Education
Democrats are committed to ensuring all Americans have access to a high-quality education. If our nation is going to remain the world’s leader, we must not lag our global competitors in education. Democrats are focused on making higher education and skills training more accessible, reducing high school dropout rates, and providing students with the support they need to secure well-paying jobs. From day one, the Trump Administration has undermined protections for and disinvested in America’s students. President Trump’s budget proposes to cut teacher training and literacy programs and reduces funding for the schools and communities most in need. Congressional Republicans have also proposed extreme funding bills that dramatically cut education and job training programs, threatening our ability to build a competitive workforce and help more Americans find good-paying work. Democrats are fighting to protect families from these harmful cuts and have a strong record of making investments that will strengthen education. Democrats have increased Pell grants, cut red tape in the loan process, and made it easier to repay student loans once students join the workforce. Democrats also enacted a major reform bill that ended wasteful taxpayer subsidies to big banks and directed the savings to helping students instead. Democrats also made record investments in community colleges and minority-serving higher education institutions.
This bill is complex and could be discussed for a long period of time. [Education and Workforce Ranking Member] Scott doesn't have a long period of time, and I will be brief, but I want to point out that when we passed, at the request of President Bush, No Child Left Behind, which everybody has recognized does not have some of the components that it ought to have and has some components that it ought not to have, and Mr. Scott's substitute fixes that which is broken, but I'll point out that that bill passed 384-45.
Today, Democrats on the Education and Workforce Committee put forward a proposal to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which recognizes the important role the federal government has in supporting local education systems across the country.
On Monday, the President released his budget for Fiscal Year 2016. His budget proposal builds on the strength of our economic recovery to make smart investments that will increase our nation’s competitiveness, while ensuring that working families share in the benefits of the recovery.
This evening, President Obama laid out a vision of an America that prioritizes a strong and growing middle class.
Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson laid out his vision of robust federal investment in public education as a central component of the War on Poverty, marking the beginning of the successful effort to pass the bipartisan Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
In order to put more Americans back to work and expand opportunities for the middle class, our nation must continue to invest in our K-12 schools, expand early childhood education, and ensure higher education is more affordable for Americans.
Wanted to be sure you saw this op-ed by House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) and Rep. Aaron Schock (IL-18) in Education Week on their bipartisan legislation, the Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2014, which they introduced last week to expand the number of full-service community schools at the K-12 level around the country.
Madam Speaker, I rise today alongside my Republican colleague from Illinois, Representative Aaron Schock, who is here to speak about the Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2014, which we will be introducing later today.
“Full-service community schools are a critical tool in the effort to close the achievement gap and ensure that we are graduating students who are college and career-ready,” stated Whip Hoyer.
Today, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Congressman Aaron Schock (R-IL) introduced the Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2014, legislation to expand the full-service community schools model across the country. Full-service community schools are public elementary or secondary schools that coordinate a wide range of social services to students and their families, such as: