McKeon Statement on

Education & the Workforce Committee Priorities

Applauds Continued Opportunities for Bipartisanship; Notes Agenda Will Define Clear Distinctions Between GOP, Democrat Approaches to Education, Workforce, and Fiscal Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) today applauded incoming Chairman George Miller (D-CA) for detailing an ambitious series of policy priorities aimed at continuing the panel’s legislative momentum.  

McKeon, who will serve as the panel’s Ranking Republican in the next Congress, noted the Committee’s priorities will provide ample opportunities for bipartisan cooperation on matters such as the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, while underscoring fundamental differences between the parties’ respective approaches on policies impacting students, workers, retirees, and taxpayers.  Following incoming Chairman Miller’s discussion of the Committee’s priorities for the 110th Congress, McKeon offered the following statement:

“The Education & the Workforce Committee never has shied away from an ambitious agenda, and I’m eager to work with incoming Chairman Miller to continue the momentum we’ve established in recent years.  In just the last six years, we’ve enacted the No Child Left Behind education reform law; forged the most comprehensive pension reforms in a generation; closed the Clinton-era loophole for student lenders; conducted aggressive oversight on matters from mine safety to waste, fraud, and abuse within the Head Start program; and worked to address the college costs crisis by committing to an unprecedented level of student aid and ensuring that institutions themselves are held more accountable to students and parents for rapid spikes in college tuition.  In short, we have a lot to build upon, and Committee Republicans stand ready to do that in a fiscally-responsible way.

“Many of the priorities incoming Chairman Miller has highlighted will give both Republicans and Democrats an opportunity to work together – as we often have in recent years – toward proactive bipartisan reforms.  For example, I look forward to continuing the series of hearings we began in May to lay the groundwork for No Child Left Behind’s reauthorization so we can take further steps toward closing the achievement gap in our public schools.  Likewise, on efforts to expand college access to low- and middle-class students, I am eager to work with my Democrat colleagues to address the heart of the college cost crisis – the lack of institutional accountability for hyperinflation in tuition and fees – rather than on cosmetic ‘reforms’ that simply throw more money at the problem.

“As always, however, many items on the Committee agenda will present an opportunity for Committee Republicans to shine a spotlight on some glaring differences between our respective approaches to education, workforce, and fiscal policy.  The recent calls by congressional Democrat leaders for quick action on the decidedly undemocratic card-check union organizing bill will present exactly that kind of opportunity, and I anticipate a robust Committee debate on that particular issue.

“I’ve often said that our Committee has developed a reputation for being able to disagree on principle without being disagreeable in practice.  As we approach the 110th Congress, I look forward to working with incoming Chairman Miller to see that this culture grows even further as we tackle the priorities before us.”

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