National Apprentice Week

Floor Speech

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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle who believe that the Build Back Better Act is going to make this country better are trying to sell snake oil to the American people. There is an old saying, Mr. Speaker: You can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

Frankly, the American people--some of them--have seen the light, and they understand that Build Back Better is going to bankrupt this country and that is not the way most Americans want to go. So we will see if the people who vote for Build Back Better have the real support of the American people next year if that bill passes.

Mr. Speaker, this is National Apprenticeship Week, and it is fitting that as the lead Republican on the Education and Labor Committee that we talk about the importance of apprenticeships.

As we know, apprenticeships have been around since the beginning of time and they have been much more used in other countries. They were much used in our country for a long, long time. Then the numbers of them decreased. However, in recent years more and more Americans have found that apprenticeship programs are an effective option to help achieve their career goals.

I have had people in my family go through apprenticeship programs, and I know for a fact how valuable they are. These earn-and-learn programs offer students and workers a viable path toward the American Dream, and it is very fitting that we should celebrate National Apprenticeship Week and highlight the apprenticeship programs across the country.

However, unfortunately, the Biden administration is proposing to end the program dedicated to expanding apprenticeships, cutting off this important pathway to sustainable and rewarding careers. By ending Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, or IRAP, President Biden is hurting workers and businesses nationwide. This decision moves our country backward and will keep many Americans from being able to prepare for their future.

Instead of ending IRAPs, we should be working to inject innovation and flexibility into the apprenticeship model so that more Americans can get back to work and achieve the American Dream, no putting roadblocks in their way. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more clear with every action of the Biden administration that the American worker is always going to take a backseat in President Biden's America.

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