Today, the House passed H.R. 7309, the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). This partisan legislation fails to protect taxpayers at a time of rampant inflation, pushes a radical progressive agenda, expands federal control over the workforce, and embraces the failed status quo rather than pursuing opportunities for innovation.
On the House floor prior to the vote, Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said:
“By reversing some of the key reforms made in the bipartisan 2014 WIOA reauthorization, H.R. 7309 takes our workforce system backwards. It does this by imposing more bureaucratic hurdles to job creators and reducing program accountability.
“It’s time to stop being so frivolous with taxpayer dollars. This bill proposes pouring more money into an already expensive program. In FY 2021 taxpayers spent $1.8 billion on programs under Title I of WIOA alone. This is too much money, especially as inflation is still at a 41-year high. The House of Representatives has been entrusted with the power of the purse; it is time we took this responsibility more seriously.
“The nation deserves a workforce system that will actually prepare Americans for in-demand jobs. Unfortunately, this bill fails to protect taxpayers at a time of rampant inflation, pushes a radical progressive agenda, expands federal control over the workforce, and embraces the failed status quo rather than pursuing opportunities for innovation.”
