COVID-19

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine: “In order to ensure the continuity of government, the Attending Physician of the United States Congress has recommended that Members of Congress begin receiving the FDA-approved Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. I am no more important than any of the people I was elected by and have the privilege to serve in Congress. However, recognizing the importance in boosting the public’s confidence in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine and ensuring that Congress is able to continue to fully function in light of this surging pandemic, I decided to follow the Attending Physician’s recommendation and was vaccinated earlier today.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) led 25 Members of Congress in sending a letter to Robert Redfield, the Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Michael Carvajal, the Director for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, urging them to include incarcerated individuals as a priority population in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan. “The national vaccine distribution strategy will place competing priorities on our collective resources and public health system,” the Members wrote. “However, ignoring the growing COVID-19 infection crisis in American jails and prisons would be a dire mistake and undermine any national effort to contain the virus. COVID-19 is spreading four times faster in prisons than the general public.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General (OIG) released the findings of its investigation into the Department’s rulemaking process for its 2017 proposed tip rule. The report found that, among other errors, the Department improperly withheld information regarding the expected impact of the rule on tipped workers. The 2019 proposed tip rule places no limitation on the amount of time a tipped employee can perform related, non-tipped activities and still be paid the subminimum wage.

WASHINGTON, DC – Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement after Education Department Secretary Betsy DeVos sent letters to the Members announcing the Department’s decision to postpone the 2021 administration of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). “As a result of nationwide school closures, existing achievement gaps are widening for our most vulnerable students, including students from families with low incomes, students with disabilities, English learners, and students of color. In order for our nation to recover and rebuild from the pandemic, we must first understand the magnitude of learning loss that has impacted students across the country.

WASHINGTON, DC – Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture re-proposed a rule to weaken standards in child nutrition programs: “As more than a quarter of our nation’s households with children head into the Thanksgiving holiday struggling to put food on the table, the Department of Agriculture’s rule to undermine nutrition standards for child nutrition programs will only make it harder for children to access healthy food.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) sent a letter to the General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Emily Murphy urging the GSA to grant the Biden-Harris Transition Team access to critical information, services, and resources. “Our country is facing an unprecedented global pandemic that is killing 2,000 Americans per day, and any further delay in an effective government response will have devastating consequences,” wrote Chairman Scott.

WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, November 24th, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) will host a virtual town hall on health care and the COVID-19 pandemic. Congressman Scott will be joined by public health experts and officials. This will be an opportunity for constituents to learn and get answers to any questions they may have about the Affordable Care Act, open enrollment, new restrictions from Governor Ralph Northam’s office to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Virginia, and other guidelines related to the pandemic.