Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee
As Students Return to Campus, Ranking Member Scott Urges Schools to Share Plans to Foster Safe, Welcoming Campuses
08.23.24 WASHINGTON - Today, in an open letter to schools, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) urged campus leaders to ensure that they are equipped to create safe and healthy learning environments for students and faculty ahead of the upcoming academic year. The letter comes nearly a year after many college campuses became the site of intense protests and heightened antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents. Following these incidents, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (O… Continue Reading
New Government Watchdog Report: Poor Oversight of Title IX Enforcement Negatively Impacts Female Student Athletes Participation in College Sports
05.09.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Ranking Member Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Subcommittee on Early Childhood and Secondary Education released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report found that inadequate oversight of Title IX negatively impacts women from participating in college athletics. Under Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972, schools that receive federal fi… Continue Reading
NEWS: Scott, Sanders, Murray, and 106 Colleagues Urge Department of Education to Address FAFSA Rollout Issues
02.12.24 WASHINGTON - As the traditional May 1st “college decision day” approaches, education leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, along with 106 of their colleagues, today wrote to Secretary Miguel Cardona of the U.S. Department of Education to call on the department to urgently address the operational issues with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that impacts millions of students across the country. The letter was led by Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-V… Continue Reading
While You Were Sleeping, Extreme Republicans Voted to Raise College Costs, Return to DeVos Era Deregulation and Chaos
01.31.24 WASHINGTON - Tonight, Education and the Workforce Committee Republicans advanced legislation—H.R. 6951, the so-called College Cost Reduction Act—that would wreak havoc on our higher education system and inflict pain on students struggling to afford a college degree. H.R. 6951 raises the cost of going to college for students and families by restricting access to federal student aid and affordable loan repayment plans, exposes students and taxpayers to predatory and low-quality institutions by re… Continue Reading
What People Are *Actually* Saying About the So-Called “College Cost Reduction Act”
01.31.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Committee Republicans will advance legislation—H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act—that would wreak havoc on our higher education system and inflict pain on students struggling to afford a college degree. H.R. 6951 raises the cost of going to college for students and families by restricting access to federal student aid and affordable loan repayment plans, exposes students and taxpayers to predatory and low-quality institutions by repealing existing consumer protection… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Delivers Opening Statement at Markup of GOP’s Extreme Bill to Raise Costs, Reduce Access to College
01.31.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act. “Madam Chair, you’ve heard me quote President Lyndon B. Johnson when he signed the Higher Education Act—when he said that it meant—and I quote: ‘a high school senior anywhere in this great land of ours can apply to any college or any university in any of the 50 states and not be turned away because [their] family i… Continue Reading
Committee Democrats Launch Roadmap to College Student Success
01.30.24 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Democrats launched their Roadmap to College Student Success (RCSS), which will lay out a legislative blueprint for improving our nation’s higher education system for students and families. The “roadmap” will bring together a series of bold proposals focused on bringing down the cost of college, helping students access a quality degree, and—once students are in school—providing them with the support they need to graduate. Watch the la… Continue Reading
Scott Supports ED Decision to Reverse Course and Adjust FAFSA Form to Ensure Students Get Full Amount of Relief
01.24.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Education (Department) decided to adjust the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Income Protection Allowance for the 2024-2025 award year to accurately account for inflation. “This is great news for students and families. The FAFSA Income Protection Allowance is a critical tool to help students determine how much aid for which they are eligible. I am pleased that the… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Urges ED to Prevent Further Delays in FAFSA Processing
01.12.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) raised concerns with the Department of Education (Department) over delays in implementing the simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2024-2025 award year. “While I am pleased that the Department met its statutory requirement to launch the FAFSA to students before the January 1 deadline, I am concerned that the majority of FAFSA processing will continue to be delayed this year,” Ranking Member Scott wrote. … Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Markup of Anti-Choice Bill and Bill to Reinforce DOL Response to Human Trafficking
01.10.24 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.R. 6914, the Pregnant Students’ Rights Act, and H.R. 443, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act. “Thank you, Madam Chair. Today, the Committee is marking up two bills. “The first bill we will consider is H.R. 6914, the so-called Pregnant Students’ Rights Act. “More than a year and a half ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which tri… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Opening Statement at Hearing on Race-Conscious College Admissions Policies
09.28.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing on race-conscious college admissions policies. “Thank you, Chairman Owens, and thank you to our witnesses for your testimony today. “Our nation still has a compelling interest in fostering racially diverse campuses, and the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Harvard and UNC cases does not change that. “In fact, it was the S… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Statement on SCOTUS Ruling on Affirmative Action
06.29.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled in the cases of Students for Fair Admissions v. President & Fellows of Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. UNC. “The Supreme Court has long held that our nation has a compelling interest in fostering racially diverse campuses. Holistic college admissions practices that narrowly tailor the use of race as one of many factors in evaluating prospective stud… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Scott Sends Letter in Support of Biden Proposal to Protect Students, Taxpayers from Low-Quality Education Programs
06.21.23 WASHINGTON - Yesterday, Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) commended the Biden administration for its proposed rule to hold career programs that receive federal financial aid accountable for ensuring their graduates can secure gainful employment after completing a degree. “Two fundamental principles drive these proposed rules: protecting students and taxpayers and holding institutions accountable,” Ranking Member Scott wrote. “The Department’s proposed rule makes great strides to pr… Continue Reading
Extreme MAGA Republicans Vote to Deny Debt Relief for More Than 20.6 Million of Their Own Constituents
05.24.23 WASHINGTON - Today, House Republicans advanced H.J. Res. 45, which would deny student debt relief for43 million student loan borrowers debt relief, including more than 20.6 million of their own constituents. The resolution could also create chaos for student loan borrowers by potentially forcing them to repay the last four months’ worth of student loan payments. This would trigger a wave of delinquencies and defaults for our most vulnerable borrowers. View Ranking Member Scott’s floor remarks… Continue Reading
ICYMI: Ranking Member Scott Hosted a Briefing on the Implications of “Students for Fair Admissions, Inc.” SCOTUS Case
05.15.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, hosted a briefing with experts on the implications of the Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College. Last fall, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments challenging the longstanding precedent that colleges and universities may consider race as one of many factors in their admissions process. The decisions the Court will issue sometime over the next t… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Opening Statement at Markup of Resolution to Eliminate President Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan
05.10.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s full committee markup of H.J.Res. 45, a Congressional Review Act Resolution of Disapproval that would eliminate President Biden’s student debt relief plan. “Thank you, Dr. Foxx, and good morning. “There are many challenges we have in higher education that demand our attention. For example, students and families face a student debt crisis thanks to the rising cost to attend college a… Continue Reading
Ranking Member Opening Statement at Campus Free Speech Hearing
03.29.23 WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following opening statement at today’s Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee hearing. “Thank you, Chairman Owens, and good morning. “We can all agree that free speech is a constitutional right and bedrock of our democracy. And, for decades, colleges and universities have been on the front lines of protecting and advancing that right. “But the Majority is not interested in protecting all speech. Inste… Continue Reading
Higher Ed Leaders Reintroduce LOAN Act to Lower Cost of College
03.09.23 WASHINGTON - Today, Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Higher Education and Workforce Development (HEWD) Subcommittee Ranking Member Frederica Wilson (FL-24), and the other Democratic Members of the HEWD Subcommittee unveiled plans to reintroduce the Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act. The LOAN Act would lower the cost of college for current and future student borrowers and their families. The LOAN Act would build on President Bid… Continue Reading
NEW: 118th Congress Democratic Committee Assignments
01.31.23 WASHINGTON - Today, the Committee on Education and the Workforce appointed subcommittee ranking members, subcommittee member assignments, and a vice ranking member for the 118th Congress. This Congress, Committee Democrats include a diverse group of lawmakers, including educators, labor advocates, parents, business owners, and civil rights leaders. The Members’ experience and expertise will help guide Committee Democrats’ work to ensure that all students have access to a quality education, ex… Continue Reading
Chairman Scott Statement on Extension of Student Loan Pause
11.22.22 WASHINGTON - Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration announced that it will extend the pause on student loan repayment, collections, and interest accrual. “Extending the pause on student loan repayments will give borrowers some stability while President Biden’s student loan relief program remains blocked due to lawsuits from Republican Attorneys General. This extension will prevent borrowers from making payments on a loan t… Continue Reading