Hoyer Faults Bush Before State Of Union Speech

For Immediate Release:

January 20, 2004



House Minority Whip Hoyer faulted President Bush today for evaporated budget surpluses, education funding, healthcare issues and an environmental "assault on the air, the water and the land."

Hoyer, who supported the resolution allowing U.S. military operations in Iraq, said at his weekly briefing that the White House must either send more troops to Iraq or persuade U.S. allies to devote more resources in the postwar period. Despite the criticism, Hoyer pledged that Democrats would work with Bush on homeland and national security issues, and urged the White House to support programs to prevent nuclear proliferation and to press for port and airline security and improved relations with U.S. allies. He said Democrats were working to devise an economic package, possibly as part of an FY05 budget proposal. Hoyer said the package would include
infrastructure spending and a tax simplification proposal.