FOX News- Transcript

Interview

FOX News

JON SCOTT: House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer joins us now.

What is day one of business look like for you, Mr. Hoyer?

REP. HOYER: Well, now and on day one, we will be focused on the economy and making sure that working families in America are doing okay. They're not doing okay right now.

The economy is not doing well. And that's going to be the president's focus. It's going to be our focus, as we start the next Congress. Indeed it's our focus this month. And we may have a lame- duck session, as the president-elect has suggested, and we've suggested, to deal with a number of matters that, we think, would relieve some of the problems that exist out there.

We'd like to see us pass perhaps, in November, an extension of unemployment insurance. We now have over a million jobs lost this year alone, an awful lot of people out of work, looking for jobs, can't find them, need an extension on their unemployment, families losing incomes and having trouble feeding their families.

We think food stamps both is absolutely necessary, from a humanitarian standpoint, and is a stimulus as well to the economy.

MR. SCOTT: What about having Democrats in charge, of both houses of Congress, and in the White House? You heard John McCain say, that may be the worst thing possible. He made it a huge campaign issue.

Obviously as a Democrat you don't feel that way. But what are the roadblocks to Democrats passing anything they want?

REP. HOYER: Well, I don't think there are roadblocks.

There are constraints however. And by the way, let me say that I didn't hear Senator McCain complaining about having one party in control, of the Congress and the presidency, from 2001 to 2007. That's a new focus that the Republicans have had.

But notwithstanding that, there are substantial constraints obviously, the economic downturn being the major one. And we're going to have to deal within those frameworks. But having said that, we want to focus on the economy, try to get this economy moving, trying to create jobs, trying to stabilize the downturn that we've seen. So that will be our first priority.

Then I think we're going to address some of the unfinished business, including making sure that 4 million children are added to our Children's Health Insurance Program, which was supported by over 60 percent of the House and two-thirds of the United States Senate, making sure that we complete our appropriations process.

And then I think the president-elect, the president by that time, will address clearly our pledge on redeployment in Iraq, start the health care process, of looking at how we make sure that Americans have access to affordable health care, and that the uninsured do have access to health care. Education, global warming are all going to be on our agenda.

MR. SCOTT: As you're speaking, Congressman Hoyer, we're watching President-elect Barack Obama ascend the stairs of his campaign -- well, it's not a campaign plane anymore. But he'll be -- that's the plane that he is on right now, flying en route to Washington, to meet with President Bush, his first time, I guess, in the Oval Office.

REP. HOYER: Yeah.

MR. SCOTT: The New York Times obviously endorsed Obama, is looking forward to his presidency. But it carried an opinion piece today, from an author who suggests that he is going to have to govern toward the middle, that the Democratic Party is actually to the left, the Democratic, yeah, the Democratic Party is actually to the left of where most Americans are.

What do you say to that?

REP. HOYER: You know, I don't think that's the case. I think the Democratic Party has been and continues to be where the American people are.

We passed legislation through this last Congress that enjoyed the support of the American people. And indeed 70 percent of the major legislation we passed had over 50 Republicans in the House of Representatives supporting it.

The Democratic Party is broadly representative, which is why we were successful, of the American people. And we picked up a lot of Republican seats. And I think you're going to find a Democratic Party that is governing from the center. I think that's President Obama's intention, Speaker Pelosi's intention and Senator Reid's intention.

MR. SCOTT: Congressman Steny Hoyer, the majority leader in the House of Representatives, thanks.

REP. HOYER: You bet.

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