New Dems Take Action to Lead on Education, Support Make it in America, and Unanimously Back the 21st Century Cures Act
Washington, DC – This week the New Democrat Coalition worked to further the goals laid out in its American Prosperity Agenda. The Agenda, released earlier this year, calls for bold action to grow the economy and expand the American dream by investing in world-class schools, innovative research, and a high-quality health care system.
On Monday, 21st Century Education, Immigration, and Workforce Task Force Co-chairs, along with Coalition leadership, sent a letter to Senate leaders on important steps to improve its legislation to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The letter urged Senators to incorporate measures that would improve data analytics and reporting to better reflect the needs of minorities and underserved students in public schools. The letter also recommended commonsense steps to ensure schools get the resources they need while also being held accountable for results.
Later in the week the Coalition joined business leaders, education advocates, civil rights leaders, and others in unanimously opposing the House Republican ESEA reauthorization. Vice Chair and Task Force Co-Chair Jared Polis said in a statement, “We need a bill that relieves schools from the burden of overtesting and a system that forces them to move from waiver to waiver, both results of the outdated No Child Left Behind policies. It is crucial to have smart accountability measures that serve the best interests of all students.”
Yesterday, multiple members of the Coalition took part in Whip Hoyer’s hearing on the Make It In America initiative, which focused on smart ways to strengthen manufacturing and take advantage of opportunities in the new economy in the United States. Members testified on the need for better STEM education, Internet infrastructure, new opportunities for manufacturing, improved workforce training programs, opportunities for young farmers, and increased investment in scientific research. Click here to read testimony and watch a video of the hearing.
To cap off the week, Coalition members voted unanimously earlier today to pass the 21st Century Cures Act, bipartisan legislation targeted at revamping health care research, streamlining life-saving drug approval, and investing in discovery of cutting edge treatments. Several Members praised the bill for boosting funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help America develop the best and latest treatments. Said New Democrat Healthcare Task Force Co-Chair Kurt Schrader in a release, “Science is moving at breakneck speed—it’s time that the government caught up. The Cures Act will accomplish that by accelerating the speed at which our scientists develop treatments and cures and get them to patients.” In another release, Healthcare Task Force Co-Chair Ami Bera, M.D. drew on his personal experience to explain the importance of the bill, saying “As a doctor, I’ve seen too many sick patients with no place to turn, and I believe this bill will help bring new, innovative treatments to people who desperately need them.”
In the weeks ahead, Coalition members will continue fighting for their priorities to grow our economy in every town and city, give everyone a shot at the American Dream, and make government work better.
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