Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting against S. 2372, the VA MISSION Act of 2018: “The VA MISSION Act includes several provisions that I have long supported, including expanding caregiver benefits to pre-9/11 veterans and authorizing additional funding for the Veterans Choice Program. Unfortunately, I ultimately voted against this bill because it seriously jeopardizes future funding for the Choice Program and gives the Trump Administration new authority to privatize key VA healthcare services and programs.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting against H.R. 5698 the Protect and Serve Act: “The evidence shows that violence against law enforcement has been in overall decline for 25 years, and I want that decline to continue. What has changed in recent years is a rising demand by citizens for police accountability. The appropriate response to strained police-community relations is not to criminalize what is already a crime. Instead, we should support bills like the Congressional Black Caucus’s Jobs and Justice Act of 2018, which helps law enforcement obtain training on de-escalation techniques and policing persons who are disabled or mentally ill.

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Bobby Scott issued the following statement after President Trump announced that he is not waiving sanctions pursuant to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear agreement: “Today’s decision by President Trump is not based in facts, evidence or research and leaves America less safe and less credible. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the European Union, a huge swath of nuclear policy experts, and the Trump Administration officials themselves all agree that Iran is upholding its end of the deal.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after two of Virginia’s Marketplace insurers proposed significant premium increases for 2019. The insurers specifically attributed the premium hikes to the Republican repeal of the individual mandate and other initiatives adopted by the Trump administration, such as their plan to weaken the Obamacare Marketplace by loosening restrictions on junk health plans that undermine patient protections. “In response to repeated Republican attempts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA), I warned that the schemes would raise costs and the ultimate cost of their efforts would be paid by consumers. Unfortunately, we are now seeing the bill come due. As the insurers specifically spelled out, the significant premium hikes proposed for 2019 are a direct consequence of the politically motivated actions taken by the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the three House Democratic leaders of the Committees with jurisdiction over health care, Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA), and Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) urging him to allow a vote on legislation that would help improve the affordability and accessibility of health care in the United States. The Undoing Sabotage and Expanding Affordability of Health Insurance Act of 2018, H.R. 5155, helps stabilize the health care markets, makes coverage more affordable, and reverses harmful policies that the Trump administration and congressional Republicans have implemented to undermine the U.S. health care system.

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the economy added 164,000 jobs in April, with the unemployment rate at 3.9 percent. “The latest jobs report shows that our economy remains relatively stable, but the work is far from over and there are those in Congress working to undermine these economic gains. On average during President Obama’s last full year in office, the economy added roughly 195,000 jobs a month, far more than the 164,000 jobs added last month. Just a year ago, the House Republicans voted to pass the Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA), which would have caused almost 14 million Americans to lose health coverage this year.

Washington, D.C. – Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03) and A. Donald McEachin (VA-04) invited Robert "Jack" Ewald of Suffolk, Virginia as their guest to attend the address delivered by French President Emmanuel Macron to a Joint Meeting of Congress. Mr. Ewald, a World War II veteran, fought in the Army's 115th Infantry Division at Normandy on D-Day. President Macron highlighted Mr. Ewald’s story in his remarks. “It is my great honor to have Jack Ewald as our guest at today’s historic address by President Macron,” said Congressman Bobby Scott. “Jack’s incredible life story embodies the very best of our country. I am very pleased that more people were able to learn more about his service and sacrifice that helped free Europe from tyranny, and we are so thankful for his continued service to our community.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and nine other Democrats submitted a public comment to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) about their request for information on whether to retain, rescind, or modify the 2014 Election Rule. The Obama-era rule streamlined the NLRB’s process for union elections, eliminating unnecessary litigation and delays which companies have used to suppress workers from organizing. Ranking Members Scott and Murray have repeatedly asked the Board for relevant information on how the 2014 Rule was working so the public can see whether it needs to be changed. The limited evidence the Board has produced clearly disproves business groups’ critiques of the rule—making it clear that this attempt to roll back the rule is simply a political attempt to make it harder for workers to join a union.