Press Releases

Democratic Health Leaders Warn of the Threat of Premium Increases, Coverage Losses Due to Trump Shutdown

01.14.19 WASHINGTON -Top Democrats from health care committees in the House and Senate today called on the Trump administration to ensure there are no premium increases or coverage losses due to the president's reckless, unnecessary ongoing shutdown. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department have been left unfunded by the shutdown and are responsible for paying Advanced Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) and other matters that make health care more affordable for American families. "Families a… Continue Reading

Democratic Health Leaders Question Trump Administration’s Use of ACA Marketplace User Fees

01.10.19 WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democratic health leaders sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma today requesting detailed information on the Trump administration's spending of user fees generated by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace exchanges, including HealthCare.gov. The letter was signed by Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Chairman Fran… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott: GOP’s Latest Legal Challenge to ACA Could Have “Devastating Impact” on All Americans

01.09.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks on the House Floor in support of H. Res 6, Intervention in Affordable Care Act Litigation. "Thank you, Madame Speaker, and I thank the gentle lady from Florida for her distinguished service as a secretary of Health and Human Services, and I thank her for yielding. "I rise in strong support of this resolution. "Legal scholars from across the ideological spectrum agree that this latest challenge to Affordable Care Act i… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott Statement on Butch Lewis Act Reintroduction

01.09.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after Chairman Richard Neal (MA-01) reintroduced the Rehabilitiation for Multiemplyer Pensions Act (Butch Lewis Act). "Americans who worked hard their entire lives and planned for secure retirements should not have the rug pulled out from under them. The Butch Lewis Act of 2019 is a bipartisan proposal that ensures retirees receive the pension benefits they have earned. This legislation, in addition to the work of the Joi… Continue Reading

Bicameral Democratic Health Leaders Demand Answers on Trump Administration’s Short-Term Insurance Plans

01.08.19 WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democratic health leaders sent a letter to the Trump administration today renewing their requests for information on the Administration's Final Rule expanding the availability of junk Short-Term, Limited-Duration Insurance (STLDI) plans, which jeopardize Americans' ability to get quality, affordable health care. The letter was signed by Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ways and Means Chairman R… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott and Senator Warren Lead Request for Inspector General Audit of DOL's Controversial Child Labor Rule

01.08.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (D- Va.), Committee on Education and Labor and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to the Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General (IG) Scott Dahl requesting an audit of DOL to determine whether the agency deviated from agency regulatory and data quality requirements when it developed a proposed rule relaxing child labor standards in health care occupations. Joining Chairman Scott and Senator Warren in sending the letter are Representati… Continue Reading

Chairman Scott Statement on December Jobs Report

01.04.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 312,000 in December and the unemployment rate increased to 3.9 percent. "Despite the gains shown in today's job report, the reality is many Americans are still struggling. Wages have remained largely stagnant - particularly for low-wage earners - and too many workers are forced to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. By undermining our health care … Continue Reading

Scott Statement on Election as Chairman of Education & Labor Committee

01.04.19 WASHINGTON - Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after he was elected the next Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor by the House Democratic Caucus. "I am honored to have the support of my colleagues and grateful for the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor in the 116th Congress. As Chairman, I will work to expand access to the building blocks of a strong middle class - a quality education, a rewarding job, and affordable … Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Statement on Secretary DeVos Rescinding Guidance that Protect Students’ Civil Rights

12.21.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Education announced that it is rescinding the 2014 ED-DOJ Discipline Guidance. "The Department's decision to rescind the 2014 discipline guidance will undermine access to a quality education for students of color and students with disabilities. The guidance was issued to help schools address the troubling and undeniable evidence that Black students, boys, and students with disabilities receiv… Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Statement on the School Safety Commission Report

12.18.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the release of the Trump administration's school safety commission report. "The Federal School Safety Commission Report is not a serious or good-faith effort to make schools safer for students and educators. The report's recommendations ignore both the research consensus and the demands of students and parents for tougher gun laws. Instead, the report promotes a longstanding, conservative agenda to undermine … Continue Reading

Top Democrats Call for Investigation into Education Department’s Decision to Re-Recognize For-Profit Accreditor ACICS

12.18.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, requested the U.S. Department of Education Office of the Inspector General to investigate the Department's decision to re-recognize the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). In 2016, the Obama administration withdrew ACICS' federal recognition as an accrediting agency followi… Continue Reading

House Democratic Health Leaders Blast Court Ruling Undermining ACA

12.14.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) issued the following statement after a U.S. District Court Judge struck down the Affordable Care Act (ACA): "This reckless court decision endangers the lives of millions of Americans who are going to lose their health care. It is an ideological decision in a case that has no legal merit. … Continue Reading

Scott Statement on the Passage of Bipartisan Juvenile Justice Bill

12.13.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the top Democrat on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, issued the following statement after the passage of the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (H.R.6964), which reauthorizes and reforms the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) to help state and local leaders better serve juvenile offenders and at-risk youth. "Today is the culmination of a multi-year, bipartisan effort to improve our juvenile justice system. Rather t… Continue Reading

Committee Democrats Condemn Trump Administration Proposal to Undermine Nutrition Benefits for Immigrant Children and Families

12.10.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ-03), and Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), were joined by all Committee Democrats in sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen opposing the Department's proposed rule on "public charge." The proposal would allow DHS to deny an immigrant's application for a green card or temporary status if they or their family uses public benefits, including the Supplemental Nutri… Continue Reading

Democratic Committee Leaders Reiterate Demand for Information on Administration’s Decision Not to Defend the ACA

12.07.18 WASHINGTON - Four House Democratic Committee Leaders sent a follow-up letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma today reiterating their request for answers on the Trump administration's decision to decline to defend protections for individuals with preexisting conditions in the Texas v. United States lawsuit. The letter was signed by Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), … Continue Reading

Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s School Nutrition Rule

12.07.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Agriculture released its final rule on school nutrition standards. "The U.S. Department of Agriculture's final rule on school nutrition standards runs counter to accepted science about quality school nutrition. By rolling back previous standards that were designed to limit students' sodium intake and promote the consumption of healthier whole grains, USDA is threatening the progress we've made… Continue Reading

Scott Statement on November Jobs Report

12.07.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 155,000 jobs in November. The unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 percent. "Today's jobs report reveals the economic state of workers and middle-class families remains fragile despite a prolonged period of low unemployment. Wages have remained largely stagnant - particularly for low-wage earners - and too many workers are forced to work multiple j… Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Joins Calls for DOJ to Review Handling of Child Sex Trafficking Case

12.06.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement supporting calls for the Department of Justice's Inspector General to investigate Secretary Alexander Acosta's handling of a child sex trafficking case during his time as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. "I join my House and Senate colleagues in calling for the Department of Justice to review Mr. Acosta's handling of a child sex trafficking case during his time as U.S. Attorney for the Southern D… Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Statement on Education Corporation of America

12.05.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) statement on today's announcement that the Education Corporation of America (ECA) will close all of its more than 75 campuses, affecting roughly 20,000 students. ECA is accredited by ACICS and makes up about half of ACICS accredited schools. ECA's abrupt closure calls into question the Department's recent decision to reinstate ACICS as a recognized accreditor. "We have repeatedly warned about the risks low-quality, for-profit education companies a… Continue Reading

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