Longtime Democrat leader Rep. Steny Hoyer suffers 'mild' stroke



Longtime Democrat leader Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland is now recovering after suffering a "mild" stroke over the weekend.

On Sunday night, Hoyer, 85, "experienced a mild ischemic stroke and sought medical treatment," according to a statement from his deputy chief of staff, Margaret Mulkerrin.

Hoyer has been a mainstay in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than four decades.

As the New York Post noted, Mulkerrin's statement did not clarify to which hospital Hoyer was taken or how long he remained there. However, Mulkerrin did add that Hoyer "has responded well to treatment," "has no lingering symptoms," and that he "expects to resume his normal schedule next week."

Mulkerrin's statement also extended thanks to the entire "medical team" on behalf of Hoyer and his family.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reported that the vast majority of strokes — fully 87% — are ischemic, meaning they involve blockages that prevent the brain from receiving normal blood flow, WBAL-TV reported.

Hoyer has been a mainstay in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than four decades. After spending a few years in the Maryland Senate, Hoyer won a special election in 1981 for the seat representing his state's fifth congressional district.

Since then, Hoyer advanced so far in his party's ranks that he eventually became House majority leader from January 2019 until January 2023.

An ardent Democrat partisan, Hoyer was also a key figure in the two impeachments of former President Donald Trump, calling the first impeachment investigation "a duty to the country, to the American people, and to the Constitution of the United States."

To this day, Hoyer remains in Congress and is still an active member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Both legislative chambers are currently on August recess, even though a federal statute requires an August recess only during odd-numbered years.

This stroke is not Hoyer's first medical scare, the Post reported. In 2018, while he was still majority leader, he was hospitalized after developing pneumonia. He also contracted COVID-19 in 2022.

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'We saw images of mutilated infants': Lawmakers react after seeing footage of Hamas terror attacks



Around 150 lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle attended a screening on Tuesday of footage from the heinous Hamas terror attacks perpetrated in Israel last month, according to the Washington Post.

Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland said in a statement that the footage "will forever haunt" him. "Every Member present was either in tears or sat stunned," he noted. "The sheer carnage of the scenes I saw called to mind the darkest moments of the Holocaust, the pogroms, and thousands of years of antisemitic violence."

"In one clip, two little boys watch a Hamas fighter kill their father right before their eyes. In another, a terrorist stands over the bodies of dead Jews as he brags to his parents over the phone about how he killed ten Jews with his bare hands. We saw images of mutilated infants, defiled corpses, and families burned alive in their homes," Hoyer recalled.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland described it as "utterly chilling," according to the Post. "Hamas is a terrorist death cult, and it would clearly kill every person in Israel if it could. Nor does it show any interest in the rights of the Palestinian people."

"It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen," Rep. August Pfluger (R-Tx.) said in a tweet.

— (@)

Israel went to war in the wake of the horrific Hamas attacks last month.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that the Jewish state is attempting to allow civilians to escape danger but that Hamas is blocking people from fleeing to safety.

"While Israel is doing everything to keep civilians out of harm’s way, Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm's way. Israel provides civilians in Gaza humanitarian corridors and safe zones, Hamas prevents them from leaving at gunpoint," Netanyahu asserted.

— (@)

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Republicans exact more 'revenge' on Democrats, evict second top Dem from Capitol office: 'Expect more of this'



Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) isn't the only senior Democrat to lose a hideaway office in the United States Capitol.

After House Democrats joined eight Republicans to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as speaker of the House, Republicans evicted Pelosi from her hideaway office in the Capitol. It was one of the first decisions of House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R).

Republican leadership followed up that move by also evicting Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) from his hideaway office in the Capitol.

"Republicans," according to veteran Capitol Hill reporter Jake Sherman, "are taking revenge" on Democrats for voting to oust McCarthy.

"Expect more of this, GOP sources tell us," Sherman reported.

— (@)

"[W]hether you think it's right or wrong, Republicans are going to exact revenge for a long while over the [motion to vacate] vote. [Y]es, it was an internal party squabble. [B]ut the GOP thinks Dems shouldn't have sided [with] Gaetz," Sherman explained. "[R]emember: the majority controls the Capitol. Rooms, codels, etc."

Hoyer's office confirmed that House Republican leadership asked him to vacate his hideaway office.

Lawmakers not in leadership typically do not have offices in the Capitol. However, Pelosi and Hoyer were allowed to keep one after Democrats lost the House majority in the 2022 midterm elections.

The Washington Post explained:

Both Pelosi and Hoyer still have offices across the street from the Capitol, in one of the complex’s attached buildings. But because of their time serving in House leadership — the two octogenarians led the Democratic Party in the House for two decades — they had been assigned offices in the main Capitol building.

Meanwhile, Republicans are allegedly threatening to abandon the House Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group of lawmakers designed to cultivate bipartisan cooperation.

Republicans on the PSC are angry that Democrats sided with "Gaetz and a single digit number of chaos agents in the Republican Conference," said a letter GOP members of the caucus drafted, Axios reported.

"It is unfortunate, for America and the institution of Congress, that Democrats in PSC chose not to risk the smallest amount of political capital or show the minimal courage necessary to merely vote against the Motion to Vacate. Instead, they voted for the chaos and now hope to benefit politically from it," the letter added.

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The post DEATH WATCH: After Feinstein, Which Ancient Democrat Will 'Retire' Next? appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

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'Excuse me, what?': Top Democrat bemoans GOP's criticism of Biden because US is 'in a time of war'



House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) sparked outrage Friday after claiming the United States is "in a time of war" while rebuking Republicans for criticizing President Joe Biden.

What did Hoyer say?

During a diatribe in which Hoyer chided Republicans for criticizing Biden's hostility toward oil as the U.S. experiences a gas price crisis, Hoyer suggested lawmakers' energies should be focused on the "enemy" because we are "in a time of war."

"It is unfortunate that in a time of war, that we spend all the time blaming our own president," Hoyer said.

Later in his speech, the No. 2 House Democrat exclaimed, "I wish we'd get off this and really focus on the enemy— I know there's a lot of politics, but we're at war, and we need to produce energy."

Rep. Steny Hoyer: "It is unfortunate that at time of war that we spend all the time blaming our own president\u2026Russia has no leverage over us. We don\u2019t need Russia for energy."pic.twitter.com/DcA7dtcUVw
— TheBlaze (@TheBlaze) 1652470386

Hoyer also defended Biden's administration, claiming "[the] Biden administration approved more drilling permits in 2021 than the Trump administration approved in the first three years they were in office." While that is true, the number of approved drilling permits has plunged significantly this year, according to Politico.

Meanwhile, Hoyer also claimed that blame for the gas price crisis lies partially at the feet of oil companies, accusing them of focusing on profits despite the energy crisis. However, economists with the Federal Reserve of Dallas have debunked this Democratic talking point.

What was the reaction?

Republican lawmakers expressed concern over Hoyer's remarks because Congress has not declared war on Russia.

In fact, the last time Congress formally declared war came in December 1941 when the U.S. declared war against the Axis powers of World War II.

  • "Which country are we at war with, @LeaderHoyer? I don't remember a Declaration of War coming up for a vote recently," Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) said.
  • "'In a time of war.' — did we vote on a declaration of war? Asking for a friend," Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) asked.
  • "*checks notes* Excuse me, what?" Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.) reacted.
  • "Congress has not voted to go to war. What is wrong with you, @LeaderHoyer?" Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) asked.

Outgoing-White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked about Hoyer's comments Friday afternoon, but she did not offer any real clarification.

"I did not see the full context of his comments. What I'm betting he was referring to was the war in Ukraine with Russia that obviously the U.S. has a stake in given the amount of military, humanitarian, economic assistance we've provided," Psaki said.

TheBlaze reached out to the majority leader's office seeking clarification, but has not yet heard back.

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The post House Dems Insert Poison Pill Into Bipartisan Bill To Protect Supreme Court Justices appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.