Virginia Foxx

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's comments, but we are showing compassion to the 87 percent of the people in this country who played by the rules and paid their bills or didn't go to college. The 13 percent who did take out debt who haven't paid it back should show some similar compassion to their fellow human beings and not ask them to pay their bills. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen), a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bean), chair of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues want us to feel so sorry for these people who took out these loans and who are not going to pay them back. My colleague in the 12th District of North Carolina said 121,000 people in her district. Mr. Speaker, you know who I am feeling sorry for? The 622,600 people who are being asked to pay off the bill that those 121,000 people took out willingly and have benefited from. This is a backward way of looking at things. Compassion should be shown to the 622,600 people who didn't take out the loan but are now being asked to pay it back. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), the vice chair of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise, again, in support of H.J. Res. 45 and urge my colleagues to pass this bill. The Democrats and the White House have accused Republicans of working against the interests of our constituents; however, this just shows how out of touch Democrats are with the realities of the people in my district. While the White House likes to point to the fact that 75,000 of my constituents are eligible for the administration's bailout, they conveniently ignore that 675,000 of them, or over 90 percent, receive no benefit from this illegal scam. Moreover, 212,000 of my constituents have never even set foot on a college campus. According to the National Taxpayers Union estimate, the administration's blanket loan cancellation and income-driven repayment plan will cost over $3,500 per constituent. This will cost the hardworking constituents in my district $1.2 billion alone. Mr. Speaker, there is no such thing as debt forgiveness. The administration's student debt scheme simply transfers the cost from well-off college graduates to the backs of my constituents. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 45, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I would let Representative Davis know that in Illinois 11,655,200 people don't have student debt, and they will be the ones bearing the cost of the transfer from 90,800 people. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I think our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are doing their best to gaslight the 87 percent of their constituents who are going to be saddled with the debt from the 13 percent. In Washington's 7th Congressional District, there are 686,200 people who don't have any college debt who are going to be asked to pay the debt off for 84,300 people. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran), who is a member of the Education and Workforce Committee.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I demand that words be taken down.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I have no objection.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2\1/2\ minutes. Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that in the 10th District of Florida, 654,500 people will be paying the debt for 122,500 people. Mr. Speaker, over the last two decades, tuition and fees have increased nearly three times the rate of inflation. Democrats continually talk about how college is unaffordable yet fail to realize their failed policies exacerbate the problem of outrageous college costs. More Federal aid and generous loan subsidies allow schools to increase their prices to capture those additional funds. Economists at the New York Federal Reserve found that for every $1 increase in student loan subsidies, colleges increased their tuition 60 cents. Another study found colleges reduced their own grant aid by as much as 83 cents for every dollar students receive in taxpayer student aid. The Biden administration is telling borrowers that someone else will pay their loans and telling institutions that someone else will cover the cost of tuition. It is no wonder the Congressional Budget Office found that the Biden administration's new income-driven repayment plan alone will increase student borrowing by 12 percent. Let's work toward actually lowering college costs, not dumping hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars on well-off college graduates to make the problem worse. Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 45, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close whenever the gentleman from Virginia is prepared, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, we all know that access to college is available to every single person in this country. It is not a matter of access. It is a matter of who is paying back their loans. Coupled with the permanent repayment pause, expansive new regulations, and a radical new income-driven repayment plan, the Biden administration's student loan scam could end up costing taxpayers $1 trillion. That is more than the Federal Government has ever spent on postsecondary education. The Biden administration's policies do nothing to solve the root issues of student debt. If this bailout moves forward, then outstanding student debt will return to current levels in just over 5 years. We will be right back here again. The Federal student loan system is broken, and real reform is needed. Simply put, the administration's action will mean that future students will come to expect their loans will be canceled, and colleges will continue to increase already skyrocketing tuition because they know Democrats will leave taxpayers to foot the bill. We need to hold colleges accountable for charging outrageous prices for degrees with no value. We need a student loan program that has the best interests of students and taxpayers in mind. As the institution that holds the power of the purse, Congress has the responsibility to protect the interest of taxpayers. A vote in support of today's resolution will do just that. Again, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.J. Res. 45, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, next Monday, we will pause and pay tribute to the men and women who have died in service to our Nation. It is a solemn time: one for deep reflection, patriotism, and gratitude. This upcoming Saturday, members of the High Country chapter of the Military Officers Association of America will be honoring deceased military veterans for Memorial Day by placing 600 flags on their gravesites. Joining them will be members of The American Legion, ASU military staff, as well as local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Mr. Speaker, seeing members of the High Country come together in this fashion is heartwarming. Let us never forget that we are blessed to live in the freest, greatest country in the world and that the selfless sacrifices made by those who have served should always be revered and recognized.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Education and the Workforce Committee passed H.J. Res. 45, a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn Biden's student loan bailout. I thank Representative Bob Good for sponsoring this crucial resolution. If passed through both Chambers, the joint resolution being debated today would nullify President Biden's radical plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt by executive fiat. For 2 years, President Biden has attempted to push a free college agenda through radical regulations including income-driven repayment, executive actions like blanket cancellation, and his permanent pause on repayment. Student loan forgiveness is nothing more than a transfer of wealth from those who willingly took on debt to those who did not or had the grit to pay off their loans. Just 13 percent of Americans hold student loan debt, and over one- half is held by graduate students. In other words, President Biden is forcing the very people Democrats claim to care about--low-income families, disadvantaged populations, and blue-collar workers who never stepped foot on a college campus--to pay someone else's tuition bill. How much would it cost the American taxpayer? President Biden's student loan bailout alone will cost taxpayers an estimated $315 billion according to the Congressional Budget Office. Coupled with his reckless income-driven repayment plan and other expansive regulations, his student loan scams could cost as much as $1 trillion. In fact, at a cost exceeding $3,500 per taxpayer, the President's income-driven repayment plan and mass cancellation represent the most expensive executive actions in American history, period. These illegal actions also come at a time of rip-roaring inflation as Democrats' reckless spending sprees push our economy to the precipice of recession. The President's debt transfer plan alone could increase inflation by as much as 27 basis points, making it even harder for families to put food on the table and gas in their car. With our national debt quickly approaching $32 trillion, a bailout for graduate students and high-income households is the last thing we need on our Nation's credit card. Our economy is a debt-fueled balloon waiting to pop, and this plan could be the proverbial needle. With all this spending, one would, at the very least, expect the broken student loan program to be repaired. Yet, even if the President is able to move forward with his debt transfer plan, we will be right back to $1.6 trillion in outstanding debt in less than 6 years. Why? Because colleges will increase their tuition and force students to borrow even more because they know taxpayers will foot the bill. The problems that plague postsecondary education cannot be solved by one-time debt jubilees. Solutions require hard work. Specifically, it means addressing the lack of accountability for the hundreds of billions of dollars that flow to colleges and universities that charge far too much for degrees with little or no financial value and reforming our student loan program which Democrats are dead set on running into the ground.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Charter School Week, during which we celebrate the work that charter schools are doing to expand education freedom and help students thrive in an environment that fits their needs. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all education solutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the flaws of rigid learning systems. Millions of students were trapped in failing school districts simply because of their ZIP Code. Now, parents are waking up and making their choices heard. Education freedom is the future. Charter schools offer students an alternative pathway that provides access to high-quality education options that would otherwise be unavailable. As the chairwoman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I will continue to advocate for educational pathways like charter schools that put students, not politics, first.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Marcus Smith, who is the president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports and the owner of the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Marcus and his family have helped lead the charge to restore the 75- year-old racetrack so that countless racing enthusiasts can experience and celebrate the history of stock car racing. The entire Wilkes County community is buzzing with anticipation over the upcoming NASCAR All-Star Race which will be hosted at the North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21. Thanks to the dedication of Marcus and his family in seeing this project through to fruition, a piece of North Carolina's history is back in the spotlight for the entire country to see. This is no small feat, Mr. Speaker. Congratulations to Marcus Smith and the Smith family on this monumental accomplishment. Recognizing Terri Parsons

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Terri Parsons, an exemplary North Carolinian and someone who has played an important role in restoring a piece of our State's rich history. Thanks to Terri's staunch advocacy and support, the North Wilkesboro Speedway will be hosting the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race on May 21. Benny Parson, Terri's late husband and a NASCAR Hall of Famer was very fond of the North Wilkesboro Speedway. His dying wish was to have NASCAR return to Wilkes County and to this historic location. Mr. Speaker, his wish has come true. Terri has made the Wilkes County community and all of North Carolina incredibly proud through her continued work. I congratulate Terri on this magnificent accomplishment. Freedom Must Be Handed Down to Our Children

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the National Assessment of Educational Progress recently revealed that history and civics scores among students hit record lows. The scores are staggering. Eighty-seven percent of eighth graders have a basic or below basic knowledge of American history while only 2 out of 10 of those students are proficient in civics. For a decade, we have watched these scores decline. The culprit isn't a singular event but a culture shift where an ideology-charged curriculum is rapidly replacing a core understanding of our Nation's history and our role in it. Our past matters--the good and the bad. Our civic responsibility matters. It is the duty every one of us holds. The moment we neglect these truths from textbooks or classroom discussions is the day America is no longer free. Ronald Reagan said that freedom is never more than one generation from extinction. We did not pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. There are no easy solutions to address this problem. We stand at a crossroads where there are two competing visions for America: one is predicated on tearing down the pillars that built America, and one is based on the principles of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. I stand firmly with the vision of the latter. Unfortunately, the Biden administration stands with the vision of the former. They recently proposed to hijack the Federal American history and civics grant program to redirect those efforts toward the left's indoctrination agenda. We must stand against this radical vision. America is more than a nation. It represents freedom--an ideal that countless generations protected and often died for. These abysmal test scores reflect what happens when we allow ideologically charged indoctrination to trump basic instruction in our Nation's history. We can and must do better. We owe it to those who came before us, we owe it to those who will come after us, and we owe it to every person around the world who looks at America as that shining city on a hill--a beacon of freedom for all. Let us not take our great Republic for granted. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Kiley for yielding.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding. Mr. Speaker, President Biden is waging a war on America's workforce. First, he made the anti-worker PRO Act a legislative priority. Then his Department of Labor proposed a rule to extinguish opportunities for workers who want to be independent contractors. Now his handpicked nominee, Julie Su, has barely made it through the Democrat-controlled Senate HELP Committee on a party-line vote, paving the way for her to head the agency overseeing our Nation's workforce. As California's Secretary of Labor, Su was the architect and chief enforcer of AB 5, a bill that mirrors current Federal anti-worker proposals like the PRO Act and DOL's proposed rule. Nearly 80 percent of independent contractors prefer their current status to traditional employment. AB 5 forced many independent contractors to be reclassified or lose work opportunities. Many Californians lost their livelihoods. Most rejected the bill through a Statewide referendum. AB 5 sank in such spectacular fashion that over 100 industry exemptions were created; from recording artists and song writers to dog walkers and home cleaners. This is the policy that Democrats tacitly endorsed by supporting Julie Su for Secretary of Labor. I have talked at length with independent contract workers whose livelihoods are put in peril by Julie Su. Let me explain her nomination and confirmation from their perspective. In the eyes of truckers, Su places 350,000 owner-operator jobs at risk. Truckers worked tirelessly to keep our economy afloat during the pandemic. This is their repayment? In the eyes of journalists, Julie Su's confirmation tells them the independence of freelancing is not valuable to their industry. In the eyes of tutors, Su is a slap in the face for those who helped save students from falling through the cracks during the pandemic. Many tutors are independent contractors, and two of every three are women. They wouldn't have a place in Su's workforce. In the eyes of every worker who files a 1099 on tax day, Julie Su is an assault on their way of life. Many Members have rightly criticized Julie Su for her long track record of incompetence, like how she lost $31 billion to unemployment fraud in California. Biden has already proven he will staff his Cabinet with woefully unqualified and incompetent Secretaries. Look at Mayor Pete. I am worried about Su being an activist for Biden's pro-union boss and anti-worker agenda. It is no wonder that industry groups lined up against her confirmation in a rare display of agreement in Washington. Her destiny might be out of the House's hands, but I can end with a promise. As chairwoman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I promise to conduct robust oversight of the Labor Department or the department of any radical who threatens our Nation's workforce. We will deliver to independent workers, to truckers, journalists, tutors, and more, much deserved accountability from their Federal Government.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas for yielding and for his wonderful work on this package. Mr. Speaker, America's position as the most trusted line of credit in the world is at stake. In other words, our reputation is at stake. Republicans' commonsense proposal, the Limit, Save, Grow Act, recognizes the twin interests of avoiding defaulting on our debt while reining in future inflationary spending. Yet, the President has signaled that he will stall, he will risk, and he will forbid paying our debt obligations if he doesn't get his way. He refuses to compromise. One such compromise, which falls within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, includes blocking the President from spending half a trillion dollars to provide backdoor free college. The Limit, Save, Grow Act would nullify the President's plan to transfer up to $20,000 per borrower onto the backs of blue-collar Americans, as well as his radical income-driven repayment plan, which would turn student loans into untargeted grants and cost more than any other regulation in our Nation's history. If the President's student loan scheme is enacted, taxpayers could end up spending almost $1 trillion since the beginning of the pandemic. Our solution preserves the fiscal integrity of our Nation for Americans today and the generation tomorrow. It offers a promise to the American public that we will not pursue trillion-dollar policies that risk our financial future. Mr. Speaker, we ask the President to come to the negotiating table and quit pursuing brinkmanship over partisanship.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens), chairman of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.