Press Releases
Chairman Scott Statement on Trump v. Pennsylvania
07.09.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. Pennsylvania that, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, employers can claim a religious or moral objection to deny workers health insurance coverage for contraceptive care. "The passage of the Affordable Care Act a decade ago was a major milestone in our effort to ensure all Americans have access to safe and affordable contraceptive care. Unfortunately, the Su… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on SCOTUS Decision in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru
07.08.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrisey-Berru and St. James School v. Biel that religious employers can exempt some of their employees from civil rights laws on the basis of religious freedom. This is particularly relevant given the Court's recent decision in Espinoza, which would allow taxpayer money to flow to private, religious schools. "Today's Supreme Court decision cre… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s Push for Schools to Prematurely Reopen
07.08.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump urged schools to reopen and threatened to withhold federal funding for those that do not resume normal operations in the fall. "Given the exacerbated educational inequities and abrupt shift to remote learning caused by the pandemic, it is understandable why students, educators, and communities are both hoping schools will resume normal operations this fall and have some hesitation. "Even before the … Continue Reading
Chairwoman Davis Opening Statement at Hearing Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education
07.07.20 WASHINGTON - Chairwoman Susan Davis (CA-53) delivered the following opening statement at today's hearing entitled, "A Major Test: Examining the Impact of COVID-19 on the Future of Higher Education." "Today, we are examining how the COVID-19 pandemic is straining our higher education system and discussing what Congress must do to support students and institutions through this difficult time. "Across the country, the rush to suspend on-campus activities and switch to online learning has exacer… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Press Trump Administration for Extended Comment Period on Weakened Retiree Protection
07.02.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), House Education and Labor Committee and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia calling for the Department of Labor to extend the comment period for its recent proposal to replace an Obama-era retirement protection-which Scalia fought in court to strike down prior to being nominated to lead the Department-with a weaker version which would let fin… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on June Jobs Report
07.02.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 4.8 million jobs in June with the unemployment rate at 11.1 percent. "While the overall jobs numbers in today's report are promising, unemployment remains above the rates during the Great Recession as workers and families face the devastating impacts of the pandemic. In fact, as of mid-June, more than 1 in 5 American workers were either receiving unempl… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Celebrates Passage of the Moving Forward Act
07.01.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, which includes the Reopen and Rebuild America's School Act. "We all want to reopen our schools as soon as possible. But we cannot take this step when the Centers for Disease Control guidance requires functioning ventilation systems to prevent the spread of COVID-19. "The Reopen and Rebuild America's School Act provisions in the infrastructure package offe… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on SCOTUS Decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
07.01.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, in which the Court struck down a state policy that prevented taxpayer money from being used to pay for students to attend religious schools. "The Supreme Court's ruling in Espinoza forces Montanan taxpayers to fund a program which would allow parents to funnel those funds or subsidies to mostly private religious school… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on DOL Proposal Threatening Workers’ Retirement Savings
06.30.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new fiduciary rule that would threaten workers' hard-earned retirement savings. "As we continue to confront the worst public health emergency and economic crisis in recent history, the Department of Labor issued a new rule that undermines workers' protections when making major decisions on how to save for retirement. Specifically, the Department reinstated a loophole-ridden … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on Moving Forward Act
06.30.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Scott delivered the following remarks during the floor debate of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act, which includes the Reopen and Rebuild America's School Act. "Today, I rise in support of H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. "I want to focus on the fact that this infrastructure package includes our nation's schools. For decades, underserved students and educators have spent nearly every day in school facilities with outdated air filtration, air conditioning, and roofing systems… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Yes Vote on Bill to Strengthen the Affordable Care Act
06.29.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Scott delivered the following remarks during the floor debate of H.R. 1425, the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Enhancement Act. "I rise in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act. As we continue to confront the worst public health emergency in recent history, our first priority must be to protect the health and safety of the American people. "But, during this pandemic, millions of people have lost their jobs. Regrettably, in Americ… Continue Reading
Democratic Health Leaders: New Data Suggests Trump Administration Failing to Protect Uninsured and Underinsured Americans
06.26.20 WASHINGTON, DC - After ignoring numerous calls from bicameral Democratic health committee leaders to create a broad special enrollment period and release data on health care enrollment trends, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finally released limited data yesterday. In response, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA), House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), House Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Senate Health, … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Urges Colleagues to Stand with Defrauded Students By Overriding Presidential Veto of H.J. Res. 76
06.26.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Scott delivered the following remarks during the floor debate to override President Trump's veto of H.J. Res. 76, a Congressional Review Act resolution to reverse Secretary Betsy DeVos' 2019 Borrower Defense rule. "I rise today in support of overriding President Trump's veto of House Joint Resolution 76, a bipartisan Congressional Review Act resolution that would stop the Education Department's harmful Borrower Defense rule from going into effect. "I first want to recogn… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Trump Administration Request for Supreme Court to Strike Down Affordable Care Act
06.25.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Trump Administration filed a brief with the Supreme Court, requesting that the Court overturn the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. "With today's Supreme Court filing, the Trump Administration remains undeterred in its dangerous attack on Americans' access to affordable health care. "If the Administration succeeds in striking down the Affordable Care Act, the consequences for consumers will be d… Continue Reading
Committee Report Details Secretary DeVos’ Efforts to Delay and Deny Debt Relief for Defrauded Student Borrowers
06.25.20 WASHINGTON - A report released today by the Committee on Education and Labor details the Department of Education's efforts to delay and deny debt relief for student borrowers who were defrauded by predatory institutions. The report captures nearly two years of congressional oversight and provides a comprehensive look into how Secretary Betsy DeVos prevented hundreds of thousands of defrauded borrowers from receiving the relief they deserved. The Committee released the report, entitled "Delayed… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Equitable Services Rule
06.25.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education issued an interim final rule to redirect COVID-19 relief funding from high-poverty public schools toward services for students in private schools, regardless of their wealth. "Republicans and Democrats at all levels of government agree that the Department's interpretation of the CARES Act's equitable services requirement violates both the letter and spirit of the law. Unfort… Continue Reading
Health Committee Chairs Unveil Legislative Package to Make Health Care & Prescription Drugs More Affordable
06.24.20 Washington, D.C. - As Americans face both the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting severe economic downturn, Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) today unveiled The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, a legislative package that will provide much needed relief by making health care and prescription drugs more affordable. The legislation also expands… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Briefing on School Infrastructure
06.23.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor held a virtual briefing to discuss the state of school infrastructure. The briefing, entitled "Reopening and Rebuilding America's Schools," came on the heels of a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which projected that 54 percent of school districts across the country must replace or update major systems in more than half their buildings. The report also found that 4 in 10 schools needed to replace Heating, Ventilation,… Continue Reading
What People Are Saying: Reopen and Rebuild America’s Schools Act
06.22.20 WASHINGTON - The Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act, which was included in the Moving Forward Act infrastructure package, invests $130 billion targeted at high-poverty schools with facilities that endanger the health and safety of students and educators. This investment will help students get back to school and create over 2 million jobs to help workers get back to work. Here's what people are saying about it: 21st Century School Fund Executive Director Mary Filardo: "We applaud the lead… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Opening Statement at Hearing Examining Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Racial Inequality
06.22.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Scott delivered the following opening statement at today's hearing entitled, "Inequities Exposed: How COVID-19 Widened Racial Inequities in Education, Health, and the Workforce." "Today, we are discussing how the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating racial inequalities in education, labor, and health, and the steps Congress must take to address these disparities. "A mountain of evidence has made it clear that, to effectively respond to the pandemic, we must address the wid… Continue Reading