Press Releases
House Chairs Question Secretary DeVos’s Delay Distributing COVID-19 Relief for Puerto Rico
07.16.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva (AZ-03) demanded an explanation for why the Department has delayed distributing emergency educational relief for Puerto Rico. Congress designated $400 million in the CARES Act to help Puerto Rico address immediate educational needs, and the Department has only disbursed $7 million, citing past pro… Continue Reading
Congressional Education Leaders to DeVos: Stop Robbing Vulnerable Students of Emergency Aid
07.15.20 WASHINGTON - In a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, congressional education leaders expressed deep concern about the Department's interim final rule to prevent millions of students from getting the emergency relief Congress provided under the CARES Act. The letter was sent by Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and Labor, Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Health, and Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Virginia OSHA Approving Strong Worker Protections During COVID-19 Pandemic
07.15.20 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after Virginia became the first state in the country to approve an Emergency Temporary OSHA standard protecting the workers against exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. "I'm very pleased that the Commonwealth of Virginia has approved an Emergency OSHA standard to protect workers against COVID-19, and I applaud the Governor for his leadership on this issue. In the absence of any serious attempt from t… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Remarks at Press Event Marking Two Months Since House Passage of The Heroes Act
07.15.20 WASHINGTON - Joined by Speaker Pelosi and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks during a press event highlighting the urgent need for the Senate to pass the Heroes Act, a COVID-19 pandemic emergency relief package passed by the House on May 15. "Thank you, Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Neal, for your leadership in confronting the COVID-19 pandemic. "Let us be clear. All of us want to reopen schools for full-tim… Continue Reading
Castro, Scott, Others Urge Department of Labor to Reverse Work Visa Ban
07.14.20 WASHINGTON-Today, in response to the Trump administration's June executive proclamation suspending all work visas during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, and member of the House Intelligence and Education and Labor Committees, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-3), Chair of the Education and Labor Commit… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Invites CDC Director to Testify After WH Pressures it to Change School Guidelines
07.09.20 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) invitedCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield, MD, or his designee, to testify before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday, July 23. Chairman Scott specifically asks Director Redfield to discuss the immediate needs of K-12 public schools as many districts examine the possibility of reopening in the fall. The invitation follo… Continue Reading
GAO Report: Education Department Decision to Scrap Obama-Era School Discipline Guidance in Response to Mass Shootings is Unfounded
07.09.20 WASHINGTON - A new report released today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that a majority of fatalities are a result of school-targeted shootings, which are more prevalent in wealthier, low-minority areas. The report, requested by Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby Scott and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, is the first government-mandated collection of data on school shootings. The report findings undermine the Trump administration's reas… Continue Reading
House Health Leaders Condemn Final Rule to Erode Anti-Discrimination Protections Under the ACA
07.09.20 WASHINGTON - The chairs of the House committees with jurisdiction over health care condemned the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for finalizing a rule that weakens protections under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for LGBTQIA+ individuals, women, people with limited English proficiency, immigrants, people of color, people with disabilities, and patients from other marginalized communities and urged HHS Secretary Alex Azar to immediately rescind it. The letter was signed by House Edu… Continue Reading
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