Democrats’ Rhetoric Doesn’t Match Their Record, Says Education & the Workforce Chair

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. House Education & the Workforce Committee Chairman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) today exposed the congressional Democrats’ latest domestic proposals as little more than repackaged election year rhetoric.  Democrat leaders are slated to discuss their latest version of legislative ideas as part of a media conference call later today.  Many of the domestic issues expected to be discussed by party leaders fall within the jurisdiction of McKeon’s panel and have already been comprehensively addressed by the Committee and the House in the 109th Congress, in spite of Democrat opposition.

“No matter how many times Democrats reshuffle the cards and offer allegedly ‘fresh’ ideas, the fact remains their rhetoric just doesn’t match their record,” McKeon noted.  “At every turn, they’ve headed in the wrong direction, opposing reforms to expand college access, bolster retirement security, cover more uninsured Americans, and train a modern workforce.”

“On education, the Democrat hypocrisy is striking,” continued McKeon.  “On student loans, they’re trying to have it both ways – lashing out against an interest rate structure they negotiated and praised just a few years ago.  On Pell Grants, they’ve criticized the Republican Congress’ historic funding for the program, only to turn a blind eye toward their own dismal record on Pell when they last held the majority.  And most shocking of all, on efforts to strengthen the Higher Education Act, expand college access, and improve math and science education, they worked with us in seemingly good faith to craft a bill, only to reverse course at the last moment and cast votes against it.”

McKeon listed a handful of many education benefits OPPOSED by congressional Democrats in the 109th Congress, including: 

• Year-round Pell Grant funding (College Access & Opportunity Act, H.R. 609 on March 30, 2006);

• Increased student loan limits (Deficit Reduction Act, S. 1932 on February 1, 2006);

• Reduced loan fees (Deficit Reduction Act, S. 1932 on February 1, 2006);

• Scholarships for math, science, and critical foreign language majors (Deficit Reduction Act, S. 1932 on February 1, 2006);

• Access to plain-English information on excessive tuition hikes (College Access & Opportunity Act, H.R. 609 on March 30, 2006); and

• Loan relief for nurses and teachers (College Access & Opportunity Act, H.R. 609 on March 30, 2006)

“On workforce issues, it’s more of the same – all words and no action,” McKeon said.  “They clamor for retirement security legislation, but as Republicans worked for a year and a half on pension reform, Democrats offered no comprehensive plan of their own.  They demand solutions to the uninsured crisis, but they’ve attempted to derail small business health plans.  And in spite of low unemployment, rising pay, and more than five million jobs created in the last three years, they continue to downplay our economic success and oppose common sense job training reforms at the same time.”

McKeon highlighted several workforce bills OPPOSED by Democrat leaders in the current Congress, including: 

• The Pension Protection Act (H.R. 2830 on December 15, 2005), which would tighten pension funding rules and ensure employers and unions keep their promises to their workers and retirees;

• The Small Business Health Fairness Act (H.R. 525 on July 26, 2005), which would create association health plans to allow small businesses to band together through associations and purchase quality health care for workers and their families at a lower cost; and

• The Job Training Improvement Act (H.R. 27 on March 2, 2005), which would reform and strengthen job training programs to help job seekers take advantage of new opportunities in America’s growing and changing economy.

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