to ensure that every American voice is heard is to make sure the voices of wealthy individuals are not louder than those of middle-class Americans. This starts with overturning Citizens United and requiring super PACs to disclose their donors, he said. Also, government should place reasonable limits on the amount of money an individual can donate to campaigns to encourage small contribution funding. Limits and complete transparency are needed.

The second proposal is related to Voting Rights. Every American must be welcome at the ballot box. To do this, government must restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act, modernize the voting system to include automatic registration, expand early voting, make mail options available, and create tools to combat voter suppression.

The third proposal is Redistricting Reform. Currently, politicians draw the boundaries of congressional districts themselves. This has allowed too many “safe” seats to be drawn by members of both parties. In order to maximize the effectiveness of government, the country must have a national system of redistricting standards that takes partisanship out of the equation.

The last proposal is Government Technology. If Congress modernizes government technology, it will work more reliably and be more responsive to the needs of the American people. Congressman Hoyer’s plan is to first pass the Information Technology Modernization Act, which would modernize government technology systems and strengthen cybersecurity. Then, Mr. Hoyer said government must make all federal departments and agencies as connected and adaptive as possible by creating a site where citizens can go online to rate and review agencies and offices.

Lastly, Congress needs to authorize the US Digital Service, which has been at the forefront of introducing the advances from Silicon Valley into government tech, as has 18F.

Follow Congressman Hoyer on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information about House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer, visit his Leader Page.