From The Hill: The Maryland Democrat on Tuesday amplified his staunch opposition to sequestration-level funding, blasted Republicans for protecting those across-the-board cuts and called on Congress to hash out its differences for the sake of a long-term budget deal – and to do it this month.
“I’ve made it pretty clear; I think we’re going to have a fight. I think we ought to have the fight now rather than later,” Hoyer said during a press conference in the Capitol.
“Delaying the [process] is a little bit like the Super Committee’s thinking it could fail and 13 months later, somehow, the problem would be solved,” he added, referring to the bipartisan group whose 2011 failure to reach a budget deal triggered the sequester cuts in March.
“Thirteen months later, it was not solved, and I’m more interested in addressing it now than a week before Thanksgiving or a week before Christmas.”
Hoyer has raised eyebrows this month for vowing to vote against a continuing resolution (CR) at the current $988 billion level, a level that includes the sequester cuts, even if the proposal excludes the attacks on ObamaCare many Republicans are demanding.
Other Democratic leaders are suggesting they could accept such a “clean” CR, at least in the short term, to prevent a government shutdown on Oct. 1.
Asked directly Tuesday if he would vote against a clean CR at