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February 15, 2019
Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump declared a national emergency to build a border wall: “The President failed to convince Congress to fund his expensive, ineffective and diplomatically obnoxious wall. Now he has concocted a faux emergency at the border to fund his border wall that he always promised would be paid for by Mexico. There is no sudden emergency at the border. Furthermore, the wall does not address any of the alleged problems outlined by the President. We know the wall would not reduce crime or stop the flow of drugs into the country.
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February 14, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement on the anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “One year ago, 17 students and educators lost their lives in the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. For many of us, that day will always be remembered for the mixture of shock, frustration, and profound grief we felt as we witnessed another mass shooting at an American school. Today, we join together as one nation to honor the memories of the people we lost, comfort the families and friends they left behind, and reflect on our responsibility to prevent this from happening again.”
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February 8, 2019
Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement:
“The recent allegations against Lieutenant Governor Fairfax are disturbing and extremely serious. Both allegations must be investigated immediately. If either is found to be true – and there appears to be significant corroborating evidence – then the Lieutenant Governor should resign immediately.”
February 7, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine and U.S. Representatives Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, A. Donald McEachin, Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton released the following statement:
“Like other Virginians, we have been devastated by these horrible developments. We are brokenhearted that the actions of Governor Northam and Attorney General Herring have reopened old wounds left by Virginia’s long history of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and systemic racism. There’s no question that Virginians’ faith in their government and leaders has understandably been deeply shaken.
February 7, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Thomas Massie (R-VA) reintroduced the Justice Safety Valve Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. Senators Rand Paul (R-KY) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate. The Justice Safety Valve Act would give federal judges the ability to impose sentences below mandatory minimums in appropriate cases based on mitigating factors. “Last year, Congress took an important first step in recognizing that mandatory minimum sentences distort rational sentencing systems, discriminate against minorities, waste money, and often require a judge to impose sentences that violate common sense,” said Congressman Scott.
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February 6, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after President Trump delivered this State of the Union address before Congress.
“President Trump’s State of the Union – like the first two years of his presidency – largely ignored the challenges facing students, workers, and communities across the country. Access to a quality education, a good-paying job, and affordable health care are fundamental issues for all Americans. Rather than offering credible solutions, the president continued to spread misinformation about immigration and advocate for an ineffective and inefficient wall.
February 5, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Last week, Chairman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Committee on Education and Labor, along with Chairwoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, introduced the Health Benefits for Miners Act of 2019. This legislation would ensure coal miners, who are at risk due to recent coal company bankruptcies, will not lose their retiree health care.
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February 2, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators and former Governors of Virginia Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine along with Congressman Bobby Scott released the following statement:
“After we watched his press conference today, we called Governor Northam to tell him that we no longer believe he can effectively serve as Governor of Virginia and that he must resign. Governor Northam has served the people of the Commonwealth faithfully for many years, but the events of the past 24 hours have inflicted immense pain and irrevocably broken the trust Virginians must have in their leaders. He should step down and allow the Commonwealth to begin healing.”
February 1, 2019
Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement regarding Virginia Governor Ralph Northam:
“It is never easy to condemn a personal friend, but Governor Northam’s past behavior is indefensible. I know the Governor has dedicated his life to public service, and he has advanced policies to help African Americans and Virginians from all walks of life. I take him at his word that he is deeply sorry, and that he understands that his behavior was inappropriate and offensive. History will have to judge his life and public record, and this chapter will be a major stain on that record.The Governor must now make the right decision that is best for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
January 31, 2019
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03), Rob Wittman (VA-01), A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) and Elaine Luria (VA-02) issued the following statement after U.S. Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer signed a contract to buy two Ford-class aircraft carriers, which will be constructed in Newport News, Virginia: “Today’s announcement that the Secretary of the Navy has signed the contract for a two-carrier buy is great news for the dedicated shipbuilders in Hampton Roads and the small business community across Virginia and the nation that support the construction of our carrier fleet.
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In The News
January 17, 2019
In The News
WASHINGTON (WAVY) -- Top Democrats in Congress have introduced a bill to gradually increase the federal minimum wage. Congressman Bobby Scott, the chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, was joined with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Bernie Sanders, and working class Americans at a press conference speaking on the “Raise the Wage” Act. The bill would gradually increase the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2024. The last time Congress voted to increase the minimum wage was in 2007. It went into effect in 2009.
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August 22, 2018
In The News
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WVEC) — Investing in summer jobs for young people was the topic of conversation at a roundtable Tuesday morning in Newport News. Congressman Bobby Scott hosted the discussion which focused on the city’s Summer Training and Enrichment Program, STEP. He said investing in young people makes a difference, and the federal government must do its part. Scott was in Newport News to discuss how the community can support young people through a summer jobs program like STEP.
July 24, 2018
In The News
“The Aim Higher Act is a serious and comprehensive proposal to give every student the opportunity to earn a debt-free degree or credential,” said Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (Va.), the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. “It provides immediate and long-term relief to students and parents struggling with the cost of college, it puts a greater focus on helping students graduate on time with a quality degree that leads to a rewarding career, and it cracks down on predatory for-profit colleges that peddle expensive, low-quality degrees at the expense of students and taxpayers.”
February 13, 2018
In The News
PORTSMOUTH, VA - Rep. Bobby Scott had little good to say Monday night about the tax overhaul bill recently approved by Congress. Speaking to about 200 people in a forum in I.C. Norcom High School’s auditorium, the Newport News Democrat spelled out the details of the changes in tax rates and deductions, noting that most of tax reductions go to the wealthiest Americans.
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October 19, 2017
In The News
NORFOLK, VA. (WVEC)-- Members of the Hampton Roads Congressional delegation are offering mixed views on how budget matters may play out in Washington in the weeks ahead. The government is currently operating under what's called a "Continuing Resolution." It expires on December 8, a little over 7 weeks away.
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-3rd District) was blunt.
"The problem is, we're not having a serious discussion," he said. "We start off with a trillion dollar tax cut and suggest it doesn't have to be paid for. Of course it has to be paid for. You either have to raise somebody else's taxes or reduce spending."
August 18, 2017
In The News
NORFOLK, Va. — At a recent town hall here in Virginia’s second most populous city, Rep. Robert C. Scott patiently took questions from more than two dozen residents waiting in line. The queue stretched to the very back of a high school auditorium with some standing for the entire portion of the two-hour public meeting. Absent was the rancor that has dominated town halls across the country this year — mostly those held by congressional Republicans facing angry crowds, upset over changes the GOP wants to make to the 2010 health care law and expressing steadfast opposition to Donald Trump’s presidency.
August 6, 2017
In The News
WHEN TERRY McAULIFFE became the governor of Virginia, he inherited leadership of a state that had fallen behind in responding to the effects of global climate change and realizing the economy opportunities presented by the new energy economy.
From the beginning of his term, McAuliffe and his team committed themselves to making the commonwealth more resilient and promoting clean-energy technologies that cut carbon emissions and create new jobs.
In fact, McAuliffe and our congressional delegation secured a $120.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund innovative resilience projects in Norfolk. Earlier this year, U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and I introduced the Building Up Infrastructure and Limiting Disasters through Resilience (BUILD Resilience) Act, which is modeled after the National Disaster Resilience Competition that provided the HUD grant.
April 16, 2017
In The News
This weekend, our nation marks the 10th anniversary of the horrific mass shooting that occurred at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. That tragedy claimed the lives of 32 people and left 17 others wounded. The effects still resonate, in our commonwealth and the nation. As we take time to remember, mourn and celebrate the lives of the students and faculty members who died, members of Congress must come together to address the epidemic of gun violence so as to make sure tragedies such as the one at Virginia Tech and so many others never happen again.
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March 13, 2017
In The News
U.S. Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott met with Peninsula health care providers Monday and said they voiced concerns over losing Medicaid funding under a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
Last week, the GOP-led Congress released a copy of a bill to replace the ACA called the American Health Care Act. Provisions in the bill call for eliminating the individual mandate and penalties for not having insurance, and using refundable tax credits to help participants pay for care. It also calls for changes to how Medicaid payments for care for low-income, elderly and uninsured people are paid.
Scott held two meetings in Hampton Roads Monday, one at Chesapeake Regional HealthCare in Chesapeake and one at Southeastern Virginia Health System's Physicians Community Health Center in Newport News. The meetings were closed to the media, but in a phone interview after the meetings, Scott said they were productive and gave him good insight to take back to Washington.
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January 7, 2017
In The News
FOR DECADES, the nation’s leaders were at a stalemate, unable to enact real reform, even though we knew that our health care system was not working for too many Americans.
Before reform, millions lost their health insurance every year. Often, individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, were unable to afford insurance, if they could obtain it at all.
The critically ill hit the lifetime limit of what their insurance policy would cover, forcing them to pay out of pocket for the rest of their care. Families were declaring bankruptcy because of unpaid medical bills. Young adults were getting kicked off their parents’ insurance when they graduated college.
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