COVID-19
November 5, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 531,000 jobs in October as the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent. “Today’s jobs report demonstrates that the Biden-Harris economic agenda is putting Americans back to work. Since President Biden took office, the economy has added 5.6 million jobs, the most jobs ever created in the first 10 months of any Administration. The Build Back Better Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act would help lock in the progress we’ve seen and ensure all workers – particularly women, caregivers and low-wage workers – have the opportunity to share in the economic growth that we’ve made as our economy has begun to re-open.
November 4, 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued an emergency workplace safety standard requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure all their workers are vaccinated or produce a negative test on a weekly basis.
“The Biden Administration’s emergency workplace safety standard is a turning point in the fight against COVID-19. As more than 1,200 Americans continue to die every day from COVID-19, I applaud President Biden and the Department of Labor for taking decisive action to protect our workers, families, and businesses.
October 29, 2021
“With razor-thin margins in the House and Senate, and a Republican Party intent on obstruction, Democrats in Congress have been forced to make hard choices in search of a final agreement that fulfills President Joe Biden’s agenda. Amid these tough decisions and painful cuts, one proposal has beaten the odds. Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs), which have been neglected and underfunded for more than 150 years, are poised to receive a historic investment in the Build Back Better Act.
October 28, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC – Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) delivered the following remarks at today’s Rules Committee meeting on the Build Back Better Act. "Thank you, Chairman McGovern and Ranking Member Cole. I’m pleased to speak in support of the Education and Labor Committee’s section of the Build Back Better Act. Over the past few months, Congressional Democrats and the White House have held a difficult and highly public discussion of how to fulfill President Biden’s agenda. But the process that has brought us to this moment we should not obscure this simple reality that this legislation is an historic achievement on behalf of the American people.
October 8, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 194,000 in September as the unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent. “Today’s jobs report demonstrates that the Biden-Harris economic agenda is putting Americans back to work. Since President Biden took office, the economy has added 4.8 million jobs, the most jobs ever created in the first 9 months of any Administration. We still have work to do to overcome the serious challenges caused by the Delta variant and build an economy where all families and workers have the opportunity to succeed.
September 3, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 235,000 jobs in August as the unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent. “Today’s jobs report demonstrates that the Biden-Harris economic agenda is delivering results, but the emergence of the Delta variant remains a serious challenge for workers and our economy. It is critical that federal, state, and local leaders do everything they can to promote vaccinations and implement evidence-based safety precautions that will protect the lives and livelihoods of Americans across the country.
August 19, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement in response to eight states banning schools from implementing mandatory mask policies to protect students, educators, and families from COVID-19. “As we begin another school year under the cloud of a pandemic, policymakers must be laser-focused on helping school districts reopen safely and stay open safely. Through the American Rescue Plan, Congress and President Biden delivered an historic $130 billion investment in K-12 education to help ensure school districts have the resources they need to safely return to in-person instruction.
August 16, 2021
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Earlier today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, convened a virtual roundtable with presidents and other officials from local institutions of higher education. The roundtable was a chance for college and university officials to discuss how they responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, how their institutions utilized federal funding made available through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan, and what challenges they still face in light of surging infections driven by the delta variant.
August 13, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Department of Labor released updated workplace safety guidance for employers not covered under the Emergency Temporary Standard and additional guidance to protect workers from COVID-19. “The updated workplace safety guidance released today by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an improvement over previous guidance, but it still falls well short of the enforceable workplace safety standard that is necessary to protect workers from COVID-19. In April, OSHA determined that an Emergency Temporary Standard was necessary to protect workers from the grave danger posed by the virus
August 6, 2021
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Biden-Harris Administration extended the pause on federal student loan payments and interest until January 31, 2022. In June, Chairman Scott and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter urging President Biden to extend the pause, which was set to expire at the end of September. “I applaud President Biden for providing desperately needed relief to federal student loan borrowers as we continue to fight the pandemic.