Building Momentum for Fiscal Responsibility: A Discussion with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer

On March 1, the Budgeting for National Priorities project at Brookings hosted House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) for a discussion of ways to build continued momentum for fiscal responsibility. Rep. Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, was the lead sponsor of the “pay-as-you-go” legislation that was recently enacted into law and is also consulting with President Obama on creation of an effective fiscal responsibility commission. But with unprecedented annual deficits of $1.3 trillion, much more remains to be done to return to a balanced budget and pay down the national debt.

Rep. Hoyer represents Maryland’s fifth congressional district and was elected to serve as Majority Leader in 2006 and again in 2008 by his colleagues in the Democratic Caucus. He served as the Democratic Whip in the previous two Congresses. In his 28 years in Congress, Hoyer has been a consensus-builder, focusing most recently on issues related to the economy and health care. He has also been one of Congress’s leading voices for fiscal responsibility and a government that “pays for what it buys.”

Senior Fellow Ron Haskins provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion. After the program, Rep. Hoyer took questions from the audience.

Watch the full event on C-SPAN »