Tim Kaine wants to be the next Senate Budget Committee chair, and Bobby Scott, the dean of the Virginia congressional delegation, has the backing of the rest of the Democrats in the Virginia delegation to return as the chair of the House Committee on Education & Labor.
At this writing, no word on whether Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, wants to return as the chair, a role that he has held the past couple of times Democrats had the majority in the U.S. Senate, but I’ll assume so.
Kaine has served on the Senate Budget Committee for the past 14 years, and of course, he was the vice presidential nominee in 2016, so, he’s got chops.
“At a moment when the American public has demanded that our leaders address a massive affordability crisis, the Budget Committee has a powerful tool — budget reconciliation — that can lead to quick action providing real relief to everyday Americans,” Kaine said in a statement. “We need to reverse devastating cuts to Medicaid and nutrition assistance, stop funding illegal and foolish wars and advance education, housing, workforce training, health care and infrastructure investments. And we must find long-term solutions to guarantee the solvency of Social Security and a responsible approach to managing the national debt. I’ve successfully grappled with similar challenges as the Mayor of a fiscally-stressed Richmond and the Governor of Virginia during the 2008-2009 fiscal crisis. I look forward to engaging our committee to be equally bold in tackling tomorrow’s serious challenges.”
Scott let his fellow Virginia House Democrats in DC do the talking for him – in the form of a joint statement from Don Beyer, Jennifer McClellan, Suhas Subramanyam, Eugene Vindman and James Walkinshaw, and the recently elected Elaine Luria and Shannon Taylor.
“Congressman Bobby Scott has been a relentless champion for America’s students, workers, and families. During his leadership of the Committee on Education and Labor, we secured historic wins, including the single largest federal investment in our nation’s K-12 schools and HBCUs, saved over a million retirees’ pensions, secured universal school meals during the pandemic, helped expand health care coverage for 8 million more Americans, protected the child-care sector from collapsing, and ended the practice of sending patients surprise medical billing.
“Bobby Scott is a smart and hard worker with a deep understanding of the complex federal budget process, a record of tireless advocacy for juvenile and criminal justice, and a mastery of civil rights laws and the Constitution. At a time when high prices are the top issue for many Americans, he is a champion on affordability who twice led the House to pass the Raise the Wage Act. He has a proven track record as a strong champion for workers, with the multiple passages of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) and other workforce development programs.
“Finally, nobody else is better positioned to hold the Trump administration accountable for dismantling the Department of Education and eroding the civil rights of students. His leadership during the past two years helped shine a light on what this administration has done ahead of our historic midterm victories. Bobby Scott is also well suited to hold the Secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services accountable for supporting DOGE’s attack on workers, as well as its mishandling of Americans’ personal information.
“We strongly encourage House Democrats to re-appoint Bobby Scott as chair of the House Committee on Education & Labor because of his dedication, his ability and proven record to hit the ground running to rein in the Trump administration. As chair, Bobby Scott will deliver for America’s students, workers, and families.”
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Chris Graham
