Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
Higher Ed Leaders Reintroduce LOAN Act to Lower Cost of College
03.09.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Higher Education and Workforce Development (HEWD) Subcommittee Ranking Member Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and the other Democratic Members of the HEWD Subcommittee unveiled plans to reintroduce the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act. The LOAN Act would lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families. The LOAN Act would build on President Bid… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott: President Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan Would “Deliver Life-Changing Support for the Borrowers Who Need It Most”
02.28.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement ahead of the Supreme Court’s session to hear oral arguments on President Biden’s student debt relief plan. “A college education should not depend on how much money a student’s parents make. Yet, the rising cost of tuition, decades of disinvestment in higher education, and the declining relative value of the Pell Grant have left many student loan borrowers with burdensome debt. “That’s why I sup… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Administration’s Progress to Reduce Student Loan Debt by Fixing Income-Driven Repayment
02.10.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) applauded Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona for the Department’s proposed rule to reform the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) system. The proposed reforms make the IDR program more generous for low-income borrowers, automatically enrolls delinquent borrowers in the IDR program, sunsets old IDR plans, and eliminates monthly accrual of interest to borrowers. “I am encouraged by the Department’s proposed rule, which makes significant change… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Opening Statement at Education Hearing
02.08.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing on the state of education. “When the Supreme Court decided the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, it outlawed legal segregation in education, and said - among other things - that, ‘In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if denied the opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the state has undertaken… Continue Reading
NEW: Government Watchdog Report Finds ED Must Bolster Investigations into False, Misleading Advertising by Colleges
01.12.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and the Workforce, released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found that the Department of Education—particularly while under the Trump administration—has not adequately conducted oversight of colleges that substantially misrepresent themselves to students. “When planning for college, students and parents should be able to trust that institutions are providing accurate in… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Praises ED Proposal to Reduce Student Loan Debt
01.10.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration released a proposed rule to improve the Income-Driven Repayment program—which allows borrowers to reduce their monthly repayment amounts, extend repayment periods, and have their loans forgiven after 20-25 years of repayment—by modifying its Revised Pay As You Earn plan. “Today’s announcement marks a major victory for student loan borrowers and will help address the l… Continue Reading
Education Leaders Urge Education Department to Better Protect Students Against Abusive College Recruiting Practices
12.05.22 WASHINGTON - On Friday, House and Senate education leaders wrote a letter urging the Department of Education to increase its oversight of online program managers (OPMs)—third-party companies that help colleges run and recruit students for online academic programs—to ensure they are not engaging in abusive recruiting practices. In May 2022, the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office released a report that found the Department of Education does not have the information it needs about colleg… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Extension of Student Loan Pause
11.22.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration announced that it will extend the pause on student loan repayment, collections, and interest accrual. “Extending the pause on student loan repayments will give borrowers some stability while President Biden’s student loan relief program remains blocked due to lawsuits from Republican Attorneys General. This extension will prevent borrowers from making payments on a loan t… Continue Reading
WATCH: Chairman Scott Leads House Debate of Bill Helping Domestic Violence Survivors Escape Abusers' Debts
09.20.22 WASHINGTON - Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during today’s floor debate on the Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act. View Chairman Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “I’m pleased to rise in support of the bipartisan, bicameral Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act, led in the Senate by my colleague from Virginia, Senator Mark Warner, and led in the House by the gentleman from North Carolina, Congressman David Price.… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act
09.20.22 WASHINGTON — On September 15, 2022, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Investments Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson (FL-24) introduced the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act to lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families. Specifically, the new legislation doubles the Pell Grant, improves the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and makes loans more affordable and accessible. … Continue Reading
Higher Education Leaders Introduce New Bill to Lower Cost of College
09.15.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee Chair Frederica Wilson (FL-24) introduced the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act, to lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families. The new legislation builds on President Biden’s historic one-time student loan debt relief announcement last month to forgive up to $20,000 in outstanding federal student loan debt for millions… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Biden Student Loan Announcement
08.24.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President Biden announced that the Department of Education is extending the pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections through 2022, providing up to $20,000 in debt cancellation to Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 in debt cancellation to non-Pell Grant recipients, and capping the amount borrowers would pay monthly for undergraduate loans at 5 percent of their income. “President B… Continue Reading
New Watchdog Report: ED Needs to Streamline Process for Students Impacted by School Closures
08.10.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which found that student loan borrowers whose schools close need more timely and complete information to know if they are eligible to have their loans discharged. Under closed school discharge, student loan borrowers—who suffer school closures and do not complete their education elsewhere—may be eligible to have their loans discharged. Unfortunately, the GAO found that, be… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Republican REAL Reform Act
08.05.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Republican House leaders proposed changes to the student loan system, including provisions to eliminate the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, tie the hands of the Department of Education in providing relief to borrowers, limit access to federal financial aid, and restrict the flexibility of loan repayment. “When President Johnson signed the Higher Education Act in 1965, he said the legisla… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Leads Amicus Brief Urging SCOTUS to Reaffirm Race-Conscious College Admissions
08.02.22 WASHINGTON - On Monday, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), in addition to 64 House Democrats, filed an amicus brief—in the case of Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College—urging the Supreme Court to uphold narrowly tailored race-conscious college admissions policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. In the brief, the Members describe the persistent need for race-conscious admissions policies … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Cost of Student Loan Program
07.29.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled, “Student Loans: Education Has Increased Federal Cost Estimates of Direct Loans by Billions due to Programmatic and Other Changes.” “A college degree remains the surest path to achieving the American Dream. The student loan program was originally created to ensure that all students—regardless of their family’s income—could afford t… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Leads Vote to Improve Mental Health Services for College Students
06.24.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) lead passage of two pieces of bipartisan legislation to strengthen mental health services for college students and help prevent suicide, drug, and alcohol abuse on campuses. The Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act (H.R. 5407) directs the Department of Education to encourage institutions of higher education to strengthen and expand mental health services, including suicide prevention plans, to … Continue Reading
ICYMI: On 50th Anniversary of Title IX, Chairman Scott Delivers Remarks at Unveiling of Portrait of Former Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink
06.23.22 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during a ceremony to unveil the portrait of former Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink in Statuary Hall. View more photos from the event here. “Congresswoman Patsy Mink has an unquestionable place among the portraits of this institution’s trailblazers. As you know, Congresswoman Mink became the first Asian-American woman, in fact, the first woman of color to serve in Congress at a time when the country was n… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Applauds New Proposed Changes to Title IX Rules
06.23.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education released new proposed Title IX regulations. “The Education Department’s new proposed Title IX regulations mark a monumental step in our fight to address sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination in K-12 and higher education—all while preserving the rights of the accused. By expanding the critical protections under this law, the new regulations would help ensure that … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Helped Hundreds of Constituents Apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness
05.06.22 WASHINGTON— Last night, Office of Federal Student Aid and the Student Borrower Protection Center— where they provided constituents with the resources and information they needed to seek Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). The previous Administration did not faithfully implement PSLF and despite the Chairman holding hearings, sending letters, and making public statements, they never took meaningful action to address borrowers concerns. “The … Continue Reading