Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Aim Higher
Murray, DeLauro, Scott Urge Secretary DeVos to Reverse Course and Enforce Student Protections Against High-Debt Career Training Programs
07.27.17 (Washington, D.C.) - Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), ranking member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee and 56 Members of Congress sent a letter today urging Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to reverse the U.S. Department of Edu… Continue Reading
Scott: Defrauded Students Deserve Their Day In Court
07.25.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives during debate on H.J. Res. 111, which would repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule that bans forced arbitration which protects consumers, many of whom are private student loan borrowers: "Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.J. Res. 111 which will overturn the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rule prohibiting forced arbitration clauses in many… Continue Reading
More Than 120 House Democrats Slam Proposed Cuts to Pell Grant Program
07.19.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) and 121 House Democrats sent a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations expressing extreme disappointment in the proposed cuts to the Pell Grant Program in the FY18 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) funding bill. "This proposed cut imperils the affordability of college for low-income students both now and in the future," the Members wrote. "The Committee on Education and the Workforce is poised to consider a comprehensi… Continue Reading
Bonamici, Harris Call on Education Department to Help Struggling Student Loan Borrowers
07.14.17 WASHINGTON, DC [07/14/17] - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), and 42 members of Congress urged the Department of Education to strengthen services for people who have defaulted on their student loans. The letter follows a federal court's injunction barring the Department of Education from assigning newly defaulted student loans to private collection agencies, which give borrowers options for curing their default. The lawmakers asked the Secretary of Education to… Continue Reading
Democrats Unveil Legislation to Expand Access to Higher Ed for Students With Disabilities
07.12.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Representative Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11) joined Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development Ranking Member Susan Davis (CA-53), Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD-05), and Representatives James Langevin (RI-02) and Jared Huffman (CA-02) to introduce the Improving Access to Higher Education Act. This bill would amend the Higher Education Act (HEA) to improve college access and completion for students with disabilities. This legisla… Continue Reading
Members of Congress to Secretary DeVos: Stand Up for Students and Families, Reverse Delay of Protections for Defrauded Students
06.30.17 (Washington, D.C.) –Led by Representatives Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Susan Davis (D-CA), and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Dick Durbin (D-IL), 48 Members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos slamming her recent decision to delay the “borrower defense” rule that would provide defrauded students with debt relief and hold predatory institutions accountable… Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Career and Technical Education
06.22.17 WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives passed the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act by voice vote. This bipartisan legislation will strengthen and improve career and technical education (CTE). Thanks to legislative improvements to increase program accountability, including increased federal oversight and monitoring, the bill passed today is an improvement over the bill passed by the House in the 114th Congress. "Each and every student should have ac… Continue Reading
Democrats Unveil Legislation to Boost College Completion
06.20.17 WASHINGTON - TODAY, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the ranking member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, joined Reps. Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Grace Meng (NY-06) and other House Democrats in introducing the Remedial Education Improvement Act and the Community College Student Success Act. These two bills will help ensure students complete their higher education … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s Apprenticeship Initiative
06.15.17 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump signed an executive order that would eliminate oversight of apprenticeship programs: "Today's executive order from the Trump Administration is further evidence of broad bipartisan support for expanding access to apprenticeship programs. Registered apprenticeship programs offer on-the-job training and skills development that results in a nationally-recognize… Continue Reading
Bonamici Condemns Education Department’s Decision to Reverse Student Loan Borrower Protections
06.15.17 WASHINGTON, DC [06/15/17] - Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, Vice Ranking Member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement after the Department of Education suspended protections for student loan borrowers: "Secretary DeVos's decision to dismantle protections for students and taxpayers is deeply troubling. The Department of Education's Borrower Defense to Repayment and Gainful Employment regulations were put in place to prevent students from being misled … Continue Reading
Scott, Bonamici, Murray, Warren Urge Secretary DeVos to Protect Students, Reverse Student Loan Decisions
06.12.17 (Washington, D.C.) - Led by Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), and Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), over 150 Members of Congress sent a letter today to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos highlighting concerns surrounding the U.S. Department of Education's decision to make changes to the student loan servicing contract procurement process and remove key requirements that were intended to support and protect student loan borrowers and help them repay their … Continue Reading
Democrats Introduce New Legislation to Improve Access to College, Make College More Affordable
06.08.17 WASHINGTON- TODAY, Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and Susan Davis (CA-53), ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, joined Reps. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) and Dan Kildee (MI-05) to introduce the Jumpstart on College Act. Reps. Scott and Davis also joined Rep. Jared Polis (CO-02), ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education, to introduce the … Continue Reading
Subcommittee Members See Need for Better Data in Higher Education
05.24.17 WASHINGTON - Today the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing entitled "Empowering Students and Families to Make Informed Decisions on Higher Education." Through witness questioning and testimony, it became clear that students, institutions, and policymakers need better information about how students are faring in our higher education system. Improvements to the postsecondary data infrastructure must provide information in ways that better serve students while … Continue Reading
Scott Statement on President Trump’s FY18 Budget
05.23.17 WASHINGTON – Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the White House released its Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal that cuts $9 billion from the Department of Education, slashes funding for the Department of Labor by 20 percent, and diminishes the Department of Health and Human Services’ ability to deliver early learning programs and health care for the American people. “A budget is a reflectio… Continue Reading
Blunt Rochester Statement on Trump’s Budget
05.23.17 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL), a member of both the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Agriculture, issued the following statement on the proposed budget from President Trump: "While President Trump's proposed budget should reflect our values, strengthen our economy and improve our quality of life, it, unfortunately, serves only to undermine and weaken the future of working families. Slashing funding for education and agriculture programs is an … Continue Reading
Davis, Scott, Hirono, Murray Introduce Major Legislation to Secure Pell Grant Program and Make College More Affordable for Low-Income Students
05.16.17 WASHINGTON, D.C.- Representatives Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va), and Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) introduced the Pell Grant Preservation & Expansion Act today that will expand and permanently safeguard the Pell Grant program, helping millions of low-income students offset the rising costs of college. The bill would improve the purchasing power of Pell Grants, permanently index the maximum grant to inflation, shift the Pell Grant program to fu… Continue Reading
House Democrats Launch Higher Education Campaign
05.15.17 WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the Education and the Workforce Committee, and Congresswoman Susan Davis (CA-53), the Ranking Member of the Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee, launched "Aim Higher," a campaign where House Democrats will put forth bold policy solutions to make higher education work for all students. "For most Americans, education after high school is a necessity, not simply a desire," said Ranking Member Scott. "It … Continue Reading
Scott: HBCUs Are Constitutional
05.08.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump suggested financing for Historically Black Colleges and Universities may be unconstitutional: "The President issued a signing statement calling into question the constitutional status of federally-designated Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and the programs that serve them. While he has since issued another statement attempting to clarify his support for HBCUs, there has been… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Omnibus
05.03.17 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the passage (309-118) of fiscal year 2017 omnibus legislation, H.R. 244 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017: “Budgeting requires making tough choices, and a budget is a reflection of priorities. Today’s spending agreement prevents the government from shutting down and limits harmful efforts to balance the budget on the backs of students, working families, and vulnerable communities across the nation. “As l… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats: Accreditation Systems Must Promote Innovation, High Quality Programs
04.27.17 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on accreditation systems and how they can be improved to better protect students and taxpayers. The accreditation system is responsible for ensuring America's students are investing in a high-quality education. "While the federal government and state authorizers both have important roles to play in assuring quality, accrediting bodies are the true arbiters of quality in our higher education system," stated… Continue Reading