Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Oversight
Ranking Member Scott Demands Answers from HHS Secretary After Firing 10,000 Public Servants
08.05.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Education and Workforce Committee, demanded answers from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS or the Department) fired thousands of full-time employees and threatened the future of vital programs that keep Americans safe and healthy. These mass layoffs follow a July 8 Supreme Court decision which the Department asserts allows it to “move forward with a p… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Trump Firing Head of Bureau of Labor Statistics
08.01.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce released the following statement after President Trump announced the firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics has always served as a nonpartisan, data-driven federal agency that provides key information vital to the United States economy. President Trump’s firing of Commissioner Erika McEntarfer comes without evidence of any mi… Continue Reading
Congressional Harvard Alumni Caution Oversight Over Any Capitulation to the Trump Administration
08.01.25 WASHINGTON — Today, fourteen members of the House and Senate sent a letter to Harvard President, Dr. Alan M. Garber, cautioning that any settlement made with the Trump administration may warrant rigorous Congressional oversight and inquiry. Last week, Columbia University announced a $221 million settlement agreement with the Trump administration. Recent reports suggest that the parties have negotiated that Harvard make a potential $500 million payoff to resolve allegations against Harvard’s p… Continue Reading
Trump Administration to Release Remaining Withheld Education Funding Following Pressure from House Democrats
07.25.25 WASHINGTON - After illegally withholding $7 billion in education funding approved by Congress, officials within the Trump Administration have announced they will release the remaining funds. The restored funding comes after pressure initially led by Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and House Democrats. This funding is typically released annually on July 1 and is at least 10 percent of federal K-12 funding in every state. The failure to release the full funding on time disrupted s… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on DOJ and ED Investigations into George Mason University
07.22.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division andEducation Department's Office for Civil Rights opened investigations into George Mason University to determine whether it is engaged in discriminatory employment practices based on race and sex. Additionally, the Justice Department announced an investigation into whether the University has denied equal t… Continue Reading
House & Senate Education Leaders Statement on Trump Admin Illegally Moving Department of Education Programs to DOL as Part of Its Efforts to Dismantle the Department
07.16.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce; Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), House Appropriations Committee and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee; Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Appropriations Committee; Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP); and Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on L… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on SCOTUS Greenlighting the Mass Firing of Education Department Employees
07.15.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, issued the following statement after the Supreme Court granted the Trump Administration’s request to temporarily pause an order by a federal judge in Massachusetts that would require the Department of Education to reinstate nearly 1,400 employees. “Once again, this Supreme Court has, without explanation, undermined our Constitution and the separation of powers. As Justice Sotomayor rightly … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing on Antisemitism
07.15.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott delivered the following remarks at today’s full committee hearing entitled “Antisemitism in Higher Education: Examining the Role of Faculty, Funding, and Ideology.” “Thank you, our witnesses, for being with us today. “Let me begin by acknowledging the seriousness of today’s hearing topic. Combating antisemitism, like all forms of hatred and bigotry, must be a moral and civic priority. But I would be remiss if I did not point out that this … Continue Reading
House Democrats Demand Trump Administration Release $7 Billion in Illegally Withheld Education Funding
07.11.25 WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative Lucy McBath (GA-06) led 150 House Democrats in pressuring the Trump Administration to release almost $7 billion in illegally withheld, Congressionally-appropriated federal funding meant for education related programs such as after school programs, teacher training, and adult education. In a letter released today and co-led by Representative Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce; Representative Suzanne B… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Trump Administration Taking Chainsaw to Social Safety Net
07.11.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor announced plans to further prevent undocumented immigrants from accessing federal programs. “Undocumented immigrants are already prohibited from participating in many federal social safety net programs, such as SNAP benefits and Pell Grants. And when they are eligible, it is because th… Continue Reading
Scott Demands Briefing on DOL Alarming Deregulatory Agenda
07.07.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Workforce,sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer requesting a staff briefing on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) plans following revelations that the agency is moving forward with a sweeping deregulatory agenda. Amid the Department of Labor’s “aggressive deregulatory efforts,” Ranking Member Scott is concerned about proposals that appear to undermine core worker protections. According to the… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Trump Administration Withholding Nearly $7 Billion in Funding to Schools
07.01.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Trump Administration notified schools it is effectively withholding nearly $7 billion in Congressionally appropriated federal funding. “With less than one day notice to grant recipients or to Congress, the Trump Administration inexplicably and unlawfully announced it is withholding billions of dollars in education funding from schools nationwide, i… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on UVA President Resignation
06.27.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, issued the following statement after James E. Ryan, the President of the University of Virginia resigned. “The University of Virginia (UVa) has consistently been recognized as one of the nation’s premier public universities because of its commitment to academic excellence. However, today’s decision of UVa President James E. Ryan to resign because of the Trump Administration’s Department of… Continue Reading
ICYMI: HEWD Ranking Member Adams Delivers Opening Remarks at Joint Subcommittee Hearing on Tribal Education
06.24.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Alma Adams (NC-12) delivered the following opening statement at a joint hearing of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations entitled, “Enhancing Educational Outcomes in Indian Country: Postsecondary Education at the Bureau of Indian Education.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would also like to thank Chairman Gosar and Ranking Member Dexter, as well as the witness, for being here today. “Last s… Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Agency Releases Report on Negative Economic Effects of State Abortion Bans
06.23.25 WASHINGTON - Ahead of the three-year anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report examining how restrictions on abortion and reproductive care can have negative economic effects for women. This report was requested by Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Since the… Continue Reading
Scott, DeLauro, Murray, Baldwin Call on ED to Immediately Cease Illegal Plan to Transfer CTE Program Responsibilities to DOL
06.18.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), House Appropriations Committee and the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Appropriations Committee, and Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, sent aletter … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on GAO Ruling that Administration Illegally Withheld Funds from IMLS
06.16.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision that the Trump Administration’s Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) violated the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 by withholding appropriated funds that were intended to support relevant services. “From rural towns to bustling cities, libraries and museums play a critical role in their comm… Continue Reading
Scott, Takano, & Bonamici, Lead Letter Demanding EEOC Chair Address Gender Identity Discrimination
06.13.25 WASHINGTON - In advance of the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton Countywhere the Court held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of gender identity, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Workforce, Congressional Equality Caucus (CEC) Chair Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39), and CEC Vice Chair Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), led 70 members in sending a letter urging Andrea Lucas, Acting C… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Bonamici Opening Remarks at Subcommittee Hearing on Screentime in Schools
06.10.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Early Childhood and Secondary Education Subcommittee hearing entitled, “Screentime in Schools.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses for being here today. We appreciate your time and your expertise. We all want students to grow up and learn in a safe and healthy environment where they’re protected from harm and equipped with the tools and knowledge they need to thrive in… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Delivers Opening Statement at Full Committee Hearing with DOL Secretary Chavez-DeRemer
06.05.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks at today’s full committee hearing entitled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Labor.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. “Madam Secretary, it is always good to see a former colleague welcome back to the committee you served on. It was good to talk to you early this week, and I understand you’ve been in touch with every member of the committee, Democrat and Republican, and that obviously … Continue Reading