Today, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) delivered the following statement, as prepared for delivery, at the Committee's Organizing Meeting for the 119th Congress:
"Thank you everyone for attending the Education and Workforce Committee organizing meeting. Ranking Member Scott and all our new and returning members on both sides of the dais, I am excited to work with all of you.
"Ranking Member Scott, I look forward to continuing this Committee’s legacy of being able to disagree without being disagreeable.
"The policies under this Committee’s jurisdiction affect EVERY aspect of people’s lives. That’s why the work we do here is so vital. And that is why I consider this an A Committee.
"Out of the gate the Committee will work to advance President Trump’s agenda. On the education front that means pursuing policies to address out-of-control college costs, expanding education freedom and school choice opportunities, calling out woke higher education institutions—especially those that allow antisemitism to run rampant—and examining the crisis in our K-12 education system that for too long put labor special interests over the outcomes of students and the rights of parents.
"In the workforce space, the Biden-Harris administration put American entrepreneurs on the chopping block, which threatened economic opportunities for hard-working Americans. Instead of policies that benefit trial lawyers and labor special interests, we will pursue legislation that unleashes the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of the American workforce.
"In order to do that, we must bolster policies that support multiple pathways to success. Bottom line, we want students, workers, and job creators to have the skills they need to be competitive in the 21st century.
"More than 150 million Americans have employer-sponsored health insurance, or ESI, which falls squarely under this Committee’s jurisdiction. ESI is at the forefront of creating innovative and market-based solutions that expand affordable health coverage for American families. The Committee will continue to fight for proven solutions to drive down health care costs, like the Association Health Plans Act, as well as legislation that improves billing and coverage transparency for employers, like the policies that were incorporated into the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act.
"I look forward to the next two years. And, to everyone on this Committee, while there are many challenges ahead of us, there are just as many opportunities. I look forward to leveraging the expertise of this Committee’s Members so we can deliver for the American people.
"Before turning things over to Ranking Member Scott, I’d like to introduce the new Republican Members.
"Please welcome to the Education and Workforce Committee:
Representative Bob Onder of Missouri
Representative Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania
Representative Michael Baumgartner of Washington
Representative Mark Harris of North Carolina, and
Representative Mark Messmer of Indiana."
Rules Package
"We are making some structural reforms to the Committee’s procedures while also keeping some practices that are working well.
"For example, we are keeping the Committee’s name (minus the 'the'), which reflects the fact that this Committee celebrates the dignity of work. The Committee’s name also recognizes the full spectrum upon which the American workforce is built: independent contracting, blue-collar work, and franchise ownership to name a few.
"As for changes, the Committee will be instituting electronic voting. For more than 50 years the House of Representatives has had its electronic voting system in place.
"I look forward to a more effective and efficient process that will help save our Members’ time. I don’t waste anything if I can help it, and that includes time—waste not, want not."
Oversight Plan
"As we saw in the first Trump administration, career bureaucrats have sought to undermine the goals of the President and his cabinet Secretaries. We know of cases where bureaucrats have leaked sensitive information or are working with plaintiffs' attorneys to skew court cases against employers.
"The Committee’s oversight work recently brought to light how the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is abusing its authority to secretly share information with class action law firms. This is a blatant abuse of the law, and our Committee will hold EBSA accountable.
"Other federal agencies should take notice. Where we can provide effective oversight over the rot within the federal bureaucracy and, when necessary, promote additional legal authority to deal with the bureaucratic abuse, we will.
"The President has made this a priority with the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and our Committee will work alongside President Trump to hold bad actors within the federal government accountable."
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