Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Oversight
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Trump Decision to Abandon Mental Health Care for Americans
05.15.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Trump Administration announced its plan to abandon mental health parity enforcement. “Nearly 30 years after the enactment of the bipartisan Mental Health Parity Act, insurance companies and health plans still fail to provide meaningful coverage of behavioral health care. Rigorous enforcement of this landmark law is more important now than ever befo… Continue Reading
NEWS: Scott, Sanders, Murray, Baldwin, DeLauro Decry Trump Administration’s Illegal Firings, Cuts at AmeriCorps
05.15.25 WASHINGTON - Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, alongside Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies on the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Re… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on RFK Jr. Decision to Rehire Only A Few Wrongfully Terminated NIOSH Employees
05.13.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, issued the following statement in response to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reinstating some but not all of the wrongfully terminated National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) civil servants. “I am encouraged to see Secretary Kennedy begin to reverse course on his decision to fire hundreds of civil servants at the National Institute for Occupa… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Demands ED Answer Questions Regarding Status of Students’ Civil Rights Investigations
05.12.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) of the Committee of Education and Workforce demanded answers from Secretary McMahon of the Department of Education (ED or the Department) regarding recent reports that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR)’s recent mass layoffs resulted in pending cases being abandoned without adequate caseworkers. As of January 2025, OCR reported a backlog of over 12,000 cases. Soon thereafter, the Department let go nearly half of OCR’s staff and closed… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Question Labor Department about Impact of Mass Layoffs on Workers
05.09.25 WASHINGTON - Committee Democrats are demanding answers from Department of Labor (DOL or Department) Secretary Chavez-DeRemer regarding mass layoffs at the Department and the Trump Administration’s continued attacks on working Americans. This letter follows President Trump’s first 100 days in office, during which he stripped federal contract workers of civil rights protections and greenlighted Elon Musk and his associates’ access to sensitive data, including workers’ financial and health data, a… Continue Reading
Education Leaders Urge McMahon to Reject Waiver Requests for K-12 Education Funds That Allow States to Avoid Accountability
05.08.25 WASHINGTON- Today, congressional Democrats urged Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to reject any efforts by states to undermine the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which specifically directs funding to high-poverty schools, English as a Second Language programs, afterschool and summer learning, and more. The letter was sent by Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Delivers Opening Statement at 8th Hearing on Campus Antisemitism
05.07.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks at today’s full committee hearing entitled “Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I thank our witnesses for being with us today. “The month of May marks Jewish American Heritage Month, when we celebrate the generations of Jewish Americans who have made incredible contributions to this country. This month, we reaffirm our commitment … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on President Trump’s FY 2026 Proposed Budget
05.02.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, issued the following statement after President Trump released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026. “In the first 100 days since Donald Trump has returned to the White House, he has made one thing abundantly clear: he has no plan to improve the lives of students, workers, and families. Instead, he has decimated federal agencies that provide key services, stripped away workers’ rights, … Continue Reading
Reps. Courtney, Walberg Lead Bicameral, Bipartisan Bill to Improve Health Care Access for Federal Workers
05.01.25 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), a senior Member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, introduced the Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act. This bipartisan bill would amend the Federal Employees Compensation Act to allow injured workers to receive treatment for work-related injuries from state-licensed physician assistants (PAs) and nurse… Continue Reading
Ranking Members Scott, Connolly Demand Answers on Trump’s Attacks on Civil Rights Protections for Workers
04.28.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Workforce, and Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Catherine Eschbach, Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) regarding the Trump Administration’s drastic cuts to OFCCP staff. These cuts will leave millions of federal contract workers vulnerable to discrimination in the workpla… Continue Reading
Top Democrats Condemn Trump Executive Orders Repealing “Disparate Impact” Enforcement and School Discipline Protections
04.25.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), House Committee on the Judiciary released the following statements in response to President Trump’s executive order entitled, “Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy” and “Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies.” To see how this action is part of President Trump’s agenda to benefit billionaires and corporations at the expense of… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Demand Transparency after Trump Proposes to Eliminate Office that Supports Seniors and Americans with Disabilities
04.24.25 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Democrats are forcing Committee Republicans to take a stand and hold the Administration accountable after it proposed eliminating the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The Trump Administration has already taken action to eliminate more than 40 percent of the ACL staff, directly affecting federal programs that support aging and disabled populations. The elimination of these positions leaves critical services, such as Meals on Wheels, elder abuse preventi… Continue Reading
House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force Defends Department Of Education In Court
04.24.25 Washington, D.C. — The Litigation and Rapid Response Task Force led 192 House Democrats in filing an amicus brief challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to close the Department of Education in the matter of the State of New York v. Linda McMahon. A case in which 20 states moved to sue the administration for its plans to place fifty percent of the Department’s workforce on administrative leave, effectively shuttering a congressionally authorized agency by way of executive fiat. By invol… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Following Unprecedented Data Breach, Ranking Member Scott Calls on Government Watchdog to Expand Investigation into DOGE Activities at the NLRB
04.17.25 WASHINGTON - Following concerning reports of Elon Musk’s DOGE gaining unchecked access to sensitive information, possibly including workers’ personal information, and potentially exposing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) data systems to foreign actors, House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter requesting the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to expand its investigation of DOGE’s obscure activities at the NLRB. “In light o… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Trump Directive to Pull Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status
04.16.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce released the following statement after reports that the Trump Administration asked the Internal Revenue Service to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status. “With history as our guide, the President cannot weaponize the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) against his political enemies. I have not seen any evidence that Harvard has broken the law and is deserving of having their tax-exempt st… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Demands RFK Jr. to Reinstate Staff who Set Federal Poverty Guidelines
04.16.25 WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) expressed grave concern to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., following the Trump Administration’s decision to eliminate the entire staff of the team within the Office of the Assistance Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) who set federal poverty guidelines. Poverty guidelines help to establish eligibility criteria for a wide-ranging number of federal prog… Continue Reading
Students’ Access to SNAP Must be Improved with Increased Outreach Efforts from ED and USDA
04.11.25 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report on how many college students experiencing hunger are still not accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In the FAFSA Simplification Act, Congress directed the Department of Education (ED) to leverage FAFSA data to reduce college student food insecurity. As part of the implementation of this law, the Biden Administration set up an agreement that allows ED to share data with the Depar… Continue Reading
Congressional Democrats Fight Back Against Trump’s Attacks on Independent Worker Protection Agencies
04.10.25 WASHINGTON -House and Senate Democratic Leadership filed an amicus brief opposing President Donald Trump’s unlawful attempts to fire members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). The individuals cited in this matter were duly appointed, congressionally confirmed board members at independent federal agencies. Illegal attempts to terminate them threaten the integrity of these institutions and their ability to protect American workers and uphold… Continue Reading
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
Committee Democrats Demand Answers After DOGE Fires Thousands of HHS Workers and Erodes Critical Programs
04.08.25 WASHINGTON - Today, House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) demanded answers from Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. after the Department fired thousands of full-time employees and threatened the future of critical programs that Americans rely upon. Committee Democrats also joined Ranking Member Scott’s request of Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (MI-05), to hold an oversight hearing of the Administration’s action t… Continue Reading