Press Releases
Currently showing results related to K-12 Education
Republicans ‘Close Their Eyes’ and Follow Trump as he Dismantles ED
04.09.25 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Workforce Democrats forced Committee Republicans to take a vote on the President’s plans to dismantle the Department of Education (ED). H. Res. 237 would require the President and Secretary of Education to share information with Congress regarding the Administration’s efforts to dismantle ED and its potential impact on students nationwide. In accordance with House Rules, if the Resolution of Inquiry was marked up in the Committee within fourte… 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
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
Ranking Member Scott’s Statement Following Concerning Reports of States Attempting to Avoid their Title I Obligations
03.25.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement in response to reports of Republican-led states asking the Department of Education’s Secretary, Linda McMahon to consolidate school’s federal aid into a single grant with little to no spending requirements. To see how this action is part of President Trump’s Project 2025 Agenda to benefit billionaires at the expense of workers, students, and families, read pa… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Leads Opposition to the DETERRENT Act
03.25.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott spoke in opposition to H.R. 1048, Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, which imposes unnecessary burdens on universities by requiring them to report gifts of any value from individuals in “countries of concern.” The bill risks overwhelming an already understaffed Department of Education and discriminating against international faculty. Watch Ranking Member Scott… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott's Opening Statement at Markup of Bills to Burden School Administrators and Make Students Less Healthy
02.12.25 *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. 1048, H.R. 649, H.R. 1069, H.R. 1005, and H.R. 1049. “Thank you, Chairman Walberg. Today, we are here to mark up four education bills and one nutrition-related bill. “With regard to the education bills, it is hard to overlook the glaring irony in today’s markup. My Republic… Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Pass Unfunded Mandates, Bills to Make School Meals Less Healthy, and Weaken Our International Relations
02.12.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced four education bills and one nutrition bill that would further burden the U.S. Department of Education even as they seek to dismantle the Department and endanger the future of public education. “[T]he proposals we are considering today will not actually improve students’ education and outcomes. We are considering a series of bills that only add complexity and confusion and, frankly, are solutions in search of a problem,” said Ranking Member Sc… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Executive Order to Ban Transgender Girls from Sports
02.05.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order to ban transgender girls and women from female sports. To see how this action is part of President Trump’s Project 2025 Agenda, see pages 332-334 here. “This executive order is yet another overreach by this Administration, and a clear example of government stepping in where it doesn't belong. Rather than add… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the Nation’s Report Card
01.29.25 WASHINGTON - House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the National Center for Education Statistics released the results of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Mathematics and Reading Assessments. “COVID-19 was a once-in-a-century pandemic that highlighted existing inequities in our nation’s education system. Regrettably, today’s report from the National Center for Education Statistics s… Continue Reading
Congresswoman Bonamici Leads Opposition to Republican’s “Child Predator Empower Act”
01.14.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) spoke on the House floor in opposition to H.R. 28, the Republican’s “Child Predator Empowerment Act.” This bill would not make school sports more fair or safe by banning transgender women and girls—as young as kindergarten—from participating on school sports teams with their friends. Moreover, the bill would endanger women and girls by requiring girls to “prove their gender.” Watch Congresswoman Bonamici’s floor remarks on YouTube… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Leads House Passage of Holocaust Education Bill
12.17.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott delivered the following floor remarks in support of S. 3448, the Never Again Education Reauthorization Act of 2023. This bill reauthorizes the bipartisan Never Again Education Act through 2030 and directs the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to provide educators across the country with resources and training to teach important lessons pertaining to the Holocaust. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “Thank… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Speaks On Crucial Communism Teaching Act
12.06.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” delivered the following floor remarks in opposition to H.R. 5349, the "Crucial Communism Teaching Act." This bill would provide the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation with resources to create a curriculum aimed at teaching high school students about the detrimental effects of communism, totalitarianism, and similar ideologies. Ranking Member Scott expressed concerns that the bill oversimplifies these complex issues and lacks histor… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Nomination of Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education
11.20.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President-elect Trump nominated Linda McMahon to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Education. McMahon is chair of the board of the America First Policy Institute, which advocates for school choice and the use of public funds — through vouchers and tax credits — for private educational institutions. “The vast majority of America’s students attend a public school. As such, the… Continue Reading
ICYMI: New Report Shows Investments in School Infrastructure Benefits Students, Economy and the Environment
09.25.24 WASHINGTON - Renovating school buildings will benefit students, the economy, and the environment according to a report released today by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats. Improvements including modern ventilation systems and retrofitted electric school buses are proven to have benefits for students’ school attendance, test scores, and health. U.S. school buildings are on average roughly 49 years old and 53 percent of buildings have never undergone any major renovations. Research shows th… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report on Discipline Disparities for Black Girls
09.19.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a groundbreaking report on school discipline. The report revealed that Black girls face disproportionately severe discipline compared to other girls. Moreover, they often received harsher punishments than their white peers for similar behaviors. Nationally, the disparity in exclusionary discipline rates is striking, with Black girls facing exclusionary discipline at rates three to 5.2 times higher than those of white girls. … Continue Reading
Committee Votes on Six Bills that Impact Students’ Safety and Workers’ Health Care Costs
09.11.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce marked up six bills: H.R. 5646, H.R. 7533, H.R. 736, H.J. Res. 181, H.R. 3120, and H.R. 945. “Some of the bills the Committee will take up today would take us backward by putting nonsense, unreasonable regulations, and bureaucracy in the paths of schools and government agencies and raising costs for Americans,” said Ranking Member Scott. The Stop Campus Hazing Act, H.R. 5646, would protect students from hazing on college campu… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Six Bills
09.11.24 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. 5646, H.R. 7533, H.R. 736, H.J. Res. 181, H.R. 3120, and H.R. 9457. “Thank you, Madam Chair, and good morning. “On September 11, I would like to say a brief word in remembrance of the nearly 3,000 people who tragically lost their lives 23 years ago on this day after four commer… 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
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
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