GOP senator hails House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) on Tuesday hailed House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) in a rare show of bipartisan support for a congressional member on the other side of the political aisle.

Blunt praised Hoyer following a Washington Post editorial about Hoyer deciding to step down from Democratic leadership in the House.

“An editorial in today’s Washington Post referred to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer as a ‘beloved, admired giant on Capitol Hill.’ I couldn’t agree more,” Blunt said. “During the almost 10 years we served together as the Republican and Democratic Whips in the House, we often didn’t vote the same way, but when something had to get done we almost always did vote the same way.”

Blunt, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, added that Hoyer has “has always understood that doing the best you can is a good thing.”

“Democracy is best defined by advocating for what you believe and finding the place where compromise moves the country forward,” the senator said. “No one understands that better than Congressman Steny Hoyer.”

Hoyer, 83, decided not to seek reelection in House leadership last week. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced earlier that she would step down to make way for a new generation.

The Post’s editorial board called Hoyer a “model lawmaker,” saying he was the rare congressman who could work across the aisle and noting that some of his “biggest accomplishments” on Capitol Hill were done under Republican presidents.

“Amid the many causes for cynicism that colors Americans’ view of Congress, a gold-plated exception is warranted for Rep. Steny H. Hoyer,” the editors noted.