I think Mr. Cantor and I are in absolute agreement. If both sides take that attitude, then we can make some progress. Hopefully, that will be the case. Mr. Speaker, the majority leader has said, I said, Hal Rogers of the Appropriations Committee has said, and others have said that the sequester will not work, that the sequester will, in fact, undermine the ability of America to invest in its growth and its opportunities and its ability to compete globally so that we can create jobs here in America. The majority leader has made an observation, Mr. Speaker, that he didn't think the sequester was the way to go. I share that view, and I share very strongly the view of Mr. Rogers that, in fact, the sequester could not be implemented in a way that was consistent with the interests of our country. I want to ask the majority leader, Mr. Speaker, focusing on what we can agree on and not what we disagree on, whether or not he shares my view that one of the conference's objectives should be replacing the sequester with a formula that gets us to a place where we are bringing down our expenditures and at the same time making sure that we protect the mandatory expenditures that Mr. Ryan talks about and others talk about to make sure that our most vulnerable in America are protected and that we do so, frankly, before Thanksgiving, Mr. Speaker.…
On the recordOctober 23, 2013
Share
More from Steny Hoyer
Jul 24, 2026
Political will, I suggest again, Congressman, is, in fact, the answer, not weakening the Congress of the United States.
Jul 23, 2026
That disparity is wrong, and it’s why I did not support this bill, which balloons the defense budget by over 28% and will cost more than a trillion dollars but cannot find enough funds to ensure parity in raises between civilian and…
Aug 9, 2026
Senate Republicans’ vote in the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee to hold him in contempt of Congress is nothing short of a witch-hunt instigated by President Trump and whose purpose is to achieve Republicans’ goal of…
Jul 28, 2026
Madam Administrator, with all due respect, I've asked you two direct questions, you have not answered either one of them.





