Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
ICYMI: Ranking Member Scott Addresses Funding Disparities at 1890 Land Grant Universities
11.21.23 WASHINGTON - Last week, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) hosted a briefing with experts on the state of funding for 1890 land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which remains inequitable largely due to state underfunding, and the impact these institutions have on Black students and agriculture advancements. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s remarks on YouTube. Ranking Member Scott delivered the following remarks during the briefing: “The first Morrill Act o… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing on Antisemitism on College Campuses
11.14.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing on antisemitism on college campuses. “It has been over a month since Hamas’ terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Israel and the start of a brutal, ongoing war in Gaza. This conflict has directly devastated thousands of people—Israelis and Palestinians alike and countless families and friends across the world and in… Continue Reading
Committee GOP Advances Bill to Jeopardize Global Research Partnerships
11.08.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced legislation that fails to meaningfully prevent undue foreign influence and intellectual property theft at colleges and universities while jeopardizing critical global research partnerships. H.R. 5933, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act, adds new and onerous reporting requirements under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act that will make it harder for colleges and u… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Bill to Jeopardize Global Research Partnerships
11.08.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 5933, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx. “This bill, as I understand it, affects gifts to institutions of higher education and their employees, so I’ll focus my remarks on the legislation. “Global partnerships among academic institutions play a critical… Continue Reading
Scott, Leger Fernández, Baldwin, Dean Introduce Legislation to Lower Cost of Community College
10.19.23 WASHINGTON - House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-03), Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA-04) introduced legislation in both the House and Senate chambers to make community college and two-year Tribal Colleges and Universities more accessible by waiving tuition fees for eligible students. “Community colleges play a unique and vital role in providing students a… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing on Race-Conscious College Admissions Policies
09.28.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing on race-conscious college admissions policies. “Thank you, Chairman Owens, and thank you to our witnesses for your testimony today. “Our nation still has a compelling interest in fostering racially diverse campuses, and the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Harvard and UNC cases does not change that. “In fact, it was the S… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Biden for Protecting Students, Taxpayers from Low-Quality Education Programs
09.28.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Scott issued the following statement after the Biden Administration announced a final rule that will help hold career programs that receive federal financial aid accountable for ensuring their graduates can secure gainful employment after completing a degree. “The Gainful Employment rule is a critical tool to address low-quality career programs that frequently leave graduates with crushing debt and no meaningful career prospects. That is why I voiced strong oppositi… Continue Reading
As Student Loan Payments Resume, Ranking Member Scott Highlights Education Department Resources, Reforms to Support Borrowers
09.06.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Scott applauded the Department of Education (ED) for its work to support student loan borrowers as student loan payments and interest accrual resume for the first time in just over three years. “With the return to student loan repayment underway, student loan borrowers and their families may be worried about their economic security. Thankfully, the Biden-Harris administration is here to help with resources and reforms that will facilitate a smoother transitio… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Biden Administration’s Guidance on Race in Admissions
08.14.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education and Department of Justice released joint guidance on race in admissions. “Admissions practices that narrowly tailored the use of race as one of many factors in evaluating prospective students were key to fostering diversity in higher education. Such admissions policies not only supported historically underserved students, but research confirmed that diverse campuses a… Continue Reading
Following SCOTUS Affirmative Action Decision, Ranking Member Scott Urges ED to Protect Racial Equity in Education
08.01.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter urging the Department of Education (ED) to take steps to protect the civil rights of students following the Supreme Court’s ruling in the cases of Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC. Despite decades of repeatedly finding that race-conscious admissions policies are consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on SCOTUS Striking Down Biden’s Student Loan Program
06.30.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in Department of Education v. Brown and Biden v. Nebraska to strike down President Biden’s student loan program. Under the program, 90 percent of the benefits would have gone to borrowers making less than $75,000 a year. “A college education should not depend on how much money a student’s parents make. In fact, when President Johnson signed the Higher Education Act … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on SCOTUS Ruling on Affirmative Action
06.29.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in the cases of Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC. “The Supreme Court has long held that our nation has a compelling interest in fostering racially diverse campuses. Holistic college admissions practices that narrowly tailor the use of race as one of many factors in evaluating prospective stud… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Sends Letter in Support of Biden Proposal to Protect Students, Taxpayers from Low-Quality Education Programs
06.21.23 WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) commended the Biden administration for its proposed rule to hold career programs that receive federal financial aid accountable for ensuring their graduates can secure gainful employment after completing a degree. “Two fundamental principles drive these proposed rules: protecting students and taxpayers and holding institutions accountable,” Ranking Member Scott wrote. “The Department’s proposed rule makes great strides to pr… 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
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 Member Opening Statement at Campus Free Speech Hearing
03.29.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing. “Thank you, Chairman Owens, and good morning. “We can all agree that free speech is a constitutional right and bedrock of our democracy. And, for decades, colleges and universities have been on the front lines of protecting and advancing that right. “But the Majority is not interested in protecting all speech. Inste… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Unveils Bill to Make Training Programs More Affordable
03.10.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) unveiled legislation to make short-term training programs more affordable for adult learners and help businesses recruit highly-qualified candidates. The Jobs to Compete Act expands Pell Grant eligibility to adults in high-quality, short-term training programs. This expansion is particularly important as demand for short-term training courses has increased among adult learners and employers, and federal investment in workforce … Continue Reading