Hoyer to AFL-CIO: Republican Priorities Out of Whack
Hoyer to AFL-CIO: Republican Priorities Out of Whack
Says Democrats Will Continue to Fight for an Increased Minimum Wage
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Baltimore, MD - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD) addressed the Maryland State and Washington DC AFL-CIO Convention last night at the Wyndham Hotel in Baltimore. Below are his remarks, as prepared.
"Brothers and Sisters, I have come here tonight from the nation's capital bearing good news and bad.
"First, the bad news:
"The Washington Republicans - George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Tom DeLay and Bill Frist - are still running our federal government.
"You - better than anyone in America - know what that means: that the men and women in the organized labor movement and every working family in this country have a bulls-eye on their back.
"But don't despair, because I bring good news tonight, too.
"George Bush, Dick Cheney, Tom DeLay and that entire Republican crowd in Washington are coming apart at the seams.
"They're unraveling.
"The American people can see it. They are concerned. And they want change.
"So, tonight, I say to all of you: Keep the faith. Hope is alive.
"After four years of getting kicked around by this Administration and Republicans in Congress - on everything from collective bargaining rights, to the Davis-Bacon Act, to workplace safety, to an increase in the minimum wage - there are better days ahead for the American worker.
"Americans are still the most productive workers in the world. And, you have built this nation into what it is today - literally.
"Your friends in the Democratic Party are alive and kicking.
"And in 12 months, we're going to take back the United States House of Representatives and the Senate. We're going to drive George Bush's anti-worker agenda right back down Pennsylvania Avenue. And, we're going to throw it right over the White House gates.
"Are you going to join me?
"I don't need to tell you: There's a mess in Washington right now.
"For eight months, the President of the United States ran around this country pretending that America supported his plan to privatize the most successful program in American history - Social Security.
"But the only person he was fooling was himself.
"We shouldn't be outsourcing American jobs to foreign countries. And, we sure shouldn't be outsourcing our Social Security to Wall Street.
"Social Security is a guarantee, not a gamble. Keep your hands off our Social Security, Mr. Bush!
"Now, I don't mean to gloat over the President's political problems. It's not good for the country to have a lame-duck president for the next three years.
"But if the Washington Republicans had really tried to reach out to Democrats over the last four years - on Social Security, on pension security, on the economy and jobs - they would not be spiraling out of control today.
"Their problems are self-inflicted, resulting from incompetence and arrogance.
"Today, we are mired in Iraq. No matter what your view was going into this war, there is no doubt that this Administration has botched the post-war reconstruction effort.
"Gas prices are out of control, and the Republicans have no plan to reduce them.
"The Gulf Coast is still not back on its feet after being hit by Hurricane Katrina, and the Administration's inept response was nothing short of stunning.
"Our nation is headed straight for the fiscal ditch because the Washington Republicans are obsessed with giving the wealthiest people in America enormous tax cuts.
"And then, there is this pervasive Culture of Cronyism and Corruption that infects the nation's capital.
"Karl Rove, the President's right-hand man, and Scooter Libby, the vice president's chief of staff - and others - could be indicted for revealing the identity of a CIA agent.
"Tom DeLay, the House Majority Leader, has been forced to step aside after being indicted for money laundering and criminal conspiracy.
"Bill Frist, the Senate Majority Leader, is under federal investigation for possible insider trading in the sale of stock in his family's health care business.
"And, Jack Abramoff - the so-called Republican "super-lobbyist" with close ties to the White House and Tom DeLay - has been indicted for fraud, and his ethical and legal lapses threaten the entire Republican establishment.
"It's no wonder that the President's job approval rating is at the lowest point in his presidency - 39 percent.
"It's no wonder that the job approval rating for the Republican Congress has fallen to 29 percent - the lowest since 1994, when Republicans took control of the House from Democrats.
"It's no wonder that 68 percent of Americans say that our country is on the wrong track.
"Brothers and sisters, we have the best opportunity in a decade to win back the House and Senate, and to address the issues that matter most to working families. And together, we must seize it.
"Think about this. Over the eight years that Bill Clinton was in office, our economy created 22 million new jobs. We had the longest peacetime expansion of our economy in history. Poverty decreased. Household incomes went up. The number of uninsured went down. And we arrested the exploding budget deficits that threatened our economy and national security.
"But in just 56 months under George W. Bush and this Republican Congress, our country has made a complete U-turn.
"We have lost nearly 3 million manufacturing jobs.
"The number of Americans living in poverty has gone up four straight years.
"Median household income has dropped $1,670.
"Six million more Americans are without health insurance.
"And because of the Republican Party's single-minded obsession with providing tax cuts for the wealthiest people in America, our deficits and debt are exploding again.
"In fact, right now in Washington, the Republican Party is trying to use Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to shred the social safety net that protects the most vulnerable - the poor, the elderly, workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
"That's right. They're trying to cut funding for Medicaid, Medicare, veterans, heating assistance for the poor and student loans, pretending that they are getting tough on federal spending.
"They say they want to cut spending by $50 billion. But for all their tough talk, they're actually planning to increase the deficit - not reduce it - because they intend to cut taxes by another $106 billion this year.
"It's the same old Republican story. Shred programs that Americans depend upon. Shortchange education, infrastructure and health care. And, give tax cuts to those who are doing the best.
"Those priorities are simply out of whack.
"But you know that better than anyone.
"And that's why we'll continue to fight to increase the minimum wage. It's a crime in this country - the richest country on the face of the earth - that a single parent with two kids who works a minimum-wage job is earning only $10,700 a year - $4,500 below the poverty line.
"Just last Wednesday, the Senate again defeated an amendment by Senator Kennedy to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.25 over two years.
"It's time to make Republicans pay the price for that. And, it's time to hold Bob Ehrlich accountable for vetoing the $1 an hour increase in the minimum wage that was approved by our General Assembly.
"That's why we'll continue to fight for the Employee Free Choice Act, which will strengthen your right to organize.
"That's why we'll continue to fight for collective bargaining rights, pension fairness and the restoration of the Davis-Bacon Act.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we can - and we must - do all these things and more. But we must seize this opportunity, get organized, get energized and make it happen.
"We must recapture the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate - and hold the Senate seat of our good friend, Senator Paul Sarbanes.
"We must work hard and hold the House of Delegates and State Senate.
"And, we must turn Bob Ehrlich out of the Governor's Mansion, and replace him with a Democrat who is committed to improving the lives of all of our state's citizens.
"The Democratic Party will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the men and women of the organized labor movement.
"You are on the front lines. And your efforts, your energy, your organization are crucial to the future of this state and this country.
"I personally want to thank you for all that you have done over the years for me, for the Democratic Party and for our nation.
"I know that you've heard this pitch before over the last decade, but all I can say is that it has never been more true.
"The Republican Party is failing our nation, and Democrats have our best opportunity in a decade to make electoral gains, to beat back this anti-worker agenda and to fight for real change that improves the lives of working families.
"We know it. The Republicans know it. And the American people know it.
"Together, we have more than a fighting chance. We have a great chance.
"And, I urge you to do everything you can over the next year to ensure victory in November 2006, and a brighter future for you and your children."
http://www.hoyer.house.gov/newsroom/index.asp?ID=516&DocumentType=Press+Release