Hoyer Statement on House Passage of the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act

Statement

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight after the House passed S. 610, the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act, legislation to prevent cuts to Medicare, remove the threat of statutory PAYGO cuts, and establish a process to responsibly address the debt limit:

"I am glad that the House was able to pass legislation this evening to remove the cloud of uncertainty over key issues that affect Americans' economic outlook. Not only did we vote to implement a process that will forestall the threat of a default on America's debt, which would cause a devastating economic catastrophe right as we are making headway in our recovery, but we also took action to prevent severe end-of-year cuts to Medicare that would have negatively impacted hospitals and doctors as we continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. The House also voted this evening to remove any threat of separate cuts due to statutory PAYGO. I believe strongly in ensuring a fiscally sustainable future for our country and PAYGO is an important tool in that effort. But it was always meant to provide Congress with flexibility in an emergency, and doing so in response to COVID-19 is common sense.

"Leaving these items unaddressed would have been a dereliction of the House's duty to govern responsibly For the People, and it is a shame that Republicans were unwilling to step up and work with Democrats to get this done on a bipartisan basis. House Democrats will continue to take the steps necessary to ensure that Americans can build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic without having to contend with manufactured crises resulting from dangerous partisanship."

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