Press Releases
Committee Holds Virtual Briefing on Impact of COVID-19 on America’s Child Care System
05.26.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor held a virtual Member briefing to examine the challenges facing the child care sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half of child care providers have temporarily closed their doors and those that continue to operate are doing so with significant financial challenges. According to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, as many as 4.5 million child care slots could be lost permanently without adequate public support-disrupting p… Continue Reading
Chair Grijalva Criticizes Trump Admin for Botched Coronavirus Response in Indian Country, Calls for Immediate Release of Tribal Education Funding Passed in CARES Act
05.22.20 WASHINGTON - Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva released the following statement calling on the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior to release the education funding for the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) that was included in H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and signed into law on March 27, 2020. “Every day, children and families in Indian Country are suffering at the hands of the Trump administration’s botched … Continue Reading
House, Senate Education Leaders Call on DeVos to Abandon Guidance Robbing Public Schools of COVID-19 Relief Funding
05.20.20 WASHINGTON - Today, in a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, House and Senate education leaders called on the Education Department to rescind its "equitable service" guidance, which would redirect COVID-19 relief funding away from students in public schools to fund services for students in private schools, regardless of their wealth or residence. In the letter, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and Senate L… Continue Reading
Scott, Murray Call on Secretary Azar to Help Displaced College Students Maintain Health Insurance During Pandemic
05.20.20 WASHINGTON - Today, in a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Azar, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) called on the Department to take proactive steps to help more than 14 million displaced college students maintain access to health care coverage. In the letter, the Members note that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many students who rely on health insu… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott to Secretary DeVos: Stop Illegally Garnishing Wages on Student Loan Borrowers
05.20.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Department of Education Secretary DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) demanded an explanation for the Department illegally garnishing the wages on student loan borrowers amid the COVID-19-a direct violation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed into law on March 27. In the letter, Chairman Scott notes that as recently as May 6, employers indicated that they could not stop garnishing wag… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Briefing on Impact of COVID-19 for Seniors, Individuals with Disabilities
05.18.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor held a virtual Member briefing to examine the challenges facing seniors and people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing, entitled "Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities," focused on how the aging and disability populations are particularly vulnerable to both COVID-19 and to collateral consequences arising from social distancing measures. According to the CDC, individuals ag… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on House Passage of the Heroes Act
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the House passed a fifth legislative relief package-the Heroes Act-in response to the COVID-19 crisis. "By passing the Heroes Act today, the House of Representatives took an important step toward confronting the full scale of this pandemic. "The Heroes Act dedicates nearly $1 trillion in emergency relief to help states and local government avert devastating cuts, particularly to education, public safety,… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on 66th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement ahead of the 66th anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education. "This year's anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education comes at a pivotal and perilous moment in the fight for educational equity. Last month, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that students have a constitutional right to a basic education. But the COVID-… Continue Reading
Heroes Act: What People Are Saying
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - The Heroes Act, introduced on May 12, is Congress' fifth COVID-19 pandemic response package aimed at protecting students' access to education, supporting workers and their families, and ensuring access to affordable health care. Here's what the nation's leading organizations are saying about the bill. American Council on Education (ACE): "This bill contains significant new funding for higher education institutions that will help alleviate the crippling financial impact posed by th… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Demands Education Department Abandon Plan to Use COVID-19 Relief Money to Fund Private School Voucher Scheme
05.15.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) called on the Education Department to abandon its plan to divert emergency education funding, which was intended to provide COVID-19 relief for public schools, toward private school vouchers. The letter comes after the Department announced its intention to use a vast majority of the $300 million it received for discretionary grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, a… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Member Briefing on Worker Safety
05.14.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a virtual Member briefing to examine the worker safety crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing, entitled "Protecting Workers from COVID-19," focused on how, despite rising death tolls among workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - the only agency in the federal government with the authority to enforce safe working conditions - has not taken meaningful action to protect workers from COVID-19… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Calls for the Passage of the Heroes Act
05.13.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott issued the following statement after House Democrats introduced a fifth legislative package-the Heroes Act-in response to the COVID-19 crisis. "As result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our students and schools are facing unprecedented educational and financial challenges, our workers are experiencing unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression, and our public health care system is straining to meet the demand for testing and treatment of this … Continue Reading
House Health Chairs Highlight Key Health Provisions in The Heroes Act
05.12.20 WASHINGTON - Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) applauded the introduction of H.R. 6800, The Heroes Act, in the House of Representatives today. The Chairmen of the three Committees worked together to draft the health care provisions in the bill, which continue the House's work of providing the necessary resources and support to respond to the ongoing coronavirus… Continue Reading
Scott, Fudge Introduce Legislation to Protect Access to Food Assistance for Displaced College Students
05.08.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Rep. Marcia Fudge (OH-11) introduced the End Pandemic Hunger for College Students Act to ensure low-income college students can access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during school closures due to COVID-19. The bill comes as widespread campus closures are exacerbating the financial challenges facing students across the country. A 2019 survey released by Temple University … Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on April Jobs Report
05.08.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy lost 20.5 million jobs in April with the unemployment rate at 14.7 percent. "Today's jobs report reflects the devastating economic reality facing students, workers, and families across the country. The share of workers facing unemployment has risen to heights not seen since the Great Depression. Unless our federal response matches the scale of this unpreceden… Continue Reading
Committee Holds Virtual Member Briefing on Remote Learning, Educational Equity
05.07.20 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and Labor held a virtual Member briefing to examine the learning challenges schools are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing, entitled "Remote Learning in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic," focused on the abrupt closure of schools due to COVID-19, and how these closures have exacerbated longstanding inequities in K-12 education and underscored disparities in school funding, curricular resources, school facilities, and teacher quality. … Continue Reading
Scott, Nadler Statement on Education Department’s Final Title IX Rule
05.06.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) issued the following statement after the Department of Education finalized a rule to revise standards for schools' responsibility under the Title IX to respond to campus sexual assault and harassment. "It is alarming that instead of focusing on helping students, educators, and institutions cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department wasted valuable time finalizing a rule that will erode … Continue Reading
House, Senate Democrats Warn DeVos Against Changing Distance Education Rules Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
05.04.20 WASHINGTON - Today, in a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Senate HELP Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) called on the Department to delay changes to distance education rules as students and schools adapt to virtual classrooms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a public comment letter, the Democratic education leaders wrote that the history of fraud and abuse in distance education programs and the massive sh… Continue Reading
House Democrats to Labor Department: Protect Civil Rights in Federal Contracting
05.04.20 WASHINGTON - Today, House Democrats sent a letter to the Director of the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) in strong opposition to the agency's recent guidance allowing new service, supply, and construction contracts related to coronavirus response to avoid federal affirmative action requirements. The letter was signed by Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Committee on Armed Services… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Call on Secretary DeVos to Fix Borrower Defense Application Process
05.04.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee on Education and Labor Democrats sent a comment letter to Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos opposing some of the Department's proposed changes to the application to the Borrower Defense program. The Members expressed serious concerns that some of Department's proposed changes are unnecessary and may deter applicants. The Borrower Defense program allows student loan borrowers to seek debt relief if they are defrauded by their institution. In the letter, the Memb… Continue Reading