Murray on House Pulling Partisan ESEA Reauthorization Bill

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement on House Republican leaders canceling today’s vote on their partisan Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization bill.

“The move by Republican leaders to pull today's vote makes it clearer than ever that the only true path to fixing this broken law is through a bipartisan approach. Their deeply partisan bill would cut back educational opportunities for millions for students, turn back the clock on the civil rights gains we’ve made in our schools, and would roll back measures that hold states and schools accountable for taxpayers’ investment in K-12 education. It is especially disappointing that House Republicans used this important opportunity to fix the badly broken No Child Left Behind law to insert a politically motivated attack on access to reproductive health information and services‎. House Republicans should now work with Democrats on a bipartisan approach to pass a bill that maintains important accountability measures and helps all students succeed.

“We still have a lot of work to do, but I am glad that Chairman Alexander and I are working together with members of our Committee in bipartisan negotiations to get this done. Parents, school leaders and teachers, and communities are looking to us to fix the badly broken No Child Left Behind law to make sure all students have access to a quality public education, regardless of where they live, how they learn, or how much money their parents make—and I am hopeful that we can deliver results.”

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