Foxx on Democrat Efforts to Hand the Nation’s Workforce Development System to Bureaucrats
COMMITTEE on Education & Labor
May 17, 2022
Today, Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (R-NC) spoke on the House Floor in opposition to H.R. 7309, the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which gives Big Labor and Washington bureaucrats more power over our nation’s workforce development system.
“Republicans are committed to preparing America’s workforce for the 21st century. This reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act will not help our country live up to its potential. In fact, this reauthorization moves our workforce development system in the wrong direction.
“Our labor market is not facing a lack of job openings or a lack of workers. Currently there are 11.3 million open jobs, but unfortunately there are too few Americans with the skills needed to fill them effectively. That is why we need a robust workforce development system that will prepare workers for in-demand skills.
“During the Education and Labor Committee markup of H.R. 7309, Republicans offered an amendment that would:
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empower employers to respond to local economic needs;
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streamline the workforce development system by increasing local collaboration and putting program qualification decisions at the state and local level;
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strengthen outcomes and accountability by adding evidence-based practices, maintaining common performance-based metrics, funding programs with a track record of success, and improving transparency measures; and
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reduce bureaucracy by requiring the Department of Labor to address regulatory bottlenecks.