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Democrats Approve Bills that Harm Workers, Job Creators, and Taxpayers

Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement after the Committee passed workforce development and retirement legislation:

“Education and Labor Committee Democrats keep missing opportunities to work across the aisle. These bills, however well-intentioned, do not work for workers, job creators, or retirees; not to mention, they hasten the creep of the federal government into the individual decisions of Americans. We should be trying to preserve self-government in this country, not expand the federal government’s control over the workforce or the retirement system. I hope my Democrat colleagues will reconsider these bills.”

H.R. 7309, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022:

  • Fails to protect taxpayers at a time of rampant inflation by expanding supportive services, which risks turning the workforce system into a welfare program, and opening taxpayer funding of WIOA up to fraud and abuse.
  • Pushes a radical left-wing agenda that promotes progressive gender ideology and critical race theory.
  • Expands federal control over workforce standards and limits the rights of job-seekers to determine worthwhile employment while expanding union representation on state and local workforce boards.
  • Makes Job Corps less accountable, a program with rampant safety, security, and performance concerns.
  • Makes damaging changes to the list of providers approved to offer skills education.
  • Overemphasizes the burdensome registered apprenticeship program and fails to expand access for job seekers to innovative work-based learning opportunities.

H.R. 7310, the Protecting America’s Retirement Security Act:

  • Makes it more difficult for retirees to withdraw their own money during emergencies and hardships.
  • Expands the role of the federal government in retirement planning.
  • Establishes new grant programs that direct taxpayer dollars to specific types of retirement plan programs over others.
  • Allows funds to be used on annual conferences and sent to unions and worker centers.
  • Fails to address the Department of Labor’s overzealous enforcement against employee stock ownership plans.
  • Forces automatic re-enrollment upon American workers who have already opted out.

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