Press Releases
Ranking Member Scott Urges Education Department to Withdraw Proposed Grant Rule
09.24.26 WASHINGTON -House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03) urged Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to withdraw in its entirety the Department of Education's proposal to revise the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR). EDGAR governs the Department's management of education grant programs. The proposed rule would give the Department broader power to steer grant awards, pull back continued funding for multiyear projects, and… Continue Reading
NEW: Trump Vanity Projects Slated to Cost $1.8+ Billion; Committee Tool Shows Alternative Uses to Deliver for the American People
09.23.26 WASHINGTON - The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee - Minority issued a report today with new calculations that find that President Trump’s vanity projects - including construction of the new White House ballroom and the no-bid contract to paint the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, among others - are expected to cost more than $1.8 billion. Using this total, the Committee created an Interactive Cost Calculator where users can explore how this $1.8 billion could instead be spent to lower cos… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Slams Trump Rule to Make it Harder for Patients to Access Information
09.22.26 WASHINGTON - House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) urged Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Assistant Secretary Daniel Aronowitz to withdraw a new proposed rule that would prioritize the interests of employers and health insurance companies over the needs of millions of working families. The proposed rule, entitled “Electronic Disclosure by Group Health Plans Under ERISA,” would establish a “safe harbor” that will allow health pl… Continue Reading
House, Senate Leaders Demand Criminal Investigation into Labor Department’s Public Comment Scandal
09.18.26 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) demanded the Department of Justice (DOJ) Attorney General Todd Blanche and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel open a criminal investigation into the reported use of unverifiable or stolen identities to … Continue Reading
Education Leaders Applaud Passage of the Science of Reading Act
09.16.26 WASHINGTON—Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 7890, the Science of Reading Act of 2026, a bipartisan bill focused on strengthening literacy instruction. This bill clarifies that federally supported literacy instruction should align with evidence-based literacy instruction based on the science of reading, including core components such as phonics, fluency, and vocabulary. The Science of Reading Act of 2026 was first introduced by Reps. John W. Mannion (D-NY-22), Erin Houchin (R-IN-0… Continue Reading
HEWD Ranking Member Adams Slams Republicans for Ignoring Rising College Costs
09.16.26 WASHINGTON - Higher Education and Workforce Development (HEWD) Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) delivered the following opening statement at today’s HEWD Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Who Gets the Scholarship? How the Global Shift in College Sports Affects Americans.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. “This is the final hearing in this Subcommittee before the House once again returns to our Districts for a long recess. Since the beginning of this… Continue Reading
HELP Ranking Member DeSaulnier Opening Remarks on Union Power
09.15.26 WASHINGTON - Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) delivered the following opening statement at today’s HELP Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Out of Touch: When Union Politics Leave Workers Behind.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today. “Let me start with a simple truth: President Trump’s economy is not working for workers. Inflation has outpaced wage growth in recent months, and American worke… Continue Reading
Scott, Omar, Casar Introduce Legislation to Protect Workers’ Hard-Earned Wages from Medical Debt Collection
09.14.26 WASHINGTON— Today, House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Subcommittee on Workforce Protections Ranking Member Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05), and Vice Ranking Member Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35), introduced H.R. 10373, the Protecting Workers’ Wages from Medical Debt Act. This bill would prohibit workers’ wages from being garnished to pay for medical debt. Right now, approximately 100 million Americans are trapped with $220 billion in medical debt. Loomin… Continue Reading
NEWS: Government Watchdog Finds Defense Department is Robbing Workers of Fair Wages and Benefits
09.09.26 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) use of Intergovernmental Support Agreements (IGSAs) to obtain services from state and local governments and the impact on the workers employed under these contracts. Requested by House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06), the report revealed that the intergovernmental support agreements adopted by D… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on August Jobs Report
09.04.26 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy gained 162,000 jobs in August, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent. At this point in his term, the economy under President Biden had created 10.5 million jobs, compared to just 807,000 under President Trump's second term. Today’s job gains are still roughly half of Presiden… Continue Reading
Scott, Mannion, Fitzpatrick Lead Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Key Offices and Programs at the Department of Education from Being Transferred to Other Federal Agencies
09.03.26 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Rep. John W. Mannion (NY-22), and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) introduced bipartisan legislation to protect key offices and programs at the U.S. Department of Education from being transferred through interagency agreements to other federal agencies that lack the staff, experience, and expertise needed to administer them. The legislation is the House companion to S.5046, a bipartisan bill led by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sus… Continue Reading
Workforce Protections Ranking Member Omar Remarks at Hearing on President Trump’s Deregulatory Agenda at the Department of Labor
09.02.26 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Ilhan Omar (MN-05) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Workforce Protections Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Less Red Tape, More Opportunity: Unleashing American Workers and Job Creators.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for joining us today. “My Republican colleagues love to talk about getting rid of red tape, but let’s look at what they actually want to get rid of: it is the light at a construction site; it is the respirat… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Launch Investigation into NLRB’s Settlements Amid Sweetheart Deals for Amazon
09.02.26 WASHINGTON— Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Rep. John Mannion (NY-22) questioned National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Crystal Carey about when and why her office pursues settlement agreements in cases pending before the Board. On June 4, 2026, General Counsel Carey testified before the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee that the “majority” of settlement agreements offered by the NLRB are bil… Continue Reading
ECESE Ranking Member Bonamici Remarks at Hearing on Child Care Crisis
09.01.26 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Early Childhood and Secondary Education Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Supporting Working Families: State-Led Child Care Solutions.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses for being here. “Affordable, accessible, and quality child care is essential for children, families, employers, and for the economy. And because a substantial amount of brain development happens in the… Continue Reading
110+ House & Senate Democrats Slam EEOC's Proposal to End Demographic Data Collection Key to Fighting Workplace Discrimination
08.25.26 WASHINGTON - Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-D), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Grace Meng (NY-06), Congressional Equality Caucus Chair Mark Takano (CA-39) and Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) led 112 Members of Congress & Senators in a letter urging the Equal Employment Opportuni… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Demands Answers from Labor Department on “Fake Job” Health Plans
08.14.26 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling and Assistant Secretary Daniel Aronowitz demanding answers about reported settlement negotiations with companies selling junk health plans that use sham employment or partnership relationships to circumvent federal consumer protections and state oversight. The reported negotiations come amid growing concerns about so-called hea… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Calls for Urgent Oversight of Funding Cuts and Dwindling Staff at Federal Statistical Agencies
08.13.26 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to Chairman Tim Walberg requesting an immediate hearing to examine the impact of the Trump Administration’s attacks on federal statistical agencies within the Committee’s jurisdiction, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS), the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS or … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on July Jobs Report
08.07.26 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy lost 23,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1 percent. At this point in his term, the economy under President Biden had created 10.2 million jobs, compared to just 590,000 under President Trump's second term. In the 18 months of the present Administration, not a single mon… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Slams HHS Plan to Undermine Head Start
08.06.26 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced its proposed rule to deregulate Head Start, undermining the program’s quality standards among other things. “For more than 60 years, Head Start has provided young children with high-quality early education, health and dental care, and healthy meals. It also connects families with services that help lift them out of poverty. “Today, … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on EEOC’s Proposed Strategic Plan and Ongoing Efforts to Undermine Civil Rights
07.30.26 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter in response to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Draft Strategic Plan, criticizing EEOC for providing insufficient time for Congress and the public to submit meaningful feedback on the plan. The EEOC has engaged in a troubling pattern of shortchanging engagement with the public on a number of its actions. In its current form, the Draft Strategic Plan will under… Continue Reading