Dear Mr. Secretary, We are pleased that President Obama has signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014, P.L. 113-76. This legislation provides USDA with funding for vital programs and also provides directives that clearly state congressional intent in the implementation of various programs. We want to call your immediate attention to the congressional directive that ... Read more »
The Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), today held a hearing entitled, “OSHA’s Regulatory Agenda: Changing Long-Standing Policies Outside the Public Rulemaking Process.” During the hearing, members discussed instances in which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has significantly altered standards outside the formal regulatory process. In... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Chairman Phil Roe (R-TN) released the following statements after a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report revealed the president’s health care law could lead to a loss of 2.5 million full-time jobs by 2024: “Last year Secretary Sebelius dismissed concerns about j... Read more »
In recent weeks there has been a great deal of discussion about the use of executive power. President Obama promised in his State of the Union address to go around Congress when necessary to advance his own agenda. The president’s remarks fit a pattern we’re all too familiar with under this administration, and goes well beyond the attitudes and actions of past administrations of both parties. Be i... Read more »
President Obama last week asked Joe Biden to lead "an across-the-board reform" of federal job training that roots out ineffective and redundant programs. It's nice to hear the President admit that some government programs are wasteful, and if he's serious the spadework has already been done. Job-training programs originated during the New Deal, expanded under the Great Society and have continued ... Read more »
On Tuesday, February 4 at 10:00 a.m., the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), will hold a hearing entitled, “OSHA’s Regulatory Agenda: Changing Long-Standing Policies Outside the Public Rulemaking Process.” The hearing will take place in room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for... Read more »
President Obama has announced he will create through executive fiat another federal job training program. That’s right – another program on top of the more than 50 federal employment and training programs that already exists. It might have been nice to wait for Vice President Biden to complete his redundant review of the workforce development system before adding more confusion to an already bloat... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) and Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN) issued the following joint statement after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on federal student loan interest rates: Today’s GAO report makes it clear that Congress was exactly right to tie student loa... Read more »
In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for a “year of action” that left many Americans unimpressed. As one political journalist wrote, the president’s agenda includes “small-bore executive orders, studies, summits.” President Obama’s lackluster to-do list was especially evident when he announced Vice President Joe Biden would address job training reform by merely conducting a re... Read more »
House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) today announced a full committee hearing to discuss early childhood education and care programs. “The president and I agree more can be done to help kids get an early start on the path to success,” Chairman Kline said. “However, with 45 federal programs tied to early childhood development and a $13 billion annual taxpayer inves... Read more »
