Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education
New Government Watchdog Report: Poor Oversight of Title IX Enforcement Negatively Impacts Female Student Athletes Participation in College Sports
05.09.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Subcommittee on Early Childhood and Secondary Education released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report found that inadequate oversight of Title IX negatively impacts women from participating in college athletics. Under Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972, schools that receive federal fi… Continue Reading
Scott Joins Bipartisan Committee Leaders in House and Senate in Raising Concerns Over Rollout of Next Year’s FAFSA
05.07.24 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) joined bipartisan, bicameral committee leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate urging the Department of Education (DeptEd) to make the timely roll out of the 2025-2026 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form a priority. FAFSA provides schools with the information they need to produce financial aid offers so students can determine if and how they can afford college. Th… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement at Hearing with ED Secretary Cardona
05.07.24 WASHINGTON -Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee hearing, “Examining the Education Department's Policies, Priorities, and FY 2023 Financial Audit Failure” with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx. “And good morning, Mr. Secretary, and thank you for being with us today. “Seventy years ago, this month, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote?in the majority opinion, the unanimous opinion, of Br… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Final Title IX Regulations
04.19.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education released the final Title IX regulations. “The Education Department’s final 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 all stu… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Delivers Opening Statement at Committee Hearing on Antisemitism at Columbia University
04.17.24 WASHINGTON -Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s House Education and the Workforce Committee hearing on antisemitism on the campus of Columbia University. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx. And thank you to our witnesses for appearing today. “I would like to start my opening remarks with a video from 2017 to remind everyone of what happened on the University of Virginia’s campus during a “Unite the Right” rally. As a warning, this video may co… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report Raises Concerns About Lack of Faculty Diversity
04.09.24 WASHINGTON—Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Ranking Member Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24) released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled “Higher Education: Employment Discrimination Case Referrals between Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Could Be Improved.” The GAO found that while overall faculty diversity has increased in recent years, it is still not representa… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on President Biden’s Plan to Deliver Debt Relief to Over 30 Million Student Borrowers
04.08.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris Administration unveiled initial details of a new set of plans that would provide student debt relief for tens of millions of borrowers across the country. The plans, if implemented, would provide debt relief to over 30 million Americans when combined with actions the Biden-Harris Administration has already taken to cancel student debt over the past three years. “Today’s announceme… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on March Jobs Report
04.05.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 303,000 jobs in March, and the unemployment rate ticked down from 3.9 to 3.8 percent. Since President Biden took office, the economy has added 15.2 million jobs. And initial unemployment insurance claims have remained below former President Trump’s pre-pandemic average for 20 consecutive weeks. “Four years ago, millions of retirees we… Continue Reading
Committee Republicans Vote to Weaken Worker Protections, Fuel Culture Wars, and Undermine Public Education
03.21.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans advanced four bills that weaken essential worker protections, fuel culture wars on college campuses, and undermine our public schools. “Similar to most of the markups we have had this Congress, Committee Republicans are rallying behind another set of bills that shirk our responsibilities to workers, students, and their families,” said Ranking Member Scott. H.J. Res. 116 would repeal the Biden Administration’s final rule determining whether a worker is… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the President’s Budget
03.12.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President Biden released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025. “President Biden’s proposed budget details the Administration’s vision on how we can continue to build an America where everyone can succeed. The budget proposal calls for transformational investments that would grow our economy from the bottom up and the middle out, and lower costs for students, workers, and families. “The Presi… Continue Reading
Scott Statement on Cuts to the Pell Grant Program
02.29.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Congress passed the Extension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2024 (H.R. 7463). “In 2020, I agreed to negotiate with former HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander on the FAFSA Simplification Act with the agreement that we would simplify the application process if it also meant that Congress would expand students’ access to the Pell Grant program. Our goal has always been to expand acce… Continue Reading
Scott, Foxx on New Data Showing Americans Overwhelmingly Support Workforce Pell
02.15.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA) and Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) celebrated the National Institute for Civil Discourse’s (NICD) latest polling results that show overwhelming support among Americans for Workforce Pell. “The new polling data from the National Institute for Civil Discourse shows that Americans, no matter their political affiliation, overwhelmingly support expanding the Pell Grant to high-quality, short-te… Continue Reading
NEWS: Scott, Sanders, Murray, and 106 Colleagues Urge Department of Education to Address FAFSA Rollout Issues
02.12.24 WASHINGTON - As the traditional May 1st “college decision day” approaches, education leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, along with 106 of their colleagues, today wrote to Secretary Miguel Cardona of the U.S. Department of Education to call on the department to urgently address the operational issues with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that impacts millions of students across the country. The letter was led by Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-V… Continue Reading
While You Were Sleeping, Extreme Republicans Voted to Raise College Costs, Return to DeVos Era Deregulation and Chaos
01.31.24 WASHINGTON - Tonight, Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans advanced legislation—H.R. 6951, the so-called College Cost Reduction Act—that would wreak havoc on our higher education system and inflict pain on students struggling to afford a college degree. H.R. 6951 raises the cost of going to college for students and families by restricting access to federal student aid and affordable loan repayment plans, exposes students and taxpayers to predatory and low-quality institutions by re… Continue Reading
What People Are *Actually* Saying About the So-Called “College Cost Reduction Act”
01.31.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans will advance legislation—H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act—that would wreak havoc on our higher education system and inflict pain on students struggling to afford a college degree. H.R. 6951 raises the cost of going to college for students and families by restricting access to federal student aid and affordable loan repayment plans, exposes students and taxpayers to predatory and low-quality institutions by repealing existing consumer protection… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Delivers Opening Statement at Markup of GOP’s Extreme Bill to Raise Costs, Reduce Access to College
01.31.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act. “Madam Chair, you’ve heard me quote President Lyndon B. Johnson when he signed the Higher Education Act—when he said that it meant—and I quote: ‘a high school senior anywhere in this great land of ours can apply to any college or any university in any of the 50 states and not be turned away because [their] family i… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Launch Roadmap to College Student Success
01.30.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Democrats launched their Roadmap to College Student Success (RCSS), which will lay out a legislative blueprint for improving our nation’s higher education system for students and families. The “roadmap” will bring together a series of bold proposals focused on bringing down the cost of college, helping students access a quality degree, and—once students are in school—providing them with the support they need to graduate. Watch the la… Continue Reading
Scott Supports ED Decision to Reverse Course and Adjust FAFSA Form to Ensure Students Get Full Amount of Relief
01.24.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education (Department) decided to adjust the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Income Protection Allowance for the 2024-2025 award year to accurately account for inflation. “This is great news for students and families. The FAFSA Income Protection Allowance is a critical tool to help students determine how much aid for which they are eligible. I am pleased that the… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Votes “NO” on House Republicans’ Extreme, Anti-Choice Bill to Keep Pregnant Students in the Dark About Their Rights
01.18.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” delivered the following floor remarks in opposition to House Republicans’ H.R. 6914, an extreme and anti-choice bill that would prescribe the circulation of a limited set of resources and information institutions of higher education must provide pregnant students regarding their pre-existing rights and protections. These resources—which leave out information on contraception, abortion, pregnancy loss, and other reproductive and sexual h… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Urges ED to Prevent Further Delays in FAFSA Processing
01.12.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) raised concerns with the Department of Education (Department) over delays in implementing the simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2024-2025 award year. “While I am pleased that the Department met its statutory requirement to launch the FAFSA to students before the January 1 deadline, I am concerned that the majority of FAFSA processing will continue to be delayed this year,” Ranking Member Scott wrote. … Continue Reading