Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment and the underlying bill. House Republicans' partisan bill is an attack on students, workers, and families.

For 2024, the bill would cut close to $64 billion, roughly 28 percent from the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. The last time it was this low was in 2008.

Inequity in America's education system persists. Significant funding disparities among neighboring schools continue to rob students of equal access to quality education, and this bill cuts title I significantly.

Moreover, the bill cuts other programs like completely eliminating the Federal Work-Study that allows students to work their way through college; the Teacher Quality Partnership; the Job Corps, completely eliminated.

There are essential programs that workers in our districts rely on, and if this becomes law, those programs would be eliminated. This amendment would cut Federal student aid, making it more likely that they would have to take out student loans.

The underlying bill is bad enough. It is the first time in over a decade that the Pell grant wouldn't increase.

Also, our Nation is facing disturbing child labor law violations, and House Republicans are slashing the OSHA budget. Despite actively negotiating bipartisan reauthorization for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, we are proposing cuts in adult and youth job training programs.

Finally, the bill is an insult to families. It cuts Head Start programs so drastically, if this bill were to become law, 50,000 children would lose access to childcare.

Mr. Chair, I would ask that we oppose the amendment and the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Chair, we know that the most effective way for young people to get into the middle class is with an education. Those without an education are going to have challenges. Whatever station of life you come from, if you get a good education, you have got a good shot at the American Dream.

When President Johnson signed the Higher Education Act back in 1965, he said that essentially any student in any State could apply to any college or university and not be turned away because their family is poor. This amendment essentially eliminates that powerful promise.

What is the vision for administering the opportunity to get an education? How are you going to get a Pell grant if you don't have anywhere to apply? How are you going to administer student loans?

This just eliminates the opportunity for young people to get the education they deserve. I would hope that we would not adopt this amendment and, in fact, not even adopt the underlying bill. We need to make sure those opportunities are there.

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