Press Releases
Committee Republicans Vote (Again) to Undermine Affordable Care Act and Fuel Culture Wars in Schools
06.13.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced two bills—H.R. 824 and H.R. 3941—that would undermine access to affordable and high-quality health care coverage and further politicize education by threatening badly-needed funding for schools and colleges. “I am disappointed that, yet again, we’ve decided to take up two bills that do nothing to support students or improve access to affordable, quality health care for workers and families,” said Ranking Member Scott. “Our constituents are coun… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Legislation to Undermine Affordable Care Act and Fuel Culture Wars
06.13.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 824 and H.R. 3941. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx. “I am disappointed that, yet again, we’ve decided to take up two bills that do nothing to support students or improve access to affordable, quality health care for workers and families. “In fact, so far this Congress, Committee Republicans’ priorities for K-12 education have focused entirely on culture wars. Leg… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing with HHS Secretary Becerra
06.13.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Health and Human Services” with Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Secretary Becerra, good morning and thank you for being with us today. It is always a pleasure to welcome you back to the Committee. “You are familiar with this room. You and I began our congressional careers in this room 30 years ago, and i… Continue Reading
Committee Leaders Ask Republicans to Put Actions Behind Their Words and Hold Hearing on Child Labor Violations
06.08.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) sent a letter urging Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) to hold a hearing on the rise of child labor violations and legislative proposals to address abusive child labor. Nearly 85 years after the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), recent, high-profile news reports have underscored that children are continuing to be illegally employed in dangerous jobs a… Continue Reading
Scott Opening Statement at Hearing with DOL Acting Secretary Su
06.07.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Labor” with Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “Acting Secretary Su, good morning and thank you for being with us. “You’re here with us now and we have had problems getting previous administration officials to the committee but thank you for being with us today. “We have an opportunity to discuss t… Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Vote to Undermine Health Care Protections, Fuel Culture Wars, and Make School Meals Unhealthy
06.06.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced four bills that would further politicize our classrooms, undermine essential health care coverage protections, and make school meals unhealthy. “Ultimately, these four bills fall short of our promise to protect students, strengthen child nutrition, and ensure access to affordable, quality health coverage,” said Ranking Member Scott. “If we are serious about fulfilling our promise of helping students, we can work together to end gun violence in… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement at GOP Markup of Bills to Undermine Health Care, Fuel Culture Wars, and Make School Meals Unhealthy
06.06.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.Res. 461, H.R. 1147, H.R. 2868, and H.R. 2813. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx, and good morning. “I had hoped that we would be able to start this Congress by passing bipartisan priorities that support the American people. But, regrettably, today, Committee Republicans are calling up another set of bills that neglect our responsibilities to students, workers, and fa… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on May Jobs Report
06.02.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 339,000 jobs in May, as the unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 3.4 percent to 3.7 percent. Since taking office, President Biden has created 13.1 million jobs, which is more jobs created in 28 months than any previous President has created in a single term. “Under President Biden our economy continues to thrive, despite Congress… Continue Reading
Extreme MAGA Republicans Vote to Deny Debt Relief for More Than 20.6 Million of Their Own Constituents
05.24.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House Republicans advanced H.J. Res. 45, which would deny student debt relief for43 million student loan borrowers debt relief, including more than 20.6 million of their own constituents. The resolution could also create chaos for student loan borrowers by potentially forcing them to repay the last four months’ worth of student loan payments. This would trigger a wave of delinquencies and defaults for our most vulnerable borrowers. View Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Introduce Bill to Protect Older Job Applicants
05.19.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, reintroduced the bipartisan Protect Older Job Applicants (POJA) Act. The POJA Act protects older job applicants from employment discrimination at the application phase. This year, the POJA Act is co-led by Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29), Congresswoman Maria Salazar (FL-27), and Congressman Jay Obernolte (CA-33). Age discriminatory hiring practices are widespread. Derogatory ster… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott, Rep. Beyer Reintroduce Legislation to Protect Students from Dangerous Seclusion and Restraint Practices
05.18.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03) and Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08)—alongside Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Patty Murray (D-WA)—reintroduced the Keeping All Students Safe Act, legislation to protect students from dangerous seclusion and restraint discipline practices in school. The Keeping All Students Safe Act would make it illegal for any school receivin… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Labor Leaders Introduce New and Improved Family Act in Fight for Universal Paid Leave
05.17.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced an updated version of their signature legislation to create a permanent, national paid family and medical leave program, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act. The FAMILY Act would ensure that every worker, no matter the size of their employer or if they are self-employed or part-time, has access to paid leave for every serious medical event, every time it’s needed. Paid medical… Continue Reading
On Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, Education Leaders Introduce Key Bills to Address School Segregation, Ensure Equal Access to Education
05.17.23 WASHINGTON - Today, on the 69th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler (NY-12), and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) reintroduced two key pieces of legislation to help achieve equal education in America. The Strength in Diversity Act, introduced with Congresswoman Jayapal, and the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act, introduced with Ranking Member Na… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing with ED Secretary Cardona
05.16.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education” with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx. Before I begin, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge that tomorrow is the 69thanniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. In the decision, the Chief Justice wrote: ‘In the field of public education,… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Ranking Member Scott Hosted a Briefing on the Implications of “Students for Fair Admissions, Inc.” SCOTUS Case
05.15.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, hosted a briefing with experts on the implications of the Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College. Last fall, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments challenging the longstanding precedent that colleges and universities may consider race as one of many factors in their admissions process. The decisions the Court will issue sometime over the next t… Continue Reading
Republicans Vote to Deny Relief for 43 Million Student Loan Borrowers
05.10.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced H.J.Res. 45, which would deny student debt relief for 43 million student loan borrowers debt relief, including more than two million of their own constituents. The resolution could also create chaos for student loan borrowers by potentially forcing them to repay the last four months’ worth of student loan payments. This would trigger a wave of delinquencies and defaults for our most vulnerable borrowers. “Instead of addressing the many challeng… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Opening Statement at Markup of Resolution to Eliminate President Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan
05.10.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.J.Res. 45, a Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval that would eliminate President Biden’s student debt relief plan. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx, and good morning. “There are many challenges we have in higher education that demand our attention. For example, students and families face a student debt crisis thanks to the rising cost to attend college a… Continue Reading
Ranking Members Scott, Bonamici Praise Biden Push to Expand Free Access to School Meals
05.09.23 WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) wrote to the Department of Agriculture in support of its proposal to expand children’s access to free school meals by strengthening the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). “We commend the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA or the Department) for its efforts to ensure that students in hi… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on April Jobs Report
05.05.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 253,000 jobs in April, as the unemployment rate ticked down from 3.5 percent to 3.4 percent. Since taking office, President Biden has created 12.7 million jobs. “Our economy remains historically strong under President Biden. The unemployment rate is still near record low levels, our job market is continuing to grow, and workers are se… Continue Reading
What They’re Saying: Child Care for Working Families Act Will Tackle Crisis Head-On & Make Affordable Child Care a Reality for Millions
04.28.23 WASHINGTON - On Thursday, Representative Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, reintroduced their Child Care for Working Families Act—comprehensive legislation to tackle the child care crisis and ensure families across America can find and afford the high-quality child care they need. The legislation—led by Representatives Scott, Wild, and 43 addition… Continue Reading