Ranking Member Scott Condemns MAGA Republican Resolution to Threaten Education Funding, Fuel Culture Wars
“Like clockwork, we are—yet again—taking up another proposal that…purports to improve school safety but does nothing to address gun violence in schools.”
WASHINGTON – Today, House Republicans voted to pass H.Res. 461, a mean-spirited resolution—authored by extreme MAGA Republicans—that threatens to take federal funds from public schools if any of their facilities are used to temporarily house refugees or migrants. Republican politicians falsely claim this resolution is intended to keep students safe and address learning loss. Regrettably, this resolution does neither of those things.
View Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube.
Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during today’s floor debate on the resolution.
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to H.Res. 461.
“Like clockwork, we are here—yet again—taking up another proposal that, among other things, purports to improve school safety but does nothing to address gun violence in schools or improve students’ mental health.
“So far this Congress, the Republican priorities for K-12 education have focused almost entirely on so-called culture wars.
“First, House Republicans passed legislation to ban books. The House then advanced legislation targeting trans students. We just debated an impeachment resolution.
“Now, the House is considering a proposal that would encourage taking away funding from schools whose facilities are used to temporarily house refugees and immigrants.
“Schools are routinely used to temporarily house people in emergencies, like hurricanes or earthquakes. So, now—I guess—they are suggesting that we check citizenship papers before we let people in.
“The resolution falsely implies that temporarily using school facilities to house immigrants leads to learning loss. But there is no evidence to support that claim.
“Addressing learning loss and helping students make up for lost time in the classroom is what we did last year—without a Republican vote—when we made historic investments in the American Rescue Plan to help schools make up for lost time by funding afterschool, summer, mentorship programs, and other initiatives to actually make up for lost time.
“But we cannot continue to meaningfully address learning loss or meet students’ mental health needs if all we are talking about is taking away federal funds from schools.
“Moreover, any conversation about school safety that does not meaningfully address gun violence is not a serious conversation.
“This is a haphazard proposal and another distraction. Since it is a nonbinding resolution, it doesn’t actually do anything the supporters of the resolution say needs to be done. It does nothing to improve immigration policy. It doesn’t even stop the use of schools to house immigrants. It’s a non-binding resolution.
“If my colleagues are serious about addressing learning loss, we should be talking about evidence-based strategies that meet the needs of our students. There’s nothing in the resolution that addresses learning loss or mental health.
“And, if my colleagues are serious about school safety, we should be confronting what is actually killing them. Parents, teachers, and students are demanding that we take up meaningful legislation to address gun violence. There is nothing in the resolution to address gun violence.
“So, I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose H.Res. 461, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
Read more about the impact of H.Res. 461 here.
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