Press Releases

Ranking Members Scott, Nadler Respond to Trump Administration Rescinding Obama-Era Guidance Promoting Campus Diversity

07.03.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), ranking member of the House Committee on the Judiciary, issued the following statement after the Trump administration announced it will rescind Obama-era guidance that provides recommendations to boost diversity on campuses. "The Trump administration's decision to rescind Obama-era guidance promoting campus diversity contradicts the Supreme … Continue Reading

Ranking Member Scott Condemns Education Department Effort to Rollback Accountability for Online Education Programs

06.30.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in response to the Education Department's delay of a rule that would ensure consumer protections for students enrolled in online college programs, many of which are at for-profit colleges, no matter where the school is physically located. "The Program Integrity and Improvement rule was a response to widespread confusion about state oversight of online programs. The rule made it clear that regardless of where an onlin… Continue Reading

Scott & Murray on the Rollback of Civil Rights for Students with Disabilities, Students of Color

06.29.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Education announced a two-year delay of the Equity in IDEA rule. Congressman Scott said: "The Education Department's decision to delay the Equity in IDEA rule, which addresses disproportionate identification,… Continue Reading

Committee Democrats Demand Answers Regarding Unaccompanied Minors in Administration’s Custody

06.29.18 WASHINGTON - All 17 Committee on the Education and the Workforce Democrats sent a letter today to the Trump administration demanding answers to several detailed and urgent questions about the health, safety, and educational services provided to unaccompanied minors forcibly separated from their parents at the border. The letter, sent to the department secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education (ED), Homeland Security (DHS), and Justice (DOJ), came after President Donald Trump issu… Continue Reading

Following the Supreme Court’s Janus Decision, Hirono, Cartwright, Senate & House Democrats Introduce New Legislation to Strengthen Rights of Workers to Join Unions & Bargain Collectively

06.28.18 WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii), Representative Matt Cartwright (D-Penn.), Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.), House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and House DPCC Co-Chair David Cicilline (D-R.I.), and nearly 50 Senate and House Democrats introduced bicameral legislation to guarantee the right for public employees to org… Continue Reading

Scott Statement on Supreme Court’s Ruling in Janus v. AFSCME

06.27.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision in Janus v. AFSCME, which found that public-sector unions cannot collect "fair share fees" for the services they are legally required to provide workers. "Today, the Supreme Court's conservatives once again used dubious legal reasoning to achieve a partisan objective. The Court's ruling in Janus ignores four decades of precedent and now rigs the rules against teachers… Continue Reading

Scott Statement on Passage of House Republican Farm Bill

06.21.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, commonly known as the Farm Bill. "The Farm Bill is traditionally a bipartisan piece of legislation that recognizes the importance of agriculture to the economy and the social fabric of communities across the country. Unfortunately, House Republicans broke that tradition today by advancing a partisan bill that makes deep cut… Continue Reading

Scott Statement on Trump Administration’s Proposal to Merge Departments of Labor and Education

06.21.18 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) released the following statement in response to the Trump administration's proposal to merge the departments of Labor and Education. "The Trump administration's plan to reorganize the federal government is a hastily concocted proposal that uses the false promise of 'streamlining' to cut investments in our future. "There is no evidence that merging the Departments of Labor and Education would strengthen the performance of these agencies or produce… Continue Reading

Committee Democrats Push Policies to Address Wage Stagnation, Income Inequality

06.21.18 WASHINGTON - Today, at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, Committee Democrats highlighted the need for policies addressing wage stagnation and income inequality. At the hearing, entitled "Growth, Opportunity, and Change in the U.S. Labor Market and the American Workforce," Democrats pointed to protracted wage stagnation - which has continued despite a continuing decline in the unemployment rate - as a sign that markets alone will not solve the problem of st… Continue Reading

Democrats Promote Solutions to Reduce Barriers to Employment, Increase Economic Mobility for American Workers

06.20.18 WASHINGTON - Today, at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, Democrats promoted a range of policies that would reduce barriers to employment and increase economic mobility for American workers. The hearing, entitled "Occupational Licensing: Reducing Barriers to Economic Mobility and Growth," gave Democrats an opportunity to expand the conversation from licensing policies - which are set by the states and mostly outside the federal government's jurisdiction … Continue Reading

Democratic Health Leaders Raise Concerns about Undermining Comprehensive Health Care

06.19.18 WASHINGTON – Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-01), and Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor finalized a rule to rollback health coverage protections by expanding association health plans. "The administration’s rule expanding the use of association health plans is yet another attack on Americans’ access to affo… Continue Reading

At Hearing, Committee Democrats Emphasize Importance of Oversight and Accountability in Public School Choice

06.13.18 WASHINGTON - Today, at a Committee on Education and the Workforce hearing on charter schools, Democrats emphasized the importance of oversight and accountability to ensuring public school choice helps fulfill the promise of making quality public education available to all students. While noting the success stories in places like Denver and Massachusetts, Democrats pointed to Michigan - and the policies advanced there by Secretary of Education DeVos - as a cautionary tale of rapid charter school … Continue Reading

Democratic Committee Leaders Demand Answers For Trump Administration’s Latest Attack on the ACA and Rule of Law

06.13.18 WASHINGTON - Four House Democratic committee leaders wrote to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma today demanding answers on their involvement in the Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision to ask a federal court to strike down key patient protections in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that prevent discrimination against approximately 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. Specifically, th… Continue Reading

As Inequality Reaches Highest Levels Since The Great Depression, Senate & House Democrats Introduce New Legislation To Provide A Better Deal For American Workers

06.13.18 WASHINGTON– Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate HELP Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), and House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), introduced legislation as part of their economic agenda, “A Better Deal.” As the income inequality gap reaches the highest levels since the Great Depression, many middle class families are finding it increasingly difficult to ac… Continue Reading

Scott, Murray Oppose Rule Delay to Hold Online Education Programs Accountable

06.12.18 WASHINGTON - Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee submitted a public comment to the Department of Education opposing the delay of a rule that would provide consumer protections for students enrolled in predatory online college programs, many of which are at for-profit colleges, no matter where the school is physicall… Continue Reading

Democratic Health Leaders Respond to Trump Administration’s Attack on Access to Affordable Care and the Rule of Law

06.08.18 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-01), and Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) issued the following statement after the Department of Justice told a federal court that it will not defend the key patient protections in Affordable Care Act. The brief, filed yesterday in Texas v United States, breaks with the Department's longstanding tradition of defending laws enacted by Congress r… Continue Reading

Blunt Rochester Leads Education And Workforce Committee Democrats Call for Secretary DeVos to Clarify Testimony on Gun Violence and School Safety

06.08.18 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE-AL) and Education and Workforce Committee Democrats sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos seeking clarification regarding her testimony on gun safety in schools. This week, Secretary DeVos testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies regarding President Donald Trump's Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Education Budget Request. During an ex… Continue Reading

In Secretary Azar’s First Appearance Before the Committee, Democrats Seek Answers on Health Care Sabotage, Attacks on Civil Rights

06.06.18 WASHINGTON - Today, in Secretary Alexander Azar's first appearance before the Committee, Democrats expressed deep concerns about the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sabotage of the Affordable Care Act, its proposed cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, and other health programs, and its efforts to erode basic civil rights protections for people across the country, particularly women and LGBTQ Americans. Members used the rare opportunity to question Secretary Azar to seek explanations for t… Continue Reading

Rep. Adriano Espaillat Leads Congressional Call For Secretary DeVos to Correct Testimony and Uphold Obligation to Serve All Students

06.04.18 WASHINGTON - Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) led a letter signed by over 100 members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Last month, Secretary DeVos testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding the priorities of the Department of Education during her tenure and stewardship. Her testimony - after more than 16 months since her tenuous confirmation - was the first time Secretary DeVos had come … Continue Reading

Showing page of 146