Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, we are on the brink of achieving the Republican policy of sequester. Why do I say it's the Republican policy?

Because on July 19 of 2011, 229 Republicans voted for their Cut, Cap, and Balance bill, which said that the alternative to cutting spending in a rational way would be the irrational imposition of sequester, which cuts across the board irrespective of priorities. It's the wrong thing to do. It will hurt America. It will hurt our economy. It will hurt the growth in jobs.

I am here to tell you, if Democrats were in charge of the House of Representatives, that sequester would not happen; but we've been here 6 weeks, and not a single piece of legislation has been brought to this floor by the majority to stop sequestration from happening, to substitute a rational fiscal policy for an irrational one.

So when sequester hits, as unfortunately as it may, as tragically as it may, as unacceptably as it may, the American people need to know this is Republican policy included in legislation for which 98 percent of them voted on July 19, 2011.