Hoyer Dismisses GOP Agenda Roll Out

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer/AP File

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) is skeptical of the Republicans' unveiling of their legislative agenda later this week.

"I frankly think the American people are going to look at this roll-out as more of the same," Hoyer said. "They want to put a new face on it."

Republicans are scheduled to announce their legislative proposals Thursday at a lumber yard in suburban Washington, DC. It's a similar tactic used by House Republicans in 1994 when they released the ten point "Contract with America" and seized control of the House, picking up 54 seats. Political observers saluted the contract as the touchstone of the victory, engineered by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA).

But even the Contract with America didn't impress Hoyer.

"Their agenda of '94 was pretty superficial," Hoyer said. "And frankly unrealized."

The House went on to pass all ten points of the Contract With America. But most provisions died in the Senate.