Press Releases
ICYMI: Following Unprecedented Data Breach, Ranking Member Scott Calls on Government Watchdog to Expand Investigation into DOGE Activities at the NLRB
04.17.25 WASHINGTON - Following concerning reports of Elon Musk’s DOGE gaining unchecked access to sensitive information, possibly including workers’ personal information, and potentially exposing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) data systems to foreign actors, House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter requesting the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to expand its investigation of DOGE’s obscure activities at the NLRB. “In light o… Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Reports College Students Still Struggle to Access Health Coverage
04.17.25 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) unveiled a new report examining how some students continue to struggle to receive adequate health care coverage, although there has been progress made because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In 2022, over 19 million students were enrolled in nearly 3,900 colleges around the United States. As the cost of living and the cost of college both continue to skyrocket, many college students cannot access quality health care. Although th… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Trump Directive to Pull Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status
04.16.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce released the following statement after reports that the Trump Administration asked the Internal Revenue Service to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status. “With history as our guide, the President cannot weaponize the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against his political enemies. I have not seen any evidence that Harvard has broken the law and is deserving of having their tax-exempt st… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Demands RFK Jr. to Reinstate Staff who Set Federal Poverty Guidelines
04.16.25 WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) expressed grave concern to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., following the Trump Administration’s decision to eliminate the entire staff of the team within the Office of the Assistance Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) who set federal poverty guidelines. Poverty guidelines help to establish eligibility criteria for a wide-ranging number of federal prog… Continue Reading
Students’ Access to SNAP Must be Improved with Increased Outreach Efforts from ED and USDA
04.11.25 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on how many college students experiencing hunger are still not accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In the FAFSA Simplification Act, Congress directed the Department of Education (ED) to leverage FAFSA data to reduce college student food insecurity. As part of the implementation of this law, the Biden Administration set up an agreement that allows ED to share data with the Depar… Continue Reading
Congressional Democrats Fight Back Against Trump’s Attacks on Independent Worker Protection Agencies
04.10.25 WASHINGTON -House and Senate Democratic Leadership filed an amicus brief opposing President Donald Trump’s unlawful attempts to fire members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The individuals cited in this matter were duly appointed, congressionally confirmed board members at independent federal agencies. Illegal attempts to terminate them threaten the integrity of these institutions and their ability to protect American workers and uphold… Continue Reading
Rep. Courtney, DeSaulnier Reintroduce Legislation to Institute Major Reforms to Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Following Attacks from Trump Administration
04.10.25 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), a senior member of the Education and Workforce Committee and Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee, reintroduced new legislation to institute major reforms to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. In 2007, President George W. Bush enacted the law creating PSLF to attract more Americans to careers like teaching, public health, and law enforcement by providin… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott's Opening Statement on Bill Demanding Transparency and Accountability for Trump Dismantling ED
04.09.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H. Res. 237 and H.R. 2616, 2617, 2262, and 2270. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today, we will consider five bills that could impact millions of American students, workers, and families: three education bills, two of which will continue to wage Republican culture wars in our classrooms, and two labor bills that incentivize people to work more to get paid less. … Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Raise Minimum Wage
04.08.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, introduced the Raise the Wage Act of 2025. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the Raise the Wage Act would gradually raise the minimum wage to $17 by 2030 and give roughly 22 million Americans a long-overdue raise. After more than fifteen years with no increase in the fede… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Demand Answers After DOGE Fires Thousands of HHS Workers and Erodes Critical Programs
04.08.25 WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) demanded answers from Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after the Department fired thousands of full-time employees and threatened the future of critical programs that Americans rely upon. Committee Democrats also joined Ranking Member Scott’s request of Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (MI-05), to hold an oversight hearing of the Administration’s action t… Continue Reading
Education Leaders Demand Answers on Trump’s Attempts to Dismantle Museum and Library Services
04.07.25 WASHINGTON - House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma S. Adams (NC-12) are demanding answers from Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) Acting Chair Keith Sonderling following President Trump’s executive order to unilaterally eliminate the agency. “We write seeking document and information from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS) about its resp… Continue Reading
Congressional Democrats Demand McMahon Reverse Abrupt Policy Change Halting Funding for Schools Nationwide
04.07.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriatio… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on March Jobs Report
04.04.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 228,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate rose from 4.1 percent to 4.2 percent. During President Biden’s first two months in office, the economy created 1.3 million jobs, so far Trump has created 345,000. Over the course of President Biden's term, seasonally adjusted job creation averaged 336,000. Under President Biden, the ec… Continue Reading
Scott and Kaine to Introduce Bill to Protect Miners’ Safety
04.03.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will introduce the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act of 2025. This bill coincides with the 15th anniversary of the Upper Big Branch (UBB) Mine Disaster, reflecting lessons learned from the deadly explosion on April 5, 2010, that killed 29 miners. The bill improves mine … Continue Reading
Ranking Member DeSaulnier Opening Remarks at Subcommittee Hearing on Employer-Sponsored Health Care
04.02.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) delivered the following opening statement at the Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee hearing entitled, “A Healthy Workforce: Expanding Access and Affordability in Employer-Sponsored Health Care.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you for having this hearing. “As you know, as soon as we both knew we were going to have these assignments again, I reached out and we had a wonderful conversation. As two former small busi… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Hosts Event with Civil Rights Leaders on How to Fight the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Americans
04.01.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) hosted a forum with civil rights leaders to discuss how they are fighting the Trump Administration’s systematic attacks on students, workers, and families. This follows weeks of reckless and illegal activity by the Trump Administration to eliminate the Department of Education, fire EEOC commissioners, and strip Americans of their basic civil rights. Watch the full forum on YouTube. “Thank you for being here today and thank y… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Bonamici Opening Remarks at Subcommittee Hearing on AI in K-12 Education
04.01.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Early Childhood and Secondary Education Subcommittee hearing entitled, “From Chalkboards to Chatbots: The Impact of AI on K-12 Education. “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses for being here today. “ I am encouraged that all of the witnesses submitted testimony that recognizes the opportunities and challenges of Artificial Intelligence in K-12 education. “We are at a p… Continue Reading
Rep. Courtney Leads Bipartisan Lawmakers in Curbing Violence Against Health Care and Social Service Workers
04.01.25 WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), a senior member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, re-introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to curb the rising rates of workplace violence facing health care and social service workers, including nurses, emergency responders, medical assistants, physicians, and social workers. Health care and social … Continue Reading
Scott, Connolly Statement on Trump Destroying Union Rights
03.28.25 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, and Congressman Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement on President Trump’s union busting Executive Order: “This executive order is another example of the Trump-Musk Administration’s war on working people. These two billionaires busted unions in their day jobs and now they’re bringing these same … Continue Reading
Scott, Nadler, Murray, Stansbury and Leger Fernández Condemn Unlawful Dismissal of EEOC Commissioners, Demand Immediate Reinstatement
03.27.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education & Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), and Democratic Women’s Caucus Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) led 236 colleagues in a letter to President Donald Trump in response to his unprecedented and unlawful dismissal of Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels. “We… Continue Reading