Press Releases

Today, Committee Democrats held markups on two tired, empty, and utterly unworkable bills. H.R. 865, the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, will result in $70 billion in costs to taxpayers, increased costs to states and school districts, and considerable bureaucracy and red tape in exchange for little grants to a few school districts. H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act, offers no new protections against pay discrimination while granting unlimited paydays to trial lawyers looking to line their pockets.

During the markup of H.R. 865, Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said:

“H.R. 865 is the wrong answer for our country’s schools, students and educators. The American people cannot afford yet another broken promise from politicians in Washington. Let’s make good on our previous pledges, and refocus our efforts on fueling innovation that can rebuild our communities far more effectively than the federal government ever could.”

During debate on H.R. 865, Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA) stated:

“One of the things I learned in business is that you’ve always got to dig through the fine print if you want to find the hidden costs . . . The bill was already loaded down with onerous requirements that are going to cost school districts a lot of money, and this amendment has managed to dig up even more energy and water conservation costs to pass on to taxpayers than the bill started with.”

During the markup of H.R. 7, Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said:

“This is not a bill for women. This is a bill for trial lawyers. It charts no path toward a greater sense of fairness; it simply provides a roadmap for driving lawsuits deeper into the court system. It provides no new protections, just new ways to increase billable hours and attorney paydays that don’t guarantee any reward for working women.”

During debate on H.R. 7, Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL) stated:

“Sex discrimination cases are serious and deserve to be treated with seriousness. We need to focus on policies that will create more opportunities for women—and all workers—in the first place. This bill doesn’t do that, none of the changes in this amendment do that, and we should see this legislation for the trial lawyer payday it really is and move on to other business.”

Students and working women deserve more than empty promises and political gimmicks from Committee Democrats. Instead of offering fundamentally broken bills, the committee should be employing bipartisan initiatives, like Opportunity Zones, to tackle the problems of school infrastructure, and providing working women with options, opportunities, and recognition for the driving force they have in the American workforce. Democrats’ bills represent empty promises and failed priorities. H.R. 865, the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, is not for students. H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act, is not for women.

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