Press Releases
Ranking Member Scott Questions Timing of Republican’s Subpoena to Governor Walz
09.04.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (NC-05) issued a subpoena to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. “The timing of the Republican’s subpoena to Governor Walz is weird.” BACKGROUND: Starting in 2021, the Biden-Harris Department of Justice investigated, charged, and convicted individuals involved in the Feeding our Future fraud scheme. Here is a brief timeline of Con… Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Report Underscores the Importance of Supporting English Learners and Charting the Path Forward
08.30.24 WASHINGTON - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on the academic achievement of English learners in public schools. The report was requested by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). The report sheds light on the diverse challenges and opportunities facing these students, who speak over 400 languages and come from a wide array of cultural and socioeconomic backgrou… Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Highlights Risk of “Conflicts of Interest” to Retirement Savers
08.28.24 WASHINGTON - Today a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) further exposes how common “conflicts of interest” are when financial professionals offer investment advice to workers on investing their hard-earned retirement savings. The report was requested by Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Pre… Continue Reading
House Education Leaders Applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for Expanding Summer Meal Programs to Children
08.28.24 WASHINGTON - House education leaders applauded the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Vilsack for the Biden-Harris Administration’s proposed rule on implementation of the new Summer-EBT program, including a streamlined certification process to ease burden for both states and families. The letter was sent by House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Su… Continue Reading
Scott Supports ED’s New Proposal for Stronger Protections for Students
08.23.24 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) voiced support for the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) proposed regulations regarding distance education, return of Title IV funds, and federal TRIO programs. In a letter to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Ranking Member Scott praised ED’s efforts, including their effort to ensure that online education programs deliver quality instruction and help protect students from predatory practices… Continue Reading
As Students Return to Campus, Ranking Member Scott Urges Schools to Share Plans to Foster Safe, Welcoming Campuses
08.23.24 WASHINGTON - Today, in an open letter to schools, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) urged campus leaders to ensure that they are equipped to create safe and healthy learning environments for students and faculty ahead of the upcoming academic year. The letter comes nearly a year after many college campuses became the site of intense protests and heightened antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents. Following these incidents, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (O… Continue Reading
House Leaders Seek Information on DOL Efforts to Protect Workers from Self-Dealing by Health Plan Service Providers
08.20.24 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier wrote to the Department of Labor (DOL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Assistant Secretary Lisa M. Gomez regarding recent reports of opaque and self-dealing compensation practices by service providers of employer-sponsored health plans. As revealed in a recent New York Times inves… Continue Reading
Labor Leaders Demands Probe into Allegations about ‘Improper’ OSHA Investigations and Misuse of OSHA Funds
08.20.24 WASHINGTON - Today, House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protection Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma S. Adams (NC-12) called on Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su to address troubling allegations involving the misuse of federal funds and improper advance notice of workplace safety inspections by state agencies. The Ranking Members expressed concern over disturbing reports that suggest some state OSHA agencies might be ‘tippi… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on July Jobs Report
08.02.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 114,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3 from 4.1 percent. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the economy has added 15.8 million jobs. “In the past four years, Congressional Democrats and the Biden-Harris Administration have worked together to prioritize workers and their families and rebuild the economy from t… Continue Reading
House Labor Leaders Introduces New Bill to Protect Workers and Level the Playing Field
07.26.24 WASHINGTON - Today, House labor leaders introduced the Labor Enforcement to Securely (LET’S) Protect Workers Act(H.R. 9137). The LET’S Protect Workers Act is a transformative legislative bill aimed at bolstering protections for America’s workers and ensuring accountability for employers who flout labor and employment laws. In April, Ranking Member Scott released a damning report entitled, “A Slap on the Wrist: How It Pays for Unscrupulous Employers to Take Advantage of Workers" which illustrat… Continue Reading
*NEW* Watchdog Report: College Students Experiencing Hunger Face Barriers Accessing SNAP Benefits
07.25.24 WASHINGTON - The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on how many college students experiencing hunger apply for and receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The GAO found that an estimated 23 percent of college students experienced food insecurity in 2020. And, of those food insecure students, a majority reported multiple instances of eating less, or skipping a meal because they could not afford enough food. The GAO estimated that fewer than tw… Continue Reading
House Labor Leaders Request DOL Investigation Amid Resurgence of Child Labor Violations
07.18.24 WASHINGTON -Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Workforce Protections Subcommittee Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) requested the Department of Labor (DOL) examine potential risks of child labor and occupational safety and health violations in youth workforce programs. Specifically, the Members raise concerns about incidents in programs authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Authorization Act (WIOA), and the school-based Work Experience and Career Explorations Programs (WE… Continue Reading
ICYMI: 42 Percent of Working Single Parents in the U.S. Earn Less than $17 an hour, New Oxfam Study Shows
07.11.24 WASHINGTON -Oxfam, the global organization fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice, released new research on the low wage workforce in the United States, finding that 23 percent of U.S. workers currently earn low wages (less than $17 an hour), with the data revealing even deeper disparities along lines of race and gender. Working single parents bear a particular burden in the crisis of low wages, with a shocking 42 percent earning less than $17 an hour, compared to only 12 percent of p… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Bonamici Leads Opposition Against Extreme Republicans’ Attack on Title IX
07.11.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici lead House Democrats opposition to H.J. Res 165 Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance” Watch Ranking Member Bonamici’s floor remarks on YouTube. “Thank you, Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I might consume. … Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Vote to Undermine FAFSA and Jeopardize Retirees’ Savings
07.10.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce Republicans passed bills to: (1) undermine the Department of Education’s ability to roll out an accurate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and (2) repeal the Biden-Harris’ Administration’s commonsense Retirement Security Rule. “Once again, we’re missing an opportunity to actually advance meaningful solutions that will uplift students, workers, and their families,” said Ranking Member Scott. H.R. 8932 would as… Continue Reading
What People Are *Actually* Saying About Extreme Republicans’ Attack on Young Women, Girls, LGBTQIA+ Students, and Sexual Assault Survivors
07.10.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives will consider, H.J. Res. 165, extreme legislation that further stokes culture wars in public education, undermines protections for young women and girls, and perpetuates more attacks on vulnerable LGBTQIA+ youth. Here is what advocates and experts are saying: American Civil Liberties Union: “The ACLU urges a NO vote on H.J. Res. 165, ‘Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Bills to Undermine FAFSA and Jeopardize Retirees’ Savings
07.10.24 *Amendments and letters of opposition for today’s markup can be found here.* WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 8932, H.R. 294, H.R. 6319, H.R. 2574, H.J. Res. 142 “Thank you, Madam Chair. “Madam Chair, once again, we’re missing an opportunity to actually advance meaningful solutions that will uplift students, workers, and their families. “The first proposal we will consider is H.R.… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on June Jobs Report
07.05.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 206,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 4.0 to 4.1 percent. The economy, under President Biden, has created the most jobs in a single presidential term. The previous record was under President Clinton, at 11.6 million jobs. In stark contrast, Trump presided over the worst labor market in modern U.S. hist… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Biden Administration for Protecting Workers from Extreme Heat
07.02.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed rule aimed at mitigating health risks associated with heat exposure for America’s workers, both indoors and outdoors. This initiative underscores the Biden Administration's commitment to prioritizing worker protections amidst escalating concerns over rising temperatures across the country, and States’ attempts to eliminate lifesaving protections. “… Continue Reading
ICYMI: On One Year Anniversary of SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision, Ranking Member Scott Sets the Record Straight
06.28.24 WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) hosted a briefing with Attorney Marc Minor, Vice Chair of Racial & Ethnic Diversity for his firm’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative, to set the record straight on the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC, and the implications on areas outside of higher education. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s remarks on YouTube. Ran… Continue Reading