WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) spoke on the House Floor today in support of the bipartisan budget agreement. Below is a link to the video and his remarks as prepared for delivery:       "Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan legislation, which formalizes the agreement reached earlier this week by Speaker Pelosi and Secretary Mnuchin, on behalf of the President, and has the support of Senators Schumer and McConnell and the Republican Leader in this House, Mr. McCarthy. This is what we have been working toward for a very long time, and I am pleased that we were able to secure an agreement before the end of the July work period.

"This will provide certainty for the American people by providing the topline guidance necessary for appropriators and the full House and Senate to complete work on funding the government for Fiscal Year 2020. This was made possible by virtue of the Democratic-led House passing ten appropriations bills to fund 96% of government before the end of June – a pace of achievement that has not been matched in decades.

“It was also achievable only because Democrats were united in our determination to deliver on our promise to end the constant brinksmanship that characterized the last several years and restore responsible governance for the people. To that end I’m glad that this agreement also suspends the debt limit, removing the threat of a catastrophic default on our debt for two more years.

"Now, those who would have held hostage the ‘full faith and credit of the United States’ – as they have done in the past – to demand partisan concessions will be prevented from throwing the legislative process into chaos. With the threat of default gone and the danger of sequester-level budget cuts removed, we can now move forward together to invest in fighting poverty, expanding opportunity, strengthening our communities, and defending our nation and our allies.

“I want to thank Chairman Yarmuth, Chairwoman Lowey, Chairman Neal, Ranking Member Womack, and others for their hard work in support of reaching this deal. I hope we can all come together today and approve it, sending a strong sign of support to encourage the Senate to do the same and do so swiftly.

“This is an example of how we can restore the faith of the American people in their government by showing that we can be responsible stewards of the economy, that we can advance our democratic values and priorities through bipartisan means, and that we can demonstrate that government can work ‘For the People’ it serves.

“I hope we can all come together today and approve it, sending a strong sign of support to encourage the Senate to do the same and to do so quickly.

“I’m pleased the President supports this agreement. I’m pleased that we reached this agreement. I would hope we could all vote for this agreement, not because it is perfect, but because it is the result of honest negotiation between rational people who know we have a job to do for America and are prepared to do it. I urge a ‘yes’ vote.”