Press Releases
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Signing of FAFSA Deadline Act into Law
12.11.24 WASHINGTON - Today, President Biden signed the FAFSA Deadline Act, H.R. 8932, into law, a critical step forward in improving access to federal student aid for millions of students and families. The bill, supported by Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” (D-VA), mandates that the U.S. Department of Education release the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form by October 1st each year, beginning in 2025, ensuring students can access the financial support they need in a timely mann… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on November Jobs Report
12.06.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 227,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 4.1 to 4.2 percent. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the economy has grown steadily, adding 16.4 million jobs since President Biden took office. To date, President Biden is the first President on record without a month of job loss in the seasonally adjuste… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Speaks On Crucial Communism Teaching Act
12.06.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” delivered the following floor remarks in opposition to H.R. 5349, the "Crucial Communism Teaching Act." This bill would provide the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation with resources to create a curriculum aimed at teaching high school students about the detrimental effects of communism, totalitarianism, and similar ideologies. Ranking Member Scott expressed concerns that the bill oversimplifies these complex issues and lacks histor… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Applauds Biden-Harris Administration for Protecting Americans with Disabilities from Wage Discrimination
12.03.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed rule aimed at phasing out the issuing of certificates under 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows unscrupulous employers to pay workers with disabilities significantly less than the federal minimum wage. This action serves as another example of the Biden-Harris Administration’s prioritizing workers and their families. “Today, the Biden… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Nomination of Chavez-DeRemer for Secretary of Labor
11.22.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President-elect Trump nominated Representative Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer has served on the Committee on Education and the Workforce and was a cosponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. “I wish to offer my congratulations to my colleague Congresswoman Chavez-DeRemer on her nomination to lead the U… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on Nomination of Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education
11.20.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after President-elect Trump nominated Linda McMahon to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Education. McMahon is chair of the board of the America First Policy Institute, which advocates for school choice and the use of public funds — through vouchers and tax credits — for private educational institutions. “The vast majority of America’s students attend a public school. As such, the… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Champions FAFSA Accessibility Measure
11.15.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” delivered the following floor remarks in support of H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act. This legislation would require the Department of Education to release the FAFSA by October 1 instead of the current January 1st deadline, so students and families across the country can access their federal student aid in a timely manner. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “I rise in support of H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the October Jobs Report
11.01.24 WASHINGTON -Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 12,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1 percent. To date, President Biden is the first President on record without a month of job loss in the seasonally adjusted data. Every other administration has seen at least one month of job loss. “Without question, Americans are better off today, then they were… Continue Reading
NEW: Biden Announces an Additional 29,000 Pensions Saved in Pennsylvania
11.01.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Tri-State Pension Plan, based in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, will have its participants’ retirement benefits fully protected because of the solution to the multiemployer pension crisis that Congressional Democrats delivered in the American Rescue Plan Act. The UFCW Tri-State Pension Plan covers more than 29,000 participants in the service industry. The Plan had been projected to run out of money in 2028. Had that happened, … Continue Reading
GAO Report Spotlights How ED Effectively Communicated with Student Borrowers About Successfully Resuming Loan Payments
10.10.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) unveiled a new report highlighting how the Department of Education effectively communicated with borrowers about resuming student loan payments following the temporary pause during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they were able to prevent record numbers of delinquency. As of January 2024, around 17.8 million borrowers were current on their payments, reflecting effective communication during this transition. The report was requested by… Continue Reading
NEW REPORT: Warehouse and Delivery Worker Injuries Rise 20 Percent
10.08.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report which found that warehouse workers and delivery drivers are suffering more severe on-the-job injuries as a result of America's rapidly expanding consumer economy and a lack of adequate workforce protections. Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and the Workforce, requested the report. The GAO details how the transportation and warehousing sector— which includes e-commerce war… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on ILA and USMX Agreement
10.04.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, released the following statement after International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance reached a tentative agreement to reopen the East Coast and Gulf ports. In sum, ILA workers will receive a 62 percent pay raise over six years. “I am grateful that the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) we… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on the September Jobs Report
10.04.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 254,000 jobs in September, and the unemployment rate ticked down from 4.2 to 4.1 percent. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, 16.2 million jobs have been created, and workers have seen their hourly earnings grow by 18.1 percent on average. “Four years ago, the unemployment rate was 7.8 percent. Today, the unemployment rate is 4.1 p… Continue Reading
ICYMI: New Report Shows Investments in School Infrastructure Benefits Students, Economy and the Environment
09.25.24 WASHINGTON - Renovating school buildings will benefit students, the economy, and the environment according to a report released today by the Joint Economic Committee Democrats. Improvements including modern ventilation systems and retrofitted electric school buses are proven to have benefits for students’ school attendance, test scores, and health. U.S. school buildings are on average roughly 49 years old and 53 percent of buildings have never undergone any major renovations. Research shows th… Continue Reading
House Passes Bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act to Protect Students and Combat Hazing
09.24.24 WASHINGTON - Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA), Representative Jeff Duncan (R-SC), issued the following statements after the House passed H.R. 5646, the bipartisan Stop Campus Hazing Act, a critical measure aimed at combating hazing and enhancing student safety across college campuses nationwide. “Since the year 2000, there have been more than 100 hazing-related deaths on colleg… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Ranking Member Scott Questions Government Watchdog about FAFSA Missteps
09.24.24 WASHINGTON - Today at a Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) questioned Government Accountability Office investigators about the Department of Education’s implementation of the Simplify FAFSA Act. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s questioning on YouTube. Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott: “I think our witnesses have outlined a total mess and we didn't need to hear that. I think all of us have heard that from our coll… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report on Discipline Disparities for Black Girls
09.19.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a groundbreaking report on school discipline. The report revealed that Black girls face disproportionately severe discipline compared to other girls. Moreover, they often received harsher punishments than their white peers for similar behaviors. Nationally, the disparity in exclusionary discipline rates is striking, with Black girls facing exclusionary discipline at rates three to 5.2 times higher than those of white girls. … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Votes “NO” on Extreme Bill to Roll Back Students’ Rights and Undermine Quality Education
09.19.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” delivered the following floor remarks in opposition to House Republicans’ H.R. 3724. This extreme Republican messaging bill that combines two measures and serves as a thinly veiled attack on diversity and academic freedom in college curricula. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. “I rise to oppose H.R. 3724, what my Republican colleagu… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report Highlights Urgent Need for Improved Access to Domestic Violence Services for People with Disabilities
09.19.24 WASHINGTON - Today, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report highlighting critical deficiencies in access to domestic violence services for people with disabilities. The report was requested by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01). The report shows that disabled people experienced domestic violence at o… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Led Opposition to Extreme Republicans’ H.R. 5339
09.18.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby Scott” delivered the following floor remarks in opposition to House Republicans’ H.R. 5339. The so-called “Protecting Americans’ Investments from Woke Policies Act” combines four Republican bills that perpetuate a misguided attack on ESG investing and undermine retirement professionals’ abilities to make investment decisions on behalf of workers. Watch Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks on YouTube. “Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself … Continue Reading