Washington, D.C. (April 27, 2023)—Yesterday, Rep. Raul Ruiz, M.D., Ranking Member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic (SSCP), led Select Subcommittee Democrats in prioritizing the health and safety of America’s children while exposing House Republicans’ hypocrisy on children, families, and education, pointing to Republicans’ extreme budget proposal and failure to address the gun violence epidemic. 
 

“Right now, America’s children need our support.  They need resources to make up for lost classroom time, overcome struggles with mental health, and live, learn, and grow in healthy, safe environments. Ripping away critical funding and making partisan allegations that seek to vilify our nation’s dedicated teachers will get us nowhere in addressing the challenges our nation’s children face. Instead, let’s cut the partisan allegations, let’s get down to business, and let’s prioritize our children’s health and well-being both inside and outside the classroom,” said Ranking Member Ruiz in his opening statement.
 

The hearing included testimony from American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten. Prior to the hearing, SSCP Democrats revealed in a factsheet how, despite claiming to support America’s children and families, House Republicans are pushing their Default on America Act, which would make extreme cuts to critical education, health care, and nutrition program.

Select Subcommittee Democrats exposed how Republicans are playing politics with children's health, wellbeing, and education with their extreme Default on America Act while ignoring the single greatest threat to America’s children: the gun violence epidemic.
 

• Congresswoman Jill Tokuda said: “I find it ironic that we are once again talking about school closures, closures, by the way, that were done to keep children safe when the last Administration had no plans in place to safely reopen them. While Republicans have proposed a 22% reduction in non-defense spending to deal with the debt limit—once again closing doors to our children and their education.”
   

• Congressman Kweisi Mfume said: “It is also startling to me that at the same time that House Republicans are having this hearing today—supposedly out of concern for America’s children—they are threatening to defund America’s education system. Republicans have proposed a reckless 22% budget cut to all non-defense programs, including a $3.1 billion cut to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Grants to States program, which funds essential services for infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. The Republicans’ $3.1 billion cut to this program would remove 48,000 teachers and service providers from the classroom, negatively impacting 7.5 million children.”
   

• Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost pointed out Republicans’ hypocrisy when it comes to ignoring the gun violence epidemic: “Students are begging for Congress to have the courage to act on gun violence. If you care about students, if you care about schools, fight for a world where students are not dying in a pool of their own blood where they’re supposed to be in class learning.”
   

Select Subcommittee Democrats demonstrated the Biden Administration’s leadership and Democrats’ success with safely and responsibly getting kids back in the classroom after President Trump’s failed handling of the pandemic prolonged the suspension of in-person learning.
 

• Ranking Member Ruiz demonstrated the success of the American Rescue Plan in getting kids back in the classroom: “It is because of these investments and this leadership that we were able to overcome the previous Administration’s COVID-19 response failures that left our nation and our classrooms unprepared to combat a global public health threat. Failures such as downplaying the pandemic, calling it a hoax and a political ploy, not urgently acting to reduce transmission, not honestly communicating with the American public, and not effectively equipping our schools with the necessary resources to stay open.
   

• Congresswoman Jill Tokuda added: “Democrats have taken decisive actions to put America on firmer footing as we emerge from this pandemic. The [American Rescue Plan’s] funds to the state of Hawaii [included] nearly 80 million dollars to actually help keep childcare centers open, prevented these children from experiencing learning loss in Hawaii. And we know this took place across our country.”
   

Select Subcommittee Democrats refuted Republicans’ extreme partisan allegations and baseless attempts to vilify teachers.
 

• Congresswoman Debbie Dingell rebutted Republicans’ baseless allegations by highlighting key testimony from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walenksy at a Select Subcommittee hearing in March 2022, where she explained that CDC engaged with more than 50 organizations in developing school reopening guidance: “In a response to then-Ranking Member Steve Scalise, Director Walensky noted that the CDC consulted with over 50 organizations prior to the release of the guidelines, including school administrators, parents, as well as AFT.”
   
• Congresswoman Deborah Ross said: “Instead of using today’s hearing to meaningfully examine the challenges facing America’s kids in the wake of the pandemic, this Select Subcommittee is continuing a partisan crusade against our nation’s educators. Allegations here are just not credible and they polarize pandemic oversight and don’t do anything to help overcome learning loss, bring relief to kids struggling with mental health issues or better prepare us for future health crises.”

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