Press Releases
Statement by Congressman George Miller (D-CA) on today’s mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut
12.13.12 CONCORD, CA - Rep. George Miller (D-CA) made the following statement on today's mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut: "Today, my thoughts and prayers are with the parents, families and school employees dealing with the horrific loss of life in Newtown, Connecticut. I join all Americans in grieving for this community suffering from this incomprehensible tragedy. "Today is for sorrow and prayers. But the days ahead are for serious reflection about how we can reduce the flow of guns into the w… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Michigan's Proposed Right-to-Work Law
12.09.12 WASHINGTON -- Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued that following statement today on the expected passage of so-called "right-to-work" legislation in Michigan. Gov. Rick Synder testified before the committee in February 2012 saying that the proposal was divisive and not on his agenda for 2012. "Governor Snyder was correct when he testified before my committee in February that so-called right-to-work legislation w… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
12.06.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement expressing disappointment in the Senate’s failure to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities treaty, an international agreement for protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. “I am extremely disheartened that the Senate failed to ratify a treaty that would confirm our nation’s leadership in ensuring the r… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on Reelection as the Senior Democratic Member of the Education and Workforce Committee
12.05.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) issued the following statement today after being reelected as the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee. "I would like to thank the Democratic caucus' continued support for me as the senior Democratic member of the Education and the Workforce Committee. In the upcoming Congress, our committee must address a number of critical challenges facing the middle class and those families struggling to join it. How elec… Continue Reading
Miller Requests Cooperation from Private Student Loan Lenders in Addressing Challenges Faced by Borrowers
11.29.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today wrote letters to private student loan lenders including Sallie Mae, Inc., Wells Fargo, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency and Citi Bank, seeking information on their lending practices and their "cooperation in addressing increasing difficulties confronting private student loan customers who struggle to find work and repay their student loans." A recently is… Continue Reading
GAO: Federal Workers Disabled in the Line of Duty Face Significant Cuts to Important Benefits Under Pending Proposals
11.26.12 WASHINGTON - Proposals by the Department of Labor and approved by the U.S. Senate as part of a postal reform bill (S. 1789) would reduce wage replacement benefits for work-related injuries far below what workers would have received had they been able to work a full career, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in two reports released today. These provisions include reducing workers’ compensation at retirement age from 75 percent to 50 percent of the worker’s wages, lowering benefits … Continue Reading
Jobs Report Reveals 32nd Straight Month of Private Sector Job Growth
11.02.12 WASHINGTON - Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today the United States economy added 184,000 private-sector jobs in October, marking the 32nd straight month of private-sector job growth or more than 5.4 million jobs. "Today's report shows that the nation's economy continues to head in the right direction. We are still not growing fast enough,… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Annual College Board Trends Survey
10.24.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today issued the following statement after the College Board released its annual "Trends in Higher Education Series" highlighting trends in both student aid (for the 2011-2012 school year) and college pricing (for the 2012-2013 school year). During the 2012- 2013 academic year, students at public four-year colleges and universities saw an increase of 4.8 percent in tuition a… Continue Reading
Markey, Miller Press Labor Dept. on Risky Pension Investments
10.18.12 WASHINGTON (October 18, 2012) - Continuing their recent examination of whether commodity index fund investments may run afoul of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and George Miller (D-Calif.) again wrote to the Department of Labor today expressing concern that the agency does not know the degree to which pensions plans are invested in potentially risky commodity index funds. Commodity index funds are financial products that allow customers to purc… Continue Reading
Private Student Loan Borrowers Face Roadblocks to Repayment, New CFPB Report Finds
10.16.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that private student loan borrowers face many roadblocks, runarounds and dead-ends to repayment. Since March 2012, the CFPB has received approximately 2,900 complaints on private student loans. The report found that some borrowers may be struggling to pay back th… Continue Reading
Ryan Republican Plan on Medicare Will Obliterate Americans' Retirement Savings
10.04.12 WASHINGTON - House Democrats came together on Tuesday for a Steering and Policy Committee hearing to examine how the House Ryan Republican plan for Medicare would impact seniors today and in the future. Expert witnesses and ordinary Americans at or near retirement testified that the House Republican Leadership's proposal would not only end Medicare as we know it but, in doing so, would lead to significant increases in their health expenses and devastate their retirement savings. "Here's what we… Continue Reading
Senior House Democrats Call for Closing of “Romney” IRA Tax Loophole
09.27.12 WASHINGTON—Members of Congress are calling on Congress’s tax-writing committees to close loopholes that may allow for the abuse of tax-preferred retirement accounts for tax evasion purposes. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-M.D.), ranking member of the House Budget Committee, today called upon the leadership of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee to consider efforts t… Continue Reading
Miller Requests that Department of Education Examine Graduation Rate Measures Under ESEA Flexibility Waivers
09.21.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D - Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, today sent a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan expressing concerns over some graduation rate accountability systems utilized by states under the Department of Education's (ED) ESEA flexibility. "We know the significant impact that increasing graduation rates will have on growing our economy and on the future economic security of those students who earn a diploma… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Department of Labor Grants to Community Colleges to Expand Education and Job Training
09.20.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Labor awarded nearly $500 million to community colleges across the country. As part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) initiative, these grants support job training and workforce development opportunities in fields such as manufacturing, science, transportation and te… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on Government Investigation of Fraud in Distance Learning Education
09.20.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California and the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Education announced that 21 individuals have recently been indicted for participating in federal student aid fraud schemes at 15 schools throughout California. "I thank the Department of Education's Office of the Inspector General a… Continue Reading
Rep. George Miller Statement on the NLRB Inspector General Investigative Report
09.14.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democratic member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today on the release of a National Labor Relations Board Inspector General investigative report regarding Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon. "As the Inspector General's report lays out, the NLRB Acting General Counsel made a mistake and acted in a matter in which he had a financial interest. That is unfortunate. While the report notes… Continue Reading
Miller Statement on OMB Sequester Report
09.14.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement today after the Office of Management and Budget released the Sequestration Transparency Act Report. The report highlights the urgent need to focus on a balanced approach to deficit reduction and prevent across-the-board cuts scheduled to take effect on January 2. "Today's report underscores what everyone's known for months but only some are … Continue Reading
"Today we’re dealing with a fabricated problem, driven by election year campaigns, instead of addressing real problems for American families."
09.13.12 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Below are the prepared remarks of U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for the committee markup on H.J. Res. 118. *** The committee meets today to vote on a Republican resolution to stop HHS from exercising a longstanding waiver authority. The waiver in question would permit governors to use innovative approaches to move more welfare recipients into employment. Sixty days before a national election, the m… Continue Reading
Reps. Tierney and Miller Introduce Bill to Protect Student, Taxpayer Investment in Higher Education
09.13.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Representatives John Tierney (D-Mass.) and George Miller (D-Calif.), the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, will introduce legislation today that would ensure the tuition dollars students and taxpayers invest in higher education at for-profit institutions are spent on educating students, not marketing or advertising. The College Student Rebate Act would safeguard student and taxpayer investment in for-profit institutions of higher education by … Continue Reading
Political resolution based on discredited claim just another example of GOP's failed leadership, Dem Reps. say
09.11.12 WASHINGTON - U.S. Reps. Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.), ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee, and George Miller (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statements today on Thursday's expected committees' debates and votes on a Republican bill to overturn an Obama administration proposal providing states flexibility to move more Americans from welfare to work. Experts on both sides of the aisle and independent fact checkers have conclude… Continue Reading