Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Oversight
Congressional Democrats Demand ED Stop Stonewalling Inspector General
06.04.25 WASHINGTON - Following serious concerns raised by the Department of Education (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Congressional Democrats are demanding ED stop stonewalling the OIG and allow the OIG access to information they are legally entitled to regarding the Administration’s effort to dismantle ED. The letter was sent by Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Senate Committee on Health, Educat… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Delivers Opening Statement at Full Committee Hearing with ED Secretary McMahon
06.04.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott delivered the following remarks at today’s full committee hearing entitled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education.” “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and good morning. “I want to thank Secretary McMahon for joining us today to discuss the Department’s priorities and the effect this budget will have on students, teachers, and families. “Secretary McMahon, as Secretary of Education, you took an oath to oversee the Dep… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Trump Effectively Closing All Job Corps Centers
05.29.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, released the following statement after the Trump Administration ordered the effective closure of all Job Corps centers across the United States. “Once again, the Trump Administration is harming those most in need. The Department of Labor sent notices to all 99 Job Corps centers with which it directly contracts, stating they are going to ‘pause’ operations. Let’s be clear: these are not p… Continue Reading
Ranking Members Scott, DeLauro Demand Answers After DOL Cancelled Women’s Apprenticeship Programs Grants
05.29.25 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) of the House Appropriations Committee sent a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer demanding answers after DOL canceled dozens of Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grants. These grants were specifically appropriated by Congress and are vital to increasing the number of female apprentices in … Continue Reading
House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force Applauds Successful Effort to Defend Education Department
05.22.25 WASHINGTION - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse (CO-02), Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), House Committee on Judiciary, and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), House Committee on Appropriations issued the following statement after a federal judge blocked the Trump Administration from dismantling the Department of Education. The Court also ordered the immediate rehiring of unlawfully terminat… Continue Reading
House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force Applauds Successful Effort to Defend Education Department
05.22.25 WASHINGTION - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and Workforce, House Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse (CO-02), Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), House Committee on Judiciary, and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), House Committee on Appropriations issued the following statement after a federal judge blocked the Trump Administration from dismantling the Department of Education. The Court also ordered the immediate rehiring of unlawfully terminat… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Ranking Member Scott Hosts Second Forum with Civil Rights Leaders on How to Fight the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Americans
05.16.25 WASHINGTON - This week, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) hosted a forum with civil rights leaders to discuss how they are fighting the Trump Administration’s systematic attacks on students, workers, and families. This follows weeks of reckless and illegal activity by the Trump Administration to strip students, workers, and families of their basic civil rights. Click here to watch the forum on YouTube. “Thank you for being here, and thank you for your dedication to the fight i… Continue Reading
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