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Floor Statements

Foxx Statement: Consideration of H. J. Res. 57

For years, the federal government operated under the flawed idea that Washington knows best when it comes to education. Policies put in place in recent decades vastly expanded the federal footprint into K-12 schools and prevented state and local education leaders from delivering the high-quality education all children deserve. Something needed to change, yet under the Obama administration the problem only got worse.

For years, the federal government operated under the flawed idea that Washington knows best when it comes to education. Policies put in place in recent decades vastly expanded the federal footprint into K-12 schools and prevented state and local education leaders from delivering the high-quality education all children deserve. Something needed to change, yet under the Obama administration the problem only got worse. 
 
For years, the last administration used regulations, waivers, and pet projects to unilaterally exert its control over education. Its heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all policies only increased the federal role in America’s classrooms, moving K-12 education in the wrong direction.
 
That’s why Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the Every Student Succeeds Act
 
Enacted just over a year ago, the law was built on three important principles: empowering parents, reducing the federal role, and restoring local control. It sent a clear message that the American people were done with the top-down approach to education. Unfortunately, the administration didn’t get the message.
 
The Department of Education continued using rules and regulations to push its failed education agenda — the same agenda Congress rejected with overwhelming bipartisan support.
 
We’re here today to put a stop to two of those rules.
 
The resolution under consideration, H. J. Res. 57, will roll back a regulation implementing accountability provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act. The law empowers states to develop ways to hold schools accountable to the students and parents they serve and ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly. The department’s accountability rule, however, does the exact opposite.

Not only does it impose prescriptive accountability requirements on state education leaders, but it also violates specific prohibitions the law places on the Secretary of Education’s authority.
 
We also considered a few moments ago H. J. Res. 58, which will block implementation of a regulation that significantly expands the federal government’s involvement in teacher preparation. Yet another example of Obama overreach, the teacher preparation rule essentially creates a federal system for evaluating teacher performance. It would be virtually impossible to implement and could lead to fewer teachers serving low-income students.
 
Together, these two resolutions of disapproval will move us toward limiting the federal role in education and protect the local control promised with recent education reforms.
 
I want to thank Representatives Rokita and Guthrie for their work to fight against the flawed policies of the past and for leading the way in delivering a more positive, more limited, and more responsible federal role in education.
 
I urge my colleagues to support both resolutions, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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