Press Releases
July 28, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Senate failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
“As I have said many times before, if we are going to change the Affordable Care Act, we should improve it, not make it worse. In the middle of the night, Senate Republicans finally unveiled another disastrous version of Trumpcare and then voted on the legislation after having only seen the text two hours earlier. Unfortunately, this version of Trumpcare would leave 16 million fewer people without insurance and increase costs by 20 percent. This is not an improvement; that is why it was defeated.
July 28, 2017
Press Release
Letter Comes After Senate Defeated Trumpcare
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Ranking Members of four House Committees with jurisdiction over health care expressed their willingness to work together with Republicans today to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In a letter sent to the Chairmen of their respective committees, the four Democrats called on Republicans to set aside efforts to repeal the ACA and instead to focus on expanding access to health care and lowering the cost of coverage. The letter comes after the vote on Trumpcare failed in the Senate early this morning.
The letter was signed by Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA), Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Budget Committee Ranking Member John Yarmuth (D-KY).
July 26, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bobby Scott issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s announcement on his personal twitter account that transgender individuals will no longer be permitted to serve in any capacity in the United States Armed Forces. “This morning, the country woke up to the news that President Trump unilaterally plans to bar the service of transgender persons in our nation’s military. This announcement places the estimated 15,000 transgender Americans who are currently serving our country at risk of being discharged. President Trump’s action undermines morale and further devalues the service and sacrifice of the more than 130,000 transgender veterans alive today.
Issues:
July 26, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tomorrow, Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 10:00 a.m., Congressman Bobby Scott will testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing on “The Need for the Balanced Budget Amendment.” In his testimony, Congressman Scott will discuss his concerns with the idea of adding a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution.
Issues:
July 25, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, hosted a policy briefing in coordination with the National League of Cities (NLC) on their recent report “The Future of Work in Cities.” The policy discussion highlighted strategies that can provide support to cities and the economic impacts of workforce development at the federal level. The briefing included testimony from Dr. Patricia P. Woodbury, Councilmember, Newport News, Virginia. A South Hampton native, Dr. Woodbury has a long history of supporting workforce development programs that increase the employability of citizens within Newport News. Her on-the-ground experience provided an in-depth analysis on the trends and real-world implications of workforce development.
July 20, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office released a new score of the Republicans’ bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
“Yet again, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has released another report on Republicans’ ongoing attempts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act – each report just as devastating than the last. Today, the CBO found that the Senate’s latest Trumpcare bill would leave 22 million fewer Americans without insurance. While there have been many versions of the legislation, here is the common theme – each insures fewer people, offers less coverage, and raises the cost of health insurance.
July 18, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced plans to vote on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement:
“After multiple unsuccessful attempts at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Republicans are promising to dismantle the progress of the last seven years by repealing the ACA—with no alternative. When Republicans say ‘repeal and replace,’ the only thing you can be sure of is the repeal part. As I said earlier this year, if they had a viable replacement, the American people would have seen it sometime in the past seven years.
July 14, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Senate released their latest version of Trumpcare.
“Over the past few weeks, Senate Republicans have continued to scramble to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with Trumpcare. During this time, they have done nothing to fix the underlying damage that Trumpcare will cause – the erosion of protections for Americans with pre-existing medical conditions and a crippling age tax on seniors. While a Congressional Budget Office assessment is necessary to determine the full impact of the legislation, the new version only tinkers around the edges and does nothing to actually improve health coverage and affordability for American families.
July 13, 2017
Press Release
WASHINGTON, D.C. – With the support of leaders from the civil rights, social justice and faith communities, Congressman Joe Kennedy III (MA-04) and Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, today reintroduced legislation to amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). The Do No Harm Act would clarify that no one can seek religious exemption from laws guaranteeing fundamental civil and legal rights. It comes in response to continued efforts across the country to cite religious belief as grounds to undermine Civil Rights Act protections, limit access to healthcare, and refuse service to minority populations.
July 7, 2017
Press Release
NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added a total of 222,000 jobs in June, with the unemployment rate at 4.3 percent.
“Today’s jobs report is encouraging and shows that the economic gains that were made in the aftermath of the Great Recession remain strong. While President Trump complained about similar economic data during last year’s campaign, I am pleased that he has now accepted that the efforts of his predecessor were successful.
“With that said, I am concerned that Congressional Republicans continue to push an agenda that will undermine the gains made since the 2008 recession. Just last week, for example, the Majority advanced three anti-union bills that would sabotage workers’ ability to organize and collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions.