On the Issues

Fighting for Fiscal Responsibility. Steny Hoyer is a strong supporter of fiscal responsibility, advocating budget policies that strengthen Social Security and Medicare while also allowing us to balance the budget, pay down the national debt and invest in crucial priorities such as education, the environment and national defense. Congressman Hoyer also has consistently voted for responsible tax relief that permits the nation to meet its other priorities and commitments.

A Lifelong Passion. Steny Hoyer has always been deeply committed to civil rights, equality and fairness. In Congress, he was the principal House sponsor of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, landmark civil rights legislation that has helped millions of disabled Americans enter the workforce and the mainstream of American life.

Keeping Our Nation Strong and Secure. Steny Hoyer has always backed a strong national defense, even before the terrorist attacks of September 11th demonstrated national security vulnerabilities. He played a key role in relocating 5,000 employees to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, a move that is revitalizing the local economy and ensuring the future stability at the base.

Working Hard to Strengthen Our Educational System. While Steny Hoyer strongly believes that we must pay down the national debt and shore up Social Security and Medicare, he also believes we must invest in our future by strengthening our public schools. He strongly supported a plan to reduce class size by hiring 100,000 more teachers, supports efforts to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers, and supports a plan to help local school districts finance school renovations and construction.

Ensuring That Every Vote Counts. Steny Hoyer was the principal Democratic House sponsor of the Help America Vote Act, landmark Federal election reform legislation which authorized $3.9 billion in Federal spending over three years to help states update their voting equipment and train poll workers, and required states to abide by minimum voting standards such as providing voters with provisional ballots and an opportunity to check their ballots and correct errors.

A Balanced Approach to Energy Independence. Steny Hoyer strongly supports policies that move the United States toward energy independence by balancing increasing production with incentives for conservation and energy efficiency. Congressman Hoyer also believes that a balanced energy policy supports a diverse fuel supply and weighs the potential impact on the environment and consumers. For example, he opposes legislation that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, one of America's great natural treasures, to oil drilling.

Protecting Our Environment. Steny Hoyer has led the fight to clean up the Chesapeake Bay and the Patuxent, Potomac, Anacostia, and St. Mary's Rivers. He has been a strong supporter of the oyster recovery project and helped secure over $23 million to replenish the oyster population of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. He has also been dedicated to preserving our natural resources by working to ensure that we are able to preserve our parks and open green space.

Advocating for Hard-Working Federal Employees. Steny Hoyer has consistently fought to improve the pay, benefits and working conditions of federal employees. He helped secure a 3.7 percent raise in 2001, a 4.6 percent pay raise in 2002, and a 4.1 percent pay raise in 2003, and in 2004, and is fighting for a fair and well-deserved pay increase of 3.5 percent for 2005. Congressman Hoyer has consistently pushed for pay parity between military and civilian employees.

Fighting for Meaningful Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage, Access to Lower Drug Prices for Americans, Health Care Coverage for the Uninsured, and Quality Health Care for America's children. Steny Hoyer is a strong proponent of a prescription drug benefit for seniors under Medicare that is voluntary, affordable, comprehensive, and guaranteed. He strongly opposed Republican Medicare legislation that provided an inadequate and confusing benefit, weakened Medicare's protections for many seniors, and failed to bring down the high price of prescription drugs.

Protecting Our Homeland and Making Our Communities Safer. Steny Hoyer has always been a strong supporter of first responders protecting our communities and has worked to ensure that law enforcement officials, firefighters and emergency response personnel have the equipment and training they need in the event of an emergency. Hoyer strongly supports the "Cops on the Beat" program that has led to the hiring of hundreds of new police officers in the Fifth Congressional District.

Fighting to Protect and Add Jobs in Maryland. Steny Hoyer is a champion for public and private sector jobs in Maryland and the Fifth Congressional District. He was instrumental in persuading the Navy to relocate 5,000 high-tech jobs to the Patuxent River Naval Station, and helped preserve 3,000 jobs at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head and 1,600 jobs at St. Inigoes. He brought 4,000 IRS jobs to New Carrollton. He led the effort to successfully stop a Republican attempt to move the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from Greenbelt in 1995.

Preserving and Strengthening Our Commitment to Seniors. Steny Hoyer has never wavered in his commitment to protecting and preserving Social Security and Medicare for current and future generations of Americans. He strongly supported the Democratic budget plan for fiscal year 2005 because it would have allowed our nation to strengthen Social Security and Medicare, pay down the national debt, invest in crucial priorities such as education and national defense, and provide tax relief to hard-working Americans.

Improving Maryland's Transportation Infrastructure. Steny Hoyer knows that our economy and quality of life will only be enhanced through improvements to our transportation infrastructure.