Ranking Member Scott: Biden Budget is a Roadmap to a Stronger America
WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President Biden released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2024.
“The Biden-Harris Fiscal Year 2024 budget proposal is a clear roadmap to a stronger America. It calls for transformational investments that would grow our economy and improve the lives of students, workers, and families across the country.
“The proposed budget would take significant steps to ensure every student has access to high-quality education at every level. It provides $9 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of nearly $1 billion, to expand access to quality, affordable child care for families across the nation. It requests a significant increase in funding for Title I schools to ensure that federal resources go to the school districts that need it most. And to help lower the cost of college, the budget proposes an $820 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award—the cornerstone of federal financial aid—as well as a critical down payment toward free community college for all Americans.
“I also applaud the Administration’s proposed investments to improve the lives of workers and their families. These investments include boosted funding for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect workers’ safety on the job. To address persistent and exploitative child labor practices, the budget calls on Congress to increase penalties for child labor violations and bolster funding for the Department of Labor’s enforcement of child labor laws. Notably, the administration is, once again, calling for a national paid leave program, which working parents desperately need, so they are not forced to choose between their paychecks and the well-being of their loved ones.
“Finally, the President’s budget includes critical investments to provide every American with access to healthy food and affordable, high-quality health care. The budget would lower the cost of life-saving prescription drugs by building on the progress Democrats made through the Inflation Reduction Act to allow Medicare to negotiate fairer drug prices. And it would help ensure that no child in America goes hungry by providing major increases in funding for school meal programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
“I commend the Biden-Harris administration for proposing these historic investments, within a fiscally responsible budget, to strengthen our economy and respond to the real issues facing students, workers, and families. I will continue working with my colleagues to deliver on the administration’s vision for an America in which everyone can succeed.”
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