Steny H. Hoyer
02/04/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/04/2026 16:37
Hoyer Statement on Mass Layoffs at The Washington Post
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement in response to The Washington Post's large scale staff reductions and restructuring:
"On the front page of every copy of the Washington Post, right below the name of that famed paper, is a simple slogan: 'democracy dies in darkness.' Today, the darkness grows.
"I am appalled by the decision to lay off roughly a third of the Washington Post's employees. Their dismissal will severely undermine the paper's ability to provide comprehensive coverage of pressing events across the country and around the world. I thank those who have been fired not only for their tireless reporting but for their service to truth and democracy.
"As a Marylander and Prince Georgian, I find the downsizing of the Washington Post's Metro section particularly concerning. It will create a vacuum in press coverage of one of America's most important and diverse regions - a region that was already experiencing a decline in local journalism.
"The Post also removed every journalist who covers the Middle East and shuttered the Jerusalem and Ukraine bureaus, among others. The events currently taking place in these regions have grave implications for America and the world. Ignoring them is journalistic malpractice.
"What a shame it is to see this devastation inflicted upon the institution of Bob Woodward and Katharine Graham - the paper in which Americans read about Watergate and the Pentagon Papers."
"On the front page of every copy of the Washington Post, right below the name of that famed paper, is a simple slogan: 'democracy dies in darkness.' Today, the darkness grows.
"I am appalled by the decision to lay off roughly a third of the Washington Post's employees. Their dismissal will severely undermine the paper's ability to provide comprehensive coverage of pressing events across the country and around the world. I thank those who have been fired not only for their tireless reporting but for their service to truth and democracy.
"As a Marylander and Prince Georgian, I find the downsizing of the Washington Post's Metro section particularly concerning. It will create a vacuum in press coverage of one of America's most important and diverse regions - a region that was already experiencing a decline in local journalism.
"The Post also removed every journalist who covers the Middle East and shuttered the Jerusalem and Ukraine bureaus, among others. The events currently taking place in these regions have grave implications for America and the world. Ignoring them is journalistic malpractice.
"What a shame it is to see this devastation inflicted upon the institution of Bob Woodward and Katharine Graham - the paper in which Americans read about Watergate and the Pentagon Papers."
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